How to hike Cheung Chau without the crowds: a guide to Hong Kong’s dumbbell island
Away from the busy harbour there is plenty to explore on tiny Cheung Chau for those who like to walk. We take you on an anti-clockwise tour of the island’s best sights, which can all be seen in a matter of hours
When you step off the ferry on Cheung Chau – a small, dumbbell-shaped island off the southwest coast of Hong Kong’s Lantau Island – you will likely find crowds comparable to those of Mong Kok’s Ladies Market. What few visitors realise, however, is that you only have to walk a little before the crowds thin out and you can find pleasant stretches of trail and lovely quieter areas.
First, head to the main beach at Tung Wan. As you come off the ferry pier, turn right and then promptly left, continuing in that direction until you hit the beach. You’ll pass stores selling knick-knacks for tourists, an old banyan tree with small shrines at its base, a pub, and shops selling food and drink.
The best of the MacLehose Trail, East Asia’s only National Geographic Dream Trail
Beyond the northern end of the beach, Cheung Chau is hilly, with a headland sheltering the bay; to the south it is hilly, too. The central part of the island with the pier and beach is a low strip of land – geologically, this is known as a tombolo, and it is this area that is packed with housing for much of the island’s 23,000 inhabitants.
Now you have an idea of the layout of the island, you’re ready to start exploring. Head south first.
The Mini Great Wall
A path running alongside Tung Wan beach leads you below the Warwick Hotel, then past an ancient rock carving and a windsurfing centre to a smaller beach at Kwun Yam Wan. Here, the path turns up a wooded slope. Left at a junction, and soon left again, and a path climbs the slope south of the bay. There are some grand views over Cheung Chau, with Lantau’s hills beyond.
