(written by Cait)
Lamma Island Family Trail
Our college friend Ryan introduced us to Lamma Island last fall, and ever since we’ve been gushing about it to anyone who will listen. It’s so easy to get to and with no vehicles allowed, no high rise buildings, and lots of sand and trees, it feels a world away from China. I can’t say it’s a complete secret, because last Saturday there were a number of tourists, but in the grand scope of the millions of people that live in Hong Kong and nearby mainland China, I’d say few people know about it, or just choose not to go. Fine by me!
I had read last fall about a hiking trail on Lamma, called Family Trail, and that it’s a hike easy enough for a family (hence the name). And while I agree that that’s true, I would not be bringing any strollers or babies along this hike. There are some steep hills and the trail itself is not always a smooth path.
In about two hours, you can hike from top to bottom of Lamma Island. This small island south west of Hong Kong Island, is only 6km long, and the hiking Family Trail covers just about all of it. There’s an option of which end of the island to start the hike: the north town of Yung Shue Wan or the southern town of Sok Kwu Wan.
Last weekend we started in the north, but next time we want to start in the south. By beginning in the southern end of the island, we can finish off our hike and cool down at Hung Shing Yeh Beach. From there, it’s just another 15 minute walk through the small, tourist friendly town of Yung Shue Wan to the ferry pier. One can do a little shopping, stop for a cold beer, coffee/tea, and there’s a variety of choices for food.
Why I love public beaches in Hong Kong:
1. There are lifeguards on duty. 2. They have a shark protection net (which also keeps out garbage or other unwanted animals). 3. There are changing rooms, bathrooms, and lockers available. 4. They are FREE.
Having been to Lamma before, I thought having a picnic on a beach would be a nice way to have lunch. So we packed up sandwich fixings, some fruit, and string cheese (another great find!), and we had our picnic at the beginning (or end) of the Family trail, overlooking Hung Shing Yeh Beach.
Side story: Not long ago, we discovered a small grocery store chock-full of imported and local food-truly anything you could want. Have you ever been excited about lunch meat? Or string cheese? Well, go for a year without it and we’ll see what you have to say then. So, yes, I got excited about smoked turkey lunch meant, ok!
About half way up the trail, it forked into three directions and we ventured off to the right and came to look down on a deserted beach. Now, that’s where I want to go! Hmm…how do we get there? I’m sure if we followed the narrow, dirt path, we could’ve made our way down, but I was thinking that if we go down, we’ll have to come back up. We decided to save it for another day (and consult our friend Ryan who lives on the island).
After that, it was an easy walk down-hill, with a nice stop for some honey water. A local man had set up along the trail selling honey water for $12 HKD (less than $2USD), and I could see his bee artificial bee hives down the hill (at what seemed like a safe distance from the trail). Anyway, this guy has a great idea and I hope his little business does well, and I would think so because it’s the only place to get something to drink along the trail.
Our hike ended in the southern town of Sok Kwu Wan, and aside from seafood restaurants and taking pictures of the harbor, there’s not much to do there, so we hopped on the ferry and headed back to Hong Kong, talking about hiking this trail again.
For more photos:
Lamma Island, small and with a relaxed personality, just a few kilometers southwest of Hong Kong Island.
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