Hiking: Discovery Bay to Mui Wo via Tiger's Head

Just two days after hiking Dragon's Back, the kids decided that they wanted to tackle Tiger's Head ---> a peak that looms over us here in Discovery Bay. The name Tiger's Head comes from how the peak looks from the top - what do you think? Does it look like a tiger is watching over DB?

The best way to describe our hike from Discovery Bay to Mui Wo via Tiger's Head, is to break the 9km into three parts:

The first 3km was all climbing and I mean serious climbing right up to Tiger's Head peak at about 460 meters. It is hard work (made easier than our first time by the cooler weather) and in some places it feels like you are going straight up. But if you take breaks, it is completely manageable.

Lucky for us, we had a beautiful day to hike. The reward for the climb is the amazing views, especially once you push past Tiger's Head up to the ridge of Lo Fu Tau Country Trail.

For the next 3km we followed the Lo Fu Tau Country Trail across the ridge to its beginning. This part of the hike was pretty easy since the trail was mostly flat. We soaked up the views and the sun and didn't even let the crazy trail runners bother us ;)

Along this part of the trail we found the famous rock formations: turtle rock, sword sharpening rock and peach rock. According to online articles, none of these are man-made although they look like it.

The final 3+km began around the junction of Lo Fu Tau Country Trail and Olympic Trail. We took a short snack break at the pavilion before starting our descent into Mui Wo.

On this part of the hike there is lots of shade, at times it felt like we were walking through a forest. We spent a few minutes at Silvermine Cave and Silvermine Waterfall Garden before finishing up in Mui Wo.

We celebrated our hard core hiking skills with lunch at our favorite spot in Mui Wo, The Kitchen.

Other Discovery Bay area hikes:

Hiking Discovery Bay: Lookout Point Loop

Hiking: Mui Wo to Discovery Bay

Hiking: Tiger's Head - Lo Fu Tau

We're All About Fitmas Here in Hong Kong!

With two of the kids now visiting us in Hong Kong, it's been hard to find time to blog. We've celebrated Christmas and have been filling the days with all the typical tourist stops and tons of fitness activities too.

Before her brother arrived on Christmas Eve eve, we took littleC on a couple of hikes. We started her off on the short but intense Discovery Bay Lookout Loop. She did amazing considering that she and I had actually gone to Bodypump class in the morning, so we were hiking on tired legs. On top of that she was suffering from a bad case of jet lag.

Still we made our way up the 733 steps to enjoy the amazing views of DB. It is so much nicer hiking in the cooler temps this winter. It's basically perfect.

The next day we hiked with one of my DB friends on the South Lantau Country Trail to Mui Wo. This hike was much longer but way easier than the day before. We had fun hunting for waterfalls (we only found a few small trickles) and soaking in the views of the China Sea. In Mui Wo, we met up with another friend and her family for a fun lunch at The Kitchen.

We were back for more Bodypump on Friday morning ---> it's a lot more fun to be there with littleC to chat with between tracks. And I love have someone to walk to and from class with.

We met up with some friends on Friday night and littleC had her first late night in Hong Kong hanging out in Lan Kwai Fong with some other expats. We took her to the Ladie's Market in Mong Kok on Saturday for some shopping. The vendors were a little late getting opened up, but we found some good deals.

I'll end this post with one of my new favorite photos. I think you'll understand why.

I hope to post again soon, but in case I'm late, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hiking: South Lantau Country Trail (Pak Kung Au to Mui Wo)

I love seeing waterfalls on the hiking trail. I read somewhere that the South Lantau Country Trail is known for its waterfalls. I didn't think much about the weather going into the hike, but we hadn't had a lot of rain lately. That made finding good waterfalls a little harder, but I did find some. Small ones.

I didn't have to search for the sea views. They were plentiful and gorgeous as always. I don't think I'll ever get tired of views like this.

The hiking part was relatively easy. The trail was a combo of dirt and rocks ---> meaning you have to pay attention. There weren't any big climbs but there were some spots where it felt like we were doing a bit of light bouldering.

We took a little snack break at Nam Shan (there are also toilets). Then we picked up the Lantau Trail (stage 1) and followed it (backwards) to Mui Wo. It was only about 2.5 more kilometers into the village. We had a large group, but the The Kitchen was able to accommodate us for a shared lunch.

Getting there: I took the DB01R bus from Discovery Bay to Tung Chung where I met the AWA group at Starbucks. We caught a bus (3M, 23 or 11) to Pak Kung Au where we jumped on the trail.

Want more Lantau Island hikes?

Hiking: Tai O to Tung Chung

Hiking: Tung Chung to Tai O

Hiking Discovery Bay: Lookout Point Loop

Hiking: Mui Wo to Discovery Bay

Hiking: Tiger's Head - Lo Fu Tau

Hiking: Lantau Trail Stage 1 and 2

Hiking: Lantau Trail Stages 9 & 10

What do you like to see when you're out the trail?

Hiking: Tung Chung to Tai O

About a year ago I did one of my first hikes in Hong Kong. A friend of a friend of a friend from Shenzhen took me on the Tung O Ancient Trail from Tai O to Tung Chung.

Recently, my SWIC hiking friends from Shenzhen were coming to Hong Kong and invited me to join them on the same hike only going the opposite direction. I invited some of my Hong Kong hiking friends and we made a day of it.

The Tung O Ancient Trail is an easy trail to hike but it is long. It passes through many small villages once you escape the mini city of Tung Chung. 

Here are some points of interest along the 15km hike to Tai O:

The beginning of the trail is paved and mostly tree covered as it skirts along Tung Chung Bay. Along this section we had many different views of the Hong Kong Macau Bridge, Hong Kong International Airport and the cable cars making their way up the mountain to the Big Buddha.

This section of the trail was home to small village. Some of the gated homes had tables of fruits and veggies for sale set out along the small road (pay via honor system). We passed some village shrines and then stopped to eat our lunches in the shade.

Before reaching our destination, a section of the trail turned over-grown almost jungle. This part is apparently known for the poisonous Golden Orb spiders (we saw a couple of dead ones on the ground).  The reward for braving the spider walk is the trail opening up to great coastal views of the sea.

Upon reaching the edge of Tai O, the first sight is the Yeung Hau Temple with all it's flag flying across the water inlet. To get there you have to cross the foot bridge that connects to the island of Tai O and walk back on that side. The path continues toward the village proper and around a corner the mountains of Lantau loom up in the distance.

Tai O is a fishing village built on stilts along the Tai O River. The Tung O Ancient Trail winds through the streets of the village and across the Sun Ki Bridge where the famous stilt houses become most visible. On the other side of the bridge are the markets and the Kwan Tai Temple located in the part of the village that is on the island.

Another footbridge connects the two sides of Tai O village. Crossing this bridge leads to the bus terminus, ferry pier and more markets. A large public toilet facility is right near the buses and ferry which makes a nice spot to clean up using my handy Shower Pill body wipes (affiliate).

After finishing our hike, we said good-bye to the SIC hikers and found a table at Black Pearl for a quick bite. We explored the markets and then grabbed a seat on the water at Solo Balcony for a beverage before catching the ferry back to Tung Chung.

Hiking to Tai O is definitely the better way to go. It was fun having my Hong Kong friends hiking with the SWIC hiking group. 

Have you ever had your old and new friends meet up?

Other Lantau Island hikes:

Hiking: Tai O to Tung Chung

Hiking Discovery Bay: Lookout Point Loop

Hiking: Mui Wo to Discovery Bay

Hiking: Tiger's Head - Lo Fu Tau

Hiking: Lantau Trail Stage 1 and 2

Hiking: Lantau Trail Stages 9 & 10