Hong Kong's wild side

The Giant Buddha statue maintains watch over Lantua Island at sunset. Photo / Ngong Ping

Beyond the neon lights and the retail razzmatazz there is a whole other Hong Kong to discover - its countryside.

Visitors to Asia's super city are usually looking to get amongst the urban action rather than escape it, yet Hong Kong's islands offer some spectacular short walks, many suitable for families. Set aside time to commune with nature on Lamma or Lantau Islands, and you'll return to central Hong Kong with a new perspective on the region and its people.

An astonishing 40 per cent of Hong Kong's land area lies within its 23 Country Parks which total 41,582 hectares and are criss-crossed with well-maintained walks. These are some of the most accessible walks in the world, with trails through subtropical forest and across islands dotted with fishing villages starting just a few minutes stroll from an underground stop or ferry dock.

Hong Kong has some of southern China's most spectacular scenery, with more than 250 islands, a geological history of around 400 million years, and landscapes shaped by centuries of agricultural village life. Here are three Hong Kong countryside walks I recommend:

Tung Chung Valley, Lantau Island
A 4km, three-hour downhill walk, suitable for most people of average fitness.

Since the opening of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car in November 2006, this walk has 'wow factor' before you've even got into your stride. Take the MTR (subway) to Tung Chung and board Asia's biggest cable car (one way ticket HK$58 adult, HK$28 child) for a 5.7km breathtaking gondola ride including 60 degree angle turns high above Airport Island and Tung Chung Bay. The 25-minute ride is a thrilling feat of engineering and offers a 360 degree panorama of North Lantau Country Park, the South China Sea's Pearl Delta, and Chek Lap Kok international airport. It is not a ride for anyone truly afraid of heights.

There's a new shopping and entertainment village at the top terminal including theme park-style shows which animate the story of Buddha. They seem popular but if time is short, you might prefer to walk another 10 minutes up the track to visit the real deal in the form of the beautiful Po Lin Monastery and giant Tian Tan statue of the seated Buddha. Time your visit for lunch at Po Lin's delicious vegetarian restaurant before beginning the Tung Chung Valley walk from the track behind the monastery. The walk drops into beautiful woodland valleys with streams coursing through them and you'll see plenty of brightly coloured butterflies and dragonflies, as well as birds, lizards and quite possibly frogs and other amphibians.

Highlights of this delightful, easy walk on a wide path include the contrast of the nature around you with the occasional glimpse of the massive airport in the distance, views of Lantau Peak - Hong Kong's second highest - and the peaceful smaller monastery halfway down the valley at Tei Tong Tsai, where you are likely to see nuns tending the tidy gardens which feed the inhabitants. You can walk all the way back to Tung Chung, or pull up a few kilometres sooner at the information board at Shek Mon Kap and catch a bus or taxi. Be aware that streams on this walk can quickly become torrents in heavy rain.

Central Lamma Island walk
A 4.5km, two-hour walk with some gentle gradients, suitable for most people of average fitness.

Beginning with a 30-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong to either Yung Shue Wan or Sok Kwu Wan fishing villages, this is a real gem of a walk providing a window on traditional island village life, well-formed paths, and lunch at the end. You can choose to walk across Lamma, Hong Kong's third largest island, either way, with ferries from the outlying islands pier at Central servicing both villages at regular intervals for between HK$11-$20 adults, and HK$6-$10 children.

I started at Sok Kwu Wan, although many walkers choose to end at this village, as it is famous for its fresh local seafood. Dozens of small restaurants are lined up along the waterfront with buckets of fish, prawns and scallops among the fare on display out front.

Not only do you get to see the fishing village at work, with a flotilla of tiny boats bobbing in Picnic Bay, it is not long before the well-marked path meanders through tiny agricultural holdings where locals scratch an existence out of small crops of rice, potatoes and other vegetables and fruit. Their simple dwellings are in stark contrast to the mass of skyscrapers clinging to Hong Kong Island still visible behind you.

Adding to the island's appeal is the fact there are no cars here. Locals use small motorised carts for transporting goods and either walk or cycle. Lamma is the site of Hong Kong's most important prehistory finds, with digs at Sham Wan uncovering evidence of settlement spanning nearly 7000 years.

The walk across the island takes you from pleasant shade to exposed, open countryside with few trees but terrific views out to sea. At Hung Shing Yeh Beach there is a massive power station which jars shockingly with the island's natural feel, but Hong Kongers will tell you there are very few locations with enough flat land to build such a vital facility.

The walk ends at Yung Shue Wan, a village which has grown to become a mix of traditional fishing lifestyle and backpacker retreat. Here you'll find jewellery and clothing shops, cafes, bars and vegetarian restaurants and all the fit and feel of an alternative hideaway.

After lunch, take the ferry ride back to Hong Kong and be amazed at the vast flotilla of container ships, ferries and small boats on the remaining water of Victoria Harbour, one third of which has been lost to reclamation.

The Dragon's Back, Hong Kong Island
A 4km, three-hour walk with some steep grades, suitable for people of above average fitness.

The Dragon's Back gives keen walkers a workout with its steep inclines, but also has dramatic views across Shek O Country Park to the rugged coastline between Cape D'Aguilar and Cape Collinson. To reach this walk, take the No 9 bus from Shau Kei Wan to Shek O Beach and ask the driver to stop at the Country Park information board about 700m back from Windy Gap on the Shek O Rd. You step off the bus and onto the track, which quickly becomes a steep incline to the Dragon's Back then runs along the ridge top to Shek O Peak at 284m. On your right, the slopes descend steeply to the ocean which sparkles brilliantly on a fine day. On your left are impressive vistas across Tai Tam Bay to the high rises of Stanley.

When the wind is up, you will get hit with heavy gusts, which have kept the vegetation along the ridge to a bare minimum. You're now in the heart of the 701 hectare Shek O Country Park. You can head toward either Cape Collinson and Big Wave Bay for a swim, or cut your walk short after a couple of hours by veering left at a marked fork in the path to Tai Tam, where you can catch a bus back to Stanley for lunch. The Dragon's Back is a popular walk with people wanting to access the wild side of Hong Kong without even leaving the main island. As you get further into the walk and off the ridge line, there is some pleasant woodland cover

While the Dragon's Back requires a bit more effort than the other two walks, the unimpeded views across deep valleys to the coast and the mushrooming communities around it make it well worthwhile.

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NEED TO KNOW

Hong Kong countryside
Exploring Hong Kong's Countryside by Edward Stokes, usually available at Hong Kong Tourism Board offices, is the best guide to the territory's walks, with clear descriptions, maps, facts and photographs.There is also useful information on walks on the website www.discoverhongkong.com .

Getting there
Cathay Pacific flies daily from Auckland to Hong Kong. Special holidays packages are available from $1935 per person on a share twin basis which includes return economy class flights, four nights' accommodation at the City Garden Hotel and return transfers. Packages using the Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong are available from $2249 per person share twin, and include a complimentary breakfast and late check out. Go to www.cathaypacific.co.nz .

The Langham Place
The Langham Place is a five-star luxury spa hotel in the heart of Hong Kong. The hotel is home to Chuan Spa, which occupies the top three floors and offers traditional Chinese medicine alongside other treatments and massage. Go to http://www.langhamhotels.com.