Peng Chau Island is off the beaten track for many. Weekenders and tourists tend to go to Lantau, Lamma or Cheung Chau, all of which are more developed than Peng Chau.
There is little or no business on Peng Chau, other than those that serve the needs of the residents. It is basically a dormitory location from where people go to work on Hong Kong, Kowloon or Discovery Bay.
Here is where it’s located in relation to Hong Kong:
The real treasures of Peng Chau, at least for me, are to be found when you leave the village and explore the trails, of which there are two.
One of them goes round the north end of the island, which I’ve covered here. The other goes round the south end and I’ll cover that one separately.
North Peng Chau Walking Trail and Fisherman’s Lookout
Getting to Peng Chau is a ferry ride. When you exit the ferry terminal look to your right and you’ll see a Wellcome supermarket.
To set off on the North Peng Chau Walking trail head towards Wellcome, but leave it on your right and head down that road:
At the end of the road, follow it round to the left and then to the right along the waterfront:
Keep going until you see this new residential development:
Take the road to the right and follow it to the end, where you turn left (follow the ‘North Peng Chau Walking Trail’ sign)
After a short distance you’ll come across these shrines:
Keep going until you come to this path and turn up to the right. Initially we’ll be following the Peng Yu path and later we’ll turn on to the Old Fisherman’s Rock Lookout Point path:
Once you’re on that path that’s it – there are no other turnings until you get to the end, where you turn on to the steps up to the Old Fisherman’s Rock Lookout Point.
As you reach the level after the climb up from the road you get a view across to Hong Kong Disneyland:
Along the way you’ll see some secluded beaches. These are easily accessible from the path and if the idea of a quiet day on a secluded beach appeals, then Peng Chau has what you’re looking for!
They’re not big – but they’re not crowded either:
Access to this beach is further along, from a point you can see through the bushes in this picture, but there was a couple in the shade under where I took this picture.
If I’d taken a picture from where you access it, they would have been in the frame and I did not want to do that!
This is the last beach as you approach the end of the Peng Yu path – it ends at the top of that climb:
This is the end of the path, and that’s Hong Kong Island on the right and Kowloon on the left in the distance:
From here you need to back-track a few paces and going up the hill, opposite the shelter, are the steps that lead up to the Old Fisherman’s Rock Lookout Point:
The climb up those steps is short – it will take you less than two minutes to reach the lookout point and, when you get there, you’ll find a sheltered area with seating, and a great view of Hong Kong Island:
From here the walk turns inland, away from the coast line – at least for a while!
Climb these steps:
At the top follow the path and turn left when you reach the junction. There are no turn-offs along here, so just follow along, down the hill and turn right at the bottom.
You’ll be walking through a wooded area, which provides a nice respite from the sun:
After a short while you’ll come across this small village:
Follow the path through the village. There’s one turning and you should take the left path, which will eventually bring you out on this bay (Tung Wan Bay):
As you can see, it’s a very shallow bay, so it doesn’t offer many swimming options!
It was also very dirty at one point, but there are new residential developments going up around the bay and so it’s been cleaned up.
You should still be careful, though, if you decide to paddle in the water when the tide is in, because there may still be broken bottles and other trash.
This is the view from a point in front of one of the new residential developments, looking out through the mouth of the bay towards Hong Kong and Kowloon:
From here it’s a short walk back to the ferry terminal. So walk around the bay until you see a sign for ‘Toilets’ and follow the road to your right:
The road will bend to the left, past some workshops and you need to take the road to the right, at the end:
Walk down there and, at the end, follow the road round to the right (it’s signposted to the ferry pier).
You’ll come out on the waterfront and you’ll need to follow the road to the right to get back to the ferry piers.
That’s an easy walk, with some great views and it takes around an hour – depending, of course, on how quickly you walk and how often you stop..!
Getting to Peng Chau
Getting to Peng Chau involves a ferry ride and there are some choices:
- Central Pier 6 (the west side of that pier) – about 25 minutes
- The Kaito ferry from Discovery Bay – about 10 minutes
- The Inter-Islands ferry from Mui Wo, Chi Ma Wan or Cheung Chau – anywhere from 20 minutes (Mui Wo) to 60 minutes (Cheung Chau)
The Inter-Island and Kaito Ferries both have open areas at the back, from where you have an unobstructed view to take pictures.
The Central ferry is air-conditioned and enclosed. You can still take pictures, of course, but the windows are not always very clean – particularly when windy weather has whipped up the spray!
Have you visited Peng Chau? Tell us about it!
Cheers,
Martin Malden
The Expat Traveller
What do you think?