New Frontiers: Discover A Different Side Of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has so much more to offer than just the usual tourist hotspots. Once you step off the beaten path, you’ll discover it’s a city brimming with hidden gems and unique adventures. Ashwin Hotchandani reports 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Adobe Stock & Ashwin Hotchandani 

Living in Hong Kong means having world-class attractions on our doorstep, from the iconic Peak Tram and Star Ferry to the lively buzz of Temple Street Night Market. Sometimes, though, we all crave an escape from the city’s crowds, queues and concrete. If you’re looking for a change of pace this summer, it’s time to look beyond the tourist trail. 

From hidden waterfalls and historic Hakka settlements to floating waterparks and scenic reservoir viewpoints, here’s a guide to some of Hong Kong’s most rewarding, lesser-known destinations. 

CORE AQUA PARK, LAKE EGRET NATURE PARK 

If you’re after fun in the sun (and water), why limit yourself to a day at the beach? Core Aqua Park – Hong Kong’s largest inflatable water park – is the perfect summer playground. Situated at Lake Egret Nature Park, Tai Po Kau, it features 43 floating obstacles, plus a six-metre-high slide, trampolines, rafts and climbing towers. Pedal boats, water bikes and wakeboards are also available for hire. Lifejackets are mandatory and provided onsite, ensuring your safety while maximising your fun. 

Tickets cost around HK$108 per hour for advance online bookings (instagram.com/corehk), or HK$138 per hour for walk-ins. You’ll need at least two sessions to try out all the parkour obstacles, and you can easily make a day of it, as there are barbecue pits to rent, plus two onsite restaurants, one Cantonese and one European. 

To get there from DB: take the DB03P bus to Sunny Bay then hop on the MTR to Tai Po Market. Journey time: one hour and 20 minutes. From Tai Po Market, it’s a 10-minute taxi ride to Lake Egret Nature Park.

HONG KONG RAILWAY MUSEUM, TAI PO MARKET 

Fascinated by heritage transit? Hong Kong Railway Museum in Tai Po Market is a fantastic spot to dive into our city’s past. An open-air museum constructed on the historic grounds of the former (1913) Tai Po Market Railway Station, this declared monument details the history and evolution of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. You can wander past early colonial-era signal cabins, steam locomotives and vintage passenger coaches.

Entrance to the museum is completely free. While eating and drinking ( even water) is prohibited on 

CORE AQUA PARK  site, the museum is right in the centre of Tai Po Market, so after your visit, you can head to Tai Po Complex, where the hawker centre on the second floor dishes up amazingly cheap dim sum, noodles and seafood. 

To get there from DB: take the DB03P bus to Sunny Bay, then hop on the MTR to Tai Wo. Journey time: one hour and 35 minutes. On arrival head to Exit B, from there it’s an easy 10-minute stroll across the river to the museum entrance on On Fu Road. 

LYCHEE VALLEY, PLOVER COVE COUNTRY PARK 

Lychee Valley (Lai Chi Wo) is home to one of Hong Kong’s oldest and best-preserved Hakka walled villages. Nestled within Plover Cove Country Park in the far nor theastern New Territories, it dates back over 400 years providing an incredible window into rural, pre-colonial Hong Kong history. The village features rows of traditional tiled-roof houses, ancestral halls and an active community working to revitalise eco-farming in the area. Be sure to explore the sacred ‘fung shui woodland’ surrounding the village – a biodiversity hotspot holding over 100 native plant species, all viewable from an elevated wooden boardwalk. 

Entrance to the village grounds, fung shui woodland and nature-trail boardwalk is free. There are a few local restaurants and stores onsite, however they are usually only open on weekends and public holidays. If you visit on a weekday, be sure to pack your own food and water, as everything in the village will be locked up. 

To get there from DB: take the DB03P bus to Sunny Bay, and the MTR to Fanling. Then catch the 56K minibus to Luk Keng. Journey time: two hours and 10 minutes. From Luk Keng, it’s a scenic two-and-a-half-hour hike to Lai Chi Wo. 

SHUENG LUK STREAM, SAI KUNG EAST COUNTRY PARK 

Deep in the eastern New Territories, Shueng Luk Stream in Sai Kung East Country Park, is a spectacular, crowd-free oasis featuring some of the cleanest, freshwater rockpools in the city, plus waterfalls and cliff-jumping spots. 

This is a fantastic spot for stream hiking, just be a little cautious, as the rocks can be very slippery and the pools are deep. There are a few Cantonese restaurants at nearby Sai Wan Beach, so all you really need to carry is water, snacks and sunscreen. 

To get there from DB: take the DB03R bus to Sunny Bay, the MTR to Ma On Shan, and then a taxi to Sai Wan Pavilion. Journey time: two hours. From the pavilion, you hike roughly 40 minutes to Sai Wan Beach – the rockpools are an easy 10- to 15-minute walk inland from the north end of the beach. 

THOUSAND ISLANDS LAKE, TAI LAM COUNTRY PARK 

Stretching across a vast mountainous area in the western New Territories, Tai Lam Country Park spans 5,412 hectares, making it the second-largest country park in the region. It’s perfect for nature lovers, offering 12 designated hiking trails, plenty of space for camping and barbecues, and one of Hong Kong’s most unique hidden gems: the spectacular Thousand Islands Lake (Tai Lam Chung Reservoir). What’s interesting, as well as picturesque, is that the ‘atolls’ scattered across the lake are in fact hills that were all but submerged when the valley was flooded to create the reservoir in the 1950s. 

To best see the illusion of these ‘thousand islands’, hike to the Reservoir Islands Viewpoint. The final stretch is a steep staircase climb but the panoramic views are some of the most photogenic in the city. There are no shops or restaurants on the trail, so be sure to pack water, snacks and a bag for your litter. 

To get there from DB: take the DB01R bus to Tung Chung Bus Terminus. From there, transfer to the E33 bus and get off at Tuen Mun Central. Finally, hop on a 43 minibus to So Kwun Wat Village terminus which is right by the Reservoir Islands Viewpoint trailhead. Journey time: one hour and 45 minutes. Allow yourself around an hour of steady walking to reach the top. 

WONG TAI SIN TEMPLE, WONG TAI SIN 

For culture vultures, Wong Tai Sin Temple – established in 1921 – is a must-visit, managed by Taoist charitable organisation Sik Sik Yuen. Focused on ancient Chinese customs and Taoist traditions, the temple is famous for kau chim (fortune-telling via shaking bamboo sticks) and the local belief that ‘what you pray for is what you get’. 

While wandering the temple grounds is completely free, ‘incense prayer packs’ are typically priced from HK$10 to HK$50. You can also visit the dedicated Taisui Yuenchen Hall for an entry fee of HK$100. Once ‘templed out,’ you can head into Wong Tai Sin, where the streets are packed with dai pai dongs, cha chaan tengs and traditional noodle houses. 

To get there from DB: hop on the DB03P bus to Sunny Bay, then take the MTR to Wong Tai Sin. Journey time: one hour and 30 minutes. On arrival, follow the signs for Exit B2, which brings you right to the temple entrance.