|
Cape D’Aguilar It
may be only 7 miles (11 km) directly south of Hong Kong’s busy Central
district, but Cape D’Aguilar feels like another world. The wild
coastline has wave-lashed rock formations and a marine life so rich that
researchers have discovered 20 species “new to science” in these
waters. Hoi Ha Wan The
long inlets and sheltered coves of this 260 hectare marine park in
northern Sai Kung are made for snorkelling. Stony coral and reef fish
galore. Mai Po Marsh Declared
a Ramsar site (that is, a wetland of international importance) in 1995,
Mai Po is one of China’s most important bird sanctuaries, with hundreds
of resident and migratory species recorded, including many endangered
ones. Other wildlife includes otters, civet cats, bats and numerous
amphibians. Bride’s Pool The
pool is a popular picnic spot. Weekends are best avoided, but visit
midweek and, with luck, you will have this glorious, wooded course of
rockpools and cascades all to yourself. Pat Sin Range Hong
Kong’s countryside achieves a quiet grandeur among the empty valleys
and sublime uplands of Pat Sin (“eight spirits”). Peaks range up to 639 m
(2,095 ft), and the views are humbling. The Dragon’s Back This
undulating ridge snakes down Hong Kong Island’s south-east corner, with
plunging slopes, poetic sea views and (past Pottinger’s Gap) deep
wooded valleys and beaches. Jacob’s Ladder Take
these steep steps up the rock from Three Fathom’s Cove, and enter an
expanse of remote uplands and boulder-strewn paths, leading, in the
north, to Mount Hallowes. There are exquisite views of the Tolo Channel. Sha Lo Tung This
hidden valley is probably the closest Hong Kong comes to stereotypical
ideas of classical Chinese landscape, with its old paddy fields,
deserted villages, flowing streams and ancient woods. Magical. Ma On Shan The
plateaus and grassy slopes of the 702-m ((2,302-ft) high Ma On Shan
(“Saddle Mountain”) allow wide-screen views of mountainous country,
without the insidious intrusion of city skyline in the distance. The
effect is truly majestic. Tai Long Wan On
the Sai Kung Peninsula, survive the knuckle-whitening ascent of Sharp
Peak (all loose rocks and narrow paths), and the land plunges down to
your well-earned reward: the sparkling waves and white sand of Hong
Kong’s finest beach, Tai Long Wan .
Sharp Peak and Ham Tin beach, Tai Long Wan
|
