Cheung Chau Island – Enjoy Fantastic Views from the North Lookout Pavilion

Cheung Chau Island is located to the South West of Hong Kong Island, and South of Lantau Island, and it’s home to a large fishing fleet and around 20,000 residents.

I posted some pictures of the beach, some restaurants and the main square back here, but there are also some pretty good views to be had at the North Lookout Pavilion. So that’s where we’ll go today.

Here’s where Cheung Chau Island sits in relation to Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island:

Getting to the North Lookout Pavilion

When exiting the ferry pier, turn to your left and head down that road:

As you follow that path, you’ll pass the harbour area on your left:

Then, after a few minutes you’ll see this path that branches off to the right:

Follow that path all the way along to the end where you need to turn right. In front of you will be a large events space (it was being prepared for an event when I took this):

You will need to cross that space (which may require going round it if there’s a construction like there was when I took that!).

At the other side of the square turn right up the hill, then take the first left and the next right so you’re turning up the path by that construction fence:

Walk up that hill until you get to a Hong Kong Jockey Club building and, on the left, a Home for the Aged. Turn left up the path past the Home for the Aged:

You’ll come to some steps:

At the top of the steps you’ll come to a rest area. Turn right, follow the path round the end of the rest area and then take the first right up the hill (it’s signposted North Lookout Pavilion):

Now you start to see some good views.

This one is looking north west along the southern coast of Lantau Island in the direction of Macau (which is not visible here):

Follow the path until you come to a road, turn right up the hill and you’ll find another rest area.

Cross the rest area and take those steps up the hill:

Climbing those steps will take you up to the North Lookout Pavilion from where you can get some great views:

Looking back down to Cheung Chau village and harbour:

Another look at the southern coast of Lantau Island, towards Macau:

That’s Heiling Chau Island on the left and Kowloon in the distance, with the Western end of Hong Kong Island on the right:

That’s the hydrofoil ferry to Macau – it takes about an hour to cover the 55KMS and the hydrofoil is a very comfortable way to do it, even in rough weather:

Once you’ve had your fill of the views up there you can retrace your steps down to the harbour area and enjoy a seafood lunch. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from!

Getting there

Getting to Cheung Chau is a ferry ride from Central, pier 5.

You have a choice of ordinary ferry (meaning slow!) which has the benefit of an open deck at the back. If the weather is good this is a great way to make the crossing because you have a 360-degree view of the islands as you pass by them.

The ordinary ferry takes around an hour.

If the heat bothers you, though, you may prefer the fast ferry because they are air-conditioned. However, they are also enclosed, so they’re not so good for taking pictures – particularly as the windows often have salt spray on them.

The fast ferry takes around 30 minutes.

If you like hiking in Hong Kong you might find this app useful. It details Hong Kong hiking trails – maps, routes and other details:

Have you been to Cheung Chau? Tell us about it!

Cheers,

Martin Malden
The Expat Traveller