Those who spend their vacations in Hong Kong have a specific itinerary in mind. Because in such a small area, the points of interest are well-known and cannot be ignored. You may start with the unmissable trip to Kowloon, or pay homage to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island, take a leisurely stroll through the Temple Street markets, and admire the skyscrapers of Central Hong Kong and Victoria Peak, both from the sea and from the hills. You can experience the thrill of eating in a restaurant on the 50th floor, working out in a gym on the 70th floor, and visiting fishing villages—the only vestiges of ancient Chinese Hong Kong. But if you want to be original, there’s also “another” Hong Kong to explore. We will tell you about it, with our driver-guides ready to welcome you upon your arrival at Hong Kong Airport (HKG) … and take you wherever you want to go!
From Dragon’s Back to the beaches
Dragon’s Back is a wooded promontory located at the southernmost tip of the city-state of Hong Kong. Besides being a spectacular panoramic point, it is part of a little-known nature trail. From the summit of Dragon’s Back, in fact, two trails lead to the beaches of Shek-O and Big Wave Bay. The distance is just 4 km, and a short, one-hour walk downhill takes you from the mountain to the sea. Once on the sand, all that’s left to do is… dive into the waves and wash away your sweat and fatigue!
Cheung Chao Island
Cheung Chau is a small island located about 10 km southwest of Hong Kong, accessible by ferry and home to 24,000 residents. The central part of the island is full of buildings, hotels, and shops, while fishing villages still survive along the coast. Despite having beautiful beaches, mass tourism almost doesn’t know it, and perhaps that’s a good thing. Corners of paradise such as Tung Wan, Coral Beach, and Kwun Yam remain authentic and unspoiled, and even where accommodations are available, the local nature is preserved and respected.
The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, in the Sha Tin neighborhood, isn’t a tourist attraction. First of all, it is new (built in 1950), second, it is not a true monastery (no monks live there), yet it deserves to be discovered and appreciated. The finely decorated rooms, colored red and gold, house thousands of Buddha statues that vie for the admiration of visitors with the many monkeys that occasionally come to hide here! A marvel to behold is certainly the nine-story pagoda next to the building: each floor is dedicated to a deity or… a souvenir shop!
The Lion Rock
Still in the Sha Tin area, this time you have to climb up. Lion Rock isn’t named that way by chance: it actually resembles a maned lion, comfortably perched on the mountain ridge. Although this location offers breathtaking views of the entire city of Hong Kong and the surrounding islands, access is restricted to only experienced hikers. It is a difficult nature trail, with exposed sections requiring climbing on bare rock that would put many people’s lives at risk. For this reason, it’s not very touristy! But if you have some climbing experience and are accompanied by an expert guide, you can experience magical moments!
Plover Cove Waterfalls
Set 34 km from the center of Hong Kong, among the wild forests of the north, you find the protected reserve of Plover Cove. Open to a variety of uses, it hosts both sports facilities (golf courses) and wild animals. Not all tourists enjoy exploring it, as it takes time you should take away from a standard visit to Hong Kong city… but it’s worth it! Inside Plover Cove, you can admire some of Asia’s most beautiful waterfalls, breathtaking views, and some of the most fascinating flora and fauna, following trails (there are dozens!) that take a minimum of four hours to complete.
The New Territories
The so-called “New Territories,” the last British colonies added to Hong Kong over time, are today one of the least-known tourist areas. They lack the allure of the skyscraper-filled islands of the city center, nor the charm of the islets with tropical beaches… they are simply large stretches of land dotted with unglamorous towns and villages. So why go there? Because it’s a whole different Hong Kong! National parks and nature reserves, a geological park, wild mountains, villages frozen in time… they host a primordial purity that traditional tourist Hong Kong has long since lost. Exploring the New Territories might take days! Consult local tour operators to decide on the best stops and itineraries.
