Central Pier area is vibrant with activity. There are ferries, water taxis, tour buses, and local…read moretransit buses operating from this area. There are many activities available from riding the large Ferris wheel to dining at one of the many restaurants in the different piers to simply sitting and watching the maritime traffic in Kowloon Bay. There are food and novelty trucks in the parking lots. You will find 7-Eleven stores in some of the piers providing quick access to an array of different products. There is a major financial exchange adjacent to Central Piers and a gigantic Apple Store. Getting to the area is easy by taxi, bus, and subway. We purchased tickets for Citybus "Hop on - Hop off" tour and enjoyed our experience! The drivers were safe, the staff was friendly, and the buses were clean. On one of our hop off adventures I accidentally left my cellphone (new iPhone 16 Pro) on the bus. I didn't expect to see my phone again but with some assistance after returning to Central Piers where we originally boarded the bus, we contacted lost and found support for Citybus and discovered that some Good Samaritan had turned in my precious iPhone!! I was reunited with my phone thanks to an honest person and honest staff at Citybus!!

Where Aqualuna departs. Close to Ferris wheel and circus. Fishermen fish under the pier with…read morebread which was kinda interesting. Sheltered from rain. Few seating benches.

I'm not a tourist, I live in Sheung Wan, but this tourist thing to do is AWESOME! I kept seeing…read morethe mysterious red junk boat in the harbor from time to time, but just thought "oh a tourist thing." Which it is, but we really had a great experience of taking the Aqua Luna red junk boat from Central to Stanley on a Sunday at noon. My husband and I thought we might go over to Stanley to bump around on a Sunday as a simple summer thing to do and spend the day. We were inclined to take a cab, because we do not like lines with the bus situation. I took a peak on line to see if there was a water option on getting from Central to Stanley and Aqua Luna was the main thing that kept popping up. I am sure that there might be one or two others, for in Stanley, we saw people waiting on the docks, but based on my search on-line, there are not many options Aqua Luna offers evening harbor cruises, a Hong Kong harbour discovery tour and Stanley weekend cruises. We took the Stanley weekend cruise that departs from Central at noon every Saturday and Sunday (these are the only two options at all during a week). If you get to Central and get to the Central Piers, go to Pier 9 and you will find a Aqua Luna rep and at one of the docks down the pier a bit. Although it appeared to highly encourage an on-line booking, we simply showed up about 20 minutes early, checked in with the rep, they had space for us that day, queued up in line and we were good to go. Queuing up early is key if you wish to sit or rather lounge on the rattan couches on the open air upper floor and/or have interest in your seat selection (I believe the lower deck in fully enclosed and air conditioned, not certain though because I never went down there). Once the boat leaves the dock, the staff walk around and gather payment, which we paid by cash. We bought a one way ticket, with the intention of taking a cab back, and it cost $250HKD for one person and includes a drink. Also, know that once the boat leaves from Central Pier 9, it travels across the harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui Piblic Pier 1 for pick up those passengers at that Aqua Luna departure point before it departs for Stanley. So if you board from Tsim Sha Tsui, you get second pics on seating (because all the people from Central Pier boarded before you) and guaranteed to most likely not sit up top. It was a beautiful day, although hot. Once the boat gets going, there is a natural breeze that cools things down a bit. We were in shorts and t-shirts, which was the way to go with the heat on the boat ride. The rattan open air top level was so comfortable, relaxing and cozy as we kicked our shoes off, curled up and enjoyed our beer (juices, beer, wine, water are beverage options). The views and seeing the surrounding islands on this 90 minute voyage really is a great way to experience Hong Kong away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. We were most impressed by the staff who were all welcoming, kind, smiling, appreciative, attentive and focused on the safety of passengers at all moments, from each person who boarded the step to safely get on the boat to each person walking up and down the staircase during the trip when waters were choppy or people's sea legs were not properly underneath them. What a great experience! We would highly recommend Aqua Luna and the mysterious red junk to anyone interested in seeing Hong Kong from a different vantage point.

Lantau Peak (aka Phoenix Peak) is the 2nd highest peak in HK at 934m, but it is the highest peak…read moreyou are able to directly access (the highest peak's terminus is otherwise on private property). There are various routes to reach the summit. We sought out Middle Dogs Teeth/ Kau Nga Ling for our ascent. The trailhead for this ridge trail begins just before Shek Pik Reservoir. There's a bus stop that goes to the reservoir, but we took a blue taxi from Tung Chung MTR Station for a faster, more direct service (~160 HKD). The trail is very well known and the uncle who drove us knew exactly where to take us when we said we wanted to go up Lantau Peak near the trailhead close to Shek Pik. He called the dogs teeth "crazy" - BAH! The trailhead was situated in a park where a bunch of happy cows roamed. It also had a super clutch and rather clean port-a-potty for getting the morning biz-ness taken care of before the AWESOME, on-all-fours, class 3 straight scramble up to Lantau Peak. Trail starts off pretty straight forward until you reach an off shoot leading into dense foliage and with a sign warning you not to proceed any further (due to a previous fatal accident). Which everyone ignored, of course, including the senior-aged uncles and aunties which was a signal to us of permission granted (because being led by example and all :)). We did a point-to-point from the trailhead near Shek Pik to Ngong Ping Village with the intention of taking the 360 cable car down. I tracked it at around 4mi/ 6km with 3,000 FG/ 970m. It took us about 3 hours to get to the top of Lantau with many breaks and chats with all the uncles and aunties along the way. The most dangerous section is what has been lovingly deemed the Lifeline, or One Line of Survivability. This section encircled a rocky mound which was passable only in one direction. There was a chain bolted into the rock which served as a hand hold when traversing the narrow section with a sheer drop on the other side. Honestly, I've seen scarier, but the riskiness is there especially for someone with a fear of heights, I am sure. It is still cause for a fun celebration when you successfully "survive" it. Loved the view as we made the final push up the Phoenix's "tail". It was foggy at the top, but the fog was very welcomed on this mostly exposed trail. The temperature was perfect and although a lot of work, it wasn't terrible, in the end. We doubled back to the junction just before the Phoenix's tail to descend to the Tian Tan Big Buddha, but one of the aunties was saying how we could have continued on past the peak to another trail which also descended to Tian Tan Village. Such a gratifying hike with phenomenal views at the top in what is suppose to be a 360 degree view of Lantau Island. We otherwise had fog which mattered not since the whole point-to-point journey eventually granted us views of all parts of Lautau. The decision to climb up Lantau depends on time and your energy because the ascent up Middle Dogs Teeth is one of the hardest hikes in HK. There are easier approaches via Pak Kung Au and even from Tian Tan Village itself. Regardless, seeing Lantau Island from the perspective of the peak is not be missed!

When I first walked up to the sign that said, Lantau Peak 3.5km ~2.5hr I was flabbergasted. I'm no…read moreexpert hiker, but I can definitely hike 3.5km faster than that! I dragged my mom on the paved path cheerfully preparing for our journey up the mountain. When we hit the first set of stairs, I was like hey! We got this! It'll level out soon... nope. This hike is actually just under 2km of straight stone steps. Imagine a never ending stairmaster! The hike is challenging, but never too dangerous. There are some great clear lookout spots (aka resting points) of the Buddha. The last .5km may seem like a stretch but definitely worth it. There is railing in some spots but I never felt like I was going to fall off the mountain or anything. I was pretty disappointed in the overcast skies but still a beautiful view. This is a must do hike! Take lots of breaks on both the incline and decline since the stairs are just as hard coming down. We came to the trail head by way of the 23 bus at the end of the orange line on the MTR. You can also see the Buddha while you're at it. Alternatives are to take the gondola up, or hike the Lantau Trail but I'm not 100% sure where that starts.

Quaint area to visit. If you're lucky, you might be there during market time. There are a few…read moreprominent seafood restaurants, as well as numerous other eateries (if you're craving something else). We even spotted a Starbucks and a Subway. Even if you're not hungry, the huge outdoor tanks full of exotic sea creatures are fun to have a look at. Lots of interesting shops, too.

There's a special place in me left in Sai Kung. What is it? I don't know, but the many hints range…read morefor my admiration for its scenic coastline, the locals that line up on the along the piers selling their stunning variety of sea life, or the fact that every dog in town makes an appearance every Sunday. It's a simple fisherman's village turned travel destination without being touristy. There's lots of great shops and restaurants to walk through, hidden back alleys where the locals go, it's nothing overly stimulating. But I see it as perfect, and throughout my travels in Hong Kong this the one place I can spend an entire day just breathing it all in. I truly miss it.

It's crazy how big this area is. They have just about everything you could every want in a camp…read moreground. They have halls with function rooms, rock climbing walls, archery ranges, cabins for camping, fire pits for BBQing, basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts, a big field for soccer and a track that goes around it, the list just goes on and on. I'm not sure how open to the public it is, but it would be a great place to take children. Be aware of the mosquitos though! I was barely there for two hours and got 10+ bites!

After two weeks in Hong Kong, the skyscrapers and unlimited shopping malls of Hong Kong Island,…read moreKowloon and Mong Kok quickly became tedious and I started researching hiking trails on different outlying islands. Mind you, I am not a hiker. But so desperate was I to get away from what someone nicknamed Time Square on Steroids, I started to looking at alternative activities to make my stay there a little bit more enjoyable. When a local colleague heard me asking for suggestions, she said, "I know a place but it's really hard to get to. But totally worth it." Immediately, I heard Barney Stinson's voice in my head saying, "Challenge accepted!" And that is how I found myself a day later waking up at 6:00AM to get to Tap Mun or Grass Island. Be warned! Getting to Tap Mun is quite the challenge. My colleague recommended two sequential routes. After much research, I decided to make up my own route. It ended up being slightly more expensive than making the four to six transport transfers my colleague recommended but it was totally worth the extra expense. I went there first thing on a Friday morning and ended up being one of only two foreigners on the island. It felt like I had the place to myself. It has grassy, rolling hills and a very small and elderly population. Apparently it also has a history as a smuggling and pirate haven. I went on a clear sunny day and the panoramic views were stunning. This was totally worth the hours of research and early wake up call. I did a circular hike all around the island and climbed to its highest publicly accessible point. The whole hike took roughly an hour and the only people I met along the way were a handful of campers and some local residents. It was so great to finally be far far far away from tall buildings and just see nature. Tap Mun is far enough that while on the island, I was closer to mainland China than I was to Hong Kong SAR. I finished my hike with a meal at a local eatery where two women old enough to be my grannies made me the islands famous ice-less iced milk tea and sea urchin fried rice. Here's how to make the roundtrip journey to Tap Mun: - Get on the MTR from your closest stop and make the necessary transfers to arrive at University Station in Ma Liu Shiu. - From University Station to Wong Shek Pier, take a green New Territories (NT) taxi. It's cheaper than the red Urban Taxi (UT). The taxi stand is right outside the University station. It takes roughly 30 minutes early in the morning. It cost HK$137 and is totally worth the scenic drive. - The first ferry from Wong Shek Pier leaves at 8:30AM. My recommendation is to take this because the island is least crowded at this time and will guarantee you don't have to rush. There are more ferries on the weekend than on weekdays. Make sure to leave by 3:00PM so there's no chance of you getting stranded overnight. On the return journey you can either take the same way back (ferry-taxi-MTR) or take a direct ferry from Tap Mun to the Ma Liu Shiu pier next to University Station. That ride is a bit longer but also scenic.