Story:
This is a trip that lead of the secondary mountains of Lantau, especially the Yi Tung Shan and the Lin Fa Shan which rank just behind Lantau Peak and Sunset Peak.
Up from Pak Kung Au, conveniently reached by many buses, one passes the Sunset Peak on the left (another 80 m, not too much of a detour, but I had been there before). The plateau up here is always nice, with all the houses; hope Pacific Coffee will open a shop up here one day ...
When the road forks, take to the right, up to Yi Tung Shan (749 m), topped with one of the villas and two weather stations - windmills, solar and all, nicely done. There is a small pass through the very high grass down back to Lantau Trail, which starts at the weather station; not always easy to see, and easy to slip, only grass, no rocks for the feet to get hold on. The path crosses with L2 and continues, now as a "real" trail again, towards Lin Fa Shan (766 m). Again, one path passes it on the left, more conveniently, but a smaller dirt path goes up to Lin Fa Shan; the last meters are more guess work then, but once up, one is rewarded with a good sight (if not cloudy or foggy), over all of Lantau and the smaller islands. The path then goes down to the North, following the ridge that divides Lantau in East and West.
This is a nice stretch of a trail; maybe they should officialize it as "Lin Fa Shan Trail". It goes mainly through rush and grass with few trees, continuously down till it reaches another fork in the road, just behind the steep Por Kai Shan (482), one going towards Tung Chung, one to the lagoon on the eastern side (where I was heading).
There are some smaller and not easy-to-find pathways to both directions, which might not to be safe. Maybe I'll try those later on ...
From Por Kai Shan, which can also be scaled from the southern side, there is a new trail being built by the Agricultural and Fishery Department (my respect to them at this place, they do a great job for all hikers); steps are being dug out at the steeper parts, and stone slabs have been place there, too.
This path ends in the old Hakka village of Pak Mong, hitting the Island Nature Heritage Trail and the Olympic Green path.
From here, turn left, when you had enough, and grab a taxi or bus at the nearby road; if not, continue to the right via Ngau Kwu Lung, with its public toilet conveniently located at the site of the road.
I wanted to try another path which leads from the other side of the lagoon (mixed waters, salt from the sea and freshwater from the mountains, rich in fish), Tai Ho Wan, alongside the road on one side and Lo Fu To on the other, back to Discovery Bay, ending up over Neo Horizon; alas, all there was was a Buddhist Villa and some pathways leading upwards but ending up in gravesites. Since it was getting dark anyway, I chose to take the path to Mui Wo, which is nice and quiet, especially when you have the final beer at the "China Bear" bar in sight.
This can be quite a tiring trip with many ups and downs.
This is a trip that lead of the secondary mountains of Lantau, especially the Yi Tung Shan and the Lin Fa Shan which rank just behind Lantau Peak and Sunset Peak.
Up from Pak Kung Au, conveniently reached by many buses, one passes the Sunset Peak on the left (another 80 m, not too much of a detour, but I had been there before). The plateau up here is always nice, with all the houses; hope Pacific Coffee will open a shop up here one day ...
When the road forks, take to the right, up to Yi Tung Shan (749 m), topped with one of the villas and two weather stations - windmills, solar and all, nicely done. There is a small pass through the very high grass down back to Lantau Trail, which starts at the weather station; not always easy to see, and easy to slip, only grass, no rocks for the feet to get hold on. The path crosses with L2 and continues, now as a "real" trail again, towards Lin Fa Shan (766 m). Again, one path passes it on the left, more conveniently, but a smaller dirt path goes up to Lin Fa Shan; the last meters are more guess work then, but once up, one is rewarded with a good sight (if not cloudy or foggy), over all of Lantau and the smaller islands. The path then goes down to the North, following the ridge that divides Lantau in East and West.
This is a nice stretch of a trail; maybe they should officialize it as "Lin Fa Shan Trail". It goes mainly through rush and grass with few trees, continuously down till it reaches another fork in the road, just behind the steep Por Kai Shan (482), one going towards Tung Chung, one to the lagoon on the eastern side (where I was heading).
There are some smaller and not easy-to-find pathways to both directions, which might not to be safe. Maybe I'll try those later on ...
From Por Kai Shan, which can also be scaled from the southern side, there is a new trail being built by the Agricultural and Fishery Department (my respect to them at this place, they do a great job for all hikers); steps are being dug out at the steeper parts, and stone slabs have been place there, too.
This path ends in the old Hakka village of Pak Mong, hitting the Island Nature Heritage Trail and the Olympic Green path.
From here, turn left, when you had enough, and grab a taxi or bus at the nearby road; if not, continue to the right via Ngau Kwu Lung, with its public toilet conveniently located at the site of the road.
I wanted to try another path which leads from the other side of the lagoon (mixed waters, salt from the sea and freshwater from the mountains, rich in fish), Tai Ho Wan, alongside the road on one side and Lo Fu To on the other, back to Discovery Bay, ending up over Neo Horizon; alas, all there was was a Buddhist Villa and some pathways leading upwards but ending up in gravesites. Since it was getting dark anyway, I chose to take the path to Mui Wo, which is nice and quiet, especially when you have the final beer at the "China Bear" bar in sight.
This can be quite a tiring trip with many ups and downs.
Tips:
Take the bus from Tung Chung (to Mui Wo, Tai O or Ngong Ping) and get off at Pak Kung Au. From there, it's up to the left side, following the Lantau Trail.
Down from Lin Fa Shan, get a taxi at Pak Mong, or continue to Mui Wo. Don't take the track as shown on the map to Tai Ho Wan, unless you KNOW where that path starts.
Take the bus from Tung Chung (to Mui Wo, Tai O or Ngong Ping) and get off at Pak Kung Au. From there, it's up to the left side, following the Lantau Trail.
Down from Lin Fa Shan, get a taxi at Pak Mong, or continue to Mui Wo. Don't take the track as shown on the map to Tai Ho Wan, unless you KNOW where that path starts.
Tags:
Lantau, Yi Tung Shan, Lin Fa Shan, Pak Mong, Tai Ho Wan, Mui Wo
Lantau, Yi Tung Shan, Lin Fa Shan, Pak Mong, Tai Ho Wan, Mui Wo
Comments (3)
Thanks, bookwormhkhk and oxfeely! Yes, that is definitely a nice stretch on Lantau. As to trails or paths that vanish over time, I found quite a couple that were not there anymore at all, especially in the Chih Ma Wan peninsula, but also between Mui Wo and DB and other areas. Well, my map is from 2008, I should probably get the 2011 edition from the Agriculture and Fisheries department ...
by Baydiscoverer on May 10, 2011
Very useful trip report for this interesting stretch of Lantau. I must start exploring that area more! Thanks for the details.
by oxfeely on May 09, 2011
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