Views Worth a Million
Sharp Peak (Nam She Tsim)
Be forewarned! The hike up Sharp Peak will challenge even the hardy and healthy hiker but you'll certainly go home happier for the experience.
Starting from Pak Tam Au, walking part of the MacLehose Trail's stage 2, you first come to Chek Keng, an old Hakka village with houses standing among abandoned paddy fields. It sits in a valley at the southern end of Long Harbour, where, at low tide you'll see shorebirds on the mudflats and mangroves airing their roots.
The trail then climbs to Tai Long Au, a gap that takes the MacLehose Trail on through to Tai Long Wan (Big Wave Bay). This section merely primes you for the real hike up Sharp Peak!
At Tai Long Au, the gravel trail on the left leads up Sharp Peak. To the east there's a wonderful view of Tai Long Wan and Sai Kung's rugged coastline. To the south, the pyramid-shaped peak of Tai Mun Shan juts 370 metres into the sky.
At 468 metres Sharp Peak towers over the rest of the eastern Sai Kung landscape, its conical dome and jagged volcanic rocks imparting a kind of harsh splendor. Its Chinese name – Nam She Tsim – means python point (as in the Burmese python found in Hong Kong).
The route levels out for a while, winding around the western rim of Tai Long valley amid grassland and scarce shrubbery. Then it’s a struggle up a loose stone (scree) path, through rocky patches, and eventually on to a steep, winding and weather-beaten trail in the final push to the summit. Along the way there are turnoffs on the right that lead to a longer but gentler route to the top.
The marvellous 360 degree panorama showing you virtually all of Sai Kung is worth the effort. A map is handy here – you can identify High Island Reservoir to the south, Mirs Bay, Tap Mun (Grass Island) and Port Island to the north, and many more islands.
Don’t be fooled that it’s easier going down than up, this isn’t the case here and it could take quite awhile longer. A walking stick will come in handy.
An alternate route down from the peak goes to Tung Wan, the northernmost beach of Tai Long Wan, by a partly steep gravel and partly flat ridge route. Unless you’ve started your hike very early and have plenty of extra energy, this is not recommended because it involves a fairly large loop through Tai Wan to get back to Tai Long Au.
Time & Difficulty
(one way) Pak Tam Au to Ham Tin (through Tai Long Au) 6 km, 2 hours, strenuous.
(one way) Tai Long Au to Sharp Peak 1.75 km, approx. 2 hours, challenging.
Getting There:
Take the KMB Bus 94 towards Wong Shek Pier (stop #19), Green Minibus 7 towards Hoi Ha Wan, or Green Minibus 9 towards Lady MacLehose Holiday Camp from Sai Kung Town Centre. On weekends only - you can take the Citybus 698R towards Wong Shek Pier (stop #69) or KMB Bus 96R to Pak Tam Chung Bus Terminus (stop #41) and change to the above buses there. Go to our Getting Around pages for more detailed information.
Further Information:
The Country & Marine Parks Authority (who administer the trails) have good, basic trail maps on their website.
The best map to have for hiking in the district is the Countryside Series for Sai Kung & Clearwater Bay. It is 1:25,000 and includes topographic detail and symbols to various amenities and facilities as well as marking the various levels of trail and road. The latest edition is the 8th (2004). Copies are available at various government outlets and selected bookshops.