Running from the beaches of Sai Kung Country Park through forests and over mountains to the Gold Coast, the MacLehose Trail is one of the world’s most spectacular hikes. Here’s how to tackle it
Views over Tai Long Wan from stage two of the MacLehose Trail
Hong Kong’s MacLehose trail hit the headlines a few years ago when it was named by the National Geographic Society as one of the best hikes in the world.
The 100km track is Hong Kong’s first established and longest hiking route. The MacLehose is named after Hong Kong’s longest-serving colonial governor, Murray MacLehose, who founded the territory’s country parks and was himself a keen hiker.
The trail was opened in 1979 and its gruelling terrain was used by the British Army for fitness competitions.
The trail is divided into stages, starting in Sai Kung Country Park and finishing on Hong Kong’s Gold Coast. In between are mountains and monkeys, beaches and pagodas, forests and reservoirs, second world war tunnels and some of the best views in the territory.
You can tackle the entire 100km in one go; alternatively here’s how to divide the hike into bite size chunks.
Due to the challenging nature of this hike, it is recommended for children aged eight years and over with a good level of fitness.
Stages 1&2
(Pak Tam Chung to Long Ke, 10.6km, and Long Ke to Pak Tam Au, 13.5km)
The stages get tougher as you go on, so it’s a good idea to tackle the MacLehose sequentially to raise your fitness levels.
Catch a green taxi from Sai Kung Town to Sai Kung Country Park gates at Pak Tam, which is approximately 20 minutes. There’s a car park at the gates but beware it fills up quickly on weekends.
Stage one is relatively unspectacular and consists predominantly of concrete paths through the country park. If you’re a roadrunner, this is a good section to complete at speed.
Stage one finishes above the beaches and it makes sense to do stage two at the same time as you would have to hike back on yourself to find a bus stop back to the park gates.
Stage two is a classic beach hike and brings you down to some of Hong Kong’s most picturesque stretches of sand, including Long Ke, Sai Wan and Ham Tin. Expect amazing views as well as small dai pai dong-style food stops on the sand at both Sai Wan and Ham Tin if you need a pick-me-up.
To complete stage two, hike to the back of Ham Tin and up through the forest to a pagoda where you can catch a taxi or minibus back to the park gates.
Stage 3
(Pak Tam Au to Kei Ling Ha, 10.2km)
Known as the ‘hills’ trail, stages three and four are a real endurance test. Stage three consists of three consecutive peaks, all above 400m, across Sai Kung West Country park. You then cross Sai Sha Road to start stage four, climbing Ma On Shan, the tallest peak in Sai Kung and on to Tate’s Cairn. Bear in mind that combined, these stages are a lot! Here, we’ve broken them into two separate hikes. But if you’re feeling fit, do take them both on at the same time.
To get to the start of stage three, take a bus (numbers 94 or 96R) to Pak Tam Au from Sai Kung Town.
Described as short, sharp and tough, stage three involves a fair amount of clambering over rocks and stones, although the views are totally worth the effort.
Hiking sticks are recommended to ease the steep descents and the stage finishes on a main road making it easy to flag down a taxi or minibus back into Sai Kung Town. You can carry on to stage four, or take a well-earned break and head home for the day.
Stage 4
(Kei Ling Ha to Tate’s Cairn, 12.7km)
This is a beautiful stage consisting of trails, very little concrete and fantastic views. Take a minibus to Sai Sha Road from Sai Kung Town back to where stage three ends.
The trail starts on the eastern edge of Ma On Shan Country Park and affords spectacular views over Sha Tin to one side and the sea around Sai Kung to the other. Ma On Shan (or ‘horse saddle mountain’) is the second highest peak in the New Territories which is why the views are so good.
At the end of the trail, you do have to take-on part of stage five in order to reach the minibuses and taxis at Jat’s Incline, which means in practice it’s a couple of kilometres longer than indicated in guide books.
Stages 5&6
(Tate’s Cairn to Tai Po Road, 10.6km and Tai Po Road to Shing Mun, 4.6km)
Stages five and six are known as the monkey stages as there are literally hundreds of them! A word to the wise, do not bring food out of your backpack as the monkeys are not backward in coming forward. Keep ploughing on and they shouldn’t give you any trouble.
To reach the start, take the MTR to Wong Tai Sin and catch green minibus number 18 to Sha Tin Pass Road. Walk to the yellow-roofed monastery and follow the road to Sha Tin Pass.
These stages are considered the easiest of the whole trail. Stage five is not particularly steep and runs along the Kowloon ridge behind Lion Rock. Enjoy fabulous views back to the city.
Stage six is especially easy going and is the shortest of all the stages. It follows a road through Dam Shan Country Park to Shing Mun reservoir.
Stage six is renowned for its historical links and bears witness to the Second World War and the advance of the Japanese across the new Territories and into Kowloon and eventually Hong Kong Island. Many villages were plundered by troops when the so-called Gin Drinkers Line was attacked and eventually fell. Shing Mun Redoubt, set in the Kowloon hills towards the end of stage six was the centrepiece of a warren of defences designed to hold the hills from attack.
The complex of tunnels, pillboxes and lookout posts saw intense fighting and the defence line eventually fell on December 9, 1941, which prompted the evacuation of Kowloon and the retreat to Hong Kong Island. Today, the tunnels - all named after London streets - can be easily accessed (don’t forget a torch). They continue on to stage seven and are a lot of fun for kids to explore and learn a bit of history at the same time.
There is a car park at the end of stage seven, or walk to Pineapple Dam to catch a minibus to Tsuen Wan MTR station.
Stages 7&8
(Shing Mun to Lead Mine Pass, 6.2km and Lead Mine Pass to Route Twisk, 9.7km)
You’ve passed the halfway point - well done!
There is a car park at the start of stage seven if you’re driving, otherwise take the MTR to Tsuen Wan station and an 82 minibus to Pineapple Dam. This brings you to the end point of stage six.
Stage seven runs alongside Shing Mum (or Jubilee) Reservoir. The reservoir was built in 1937 and takes its name from the silver jubilee celebrations of King George V. In its day, it was the largest reservoir in Hong Kong and it catches water from the many streams that tumble down the wooded slopes. The route is a tough climb via a stone staircase to the summit of Needle Hill, with wooded hills to one side and valley of Sha Tin to the other. Then it’s up Grassy Hill, which is a slightly easier climb as you join a road for the final ascent. Overhead, you can hear the rumble of the planes as they start their descent into Chek Lap Kok airport.
Another flight of stone steps leads down to Lead Mine Pass and the end of the stage.
Stage eight is a mix of trail and concrete path and is steep in parts. It’s reasonably tough and might take longer than you anticipate. You follow a road to Hong Kong’s highest point, Tai Mo Shan, with spectacular views over Hong Kong and beyond to mainland China. The section finishes along a military route down to Route Twisk with the final kilometres following the long, winding and seemingly endless concrete road.
However, the scenery is spectacular with the valleys and trees more reminiscent of a Scandinavian forest than an Asian hike.
Be warned that stage eight ends in the middle of nowhere if you’re planning on ending the day’s hiking here. There’s an infrequent bus service to Tuen Mun; hailing a passing taxi is the best way to go.
Stages 9&10
(Route Twisk to Tin Fu Tsai, 6.3km and Tin Fu Tsai to Tuen Mun, 15.6km)
Stage nine finishes in the middle of nowhere so it makes sense to complete these final two stages together.
Start stage nine at Tai Mo Shan Country Park Visitor Centre and descend through Tai Lam Forest. The trail is an easy one along a forest road.
Once at the bottom, start the 15km final section which winds its way around Tai Lam Chung Reservoir and then a walk along a catch water and into Tuen Mun.
Not as exciting as previous stages, stage ten is described by many hikers as being particularly dull owing to the long, never-ending concrete path. The views here are mainly of the Gold Coast’s highrise buildings. This is a bit of an anticlimax given the stunning scenery of the rest of the hike, but it has to be done if you want to be a finisher. Once you’ve reached the end, it’s a short walk to Tuen Mun MTR station and home.
Don't go, there's more...
How to hike Hong Kong's Dragon's Back
Kids will love hiking this trail to Hong Kong's High Island
Kommentare