As long as the weather remains cool, one of our favorite hikes is from either HKUST North Gate or Tseng Lan Shue to Sai Kong, via Ho Chung itself, or Ta Lam Wu 大藍胡 in the Ho Chung Valley. If we go from the HKUST North Gate then follow the coast to Nam Wai and then pass through Ho Chung and pick up the Wilson Trail. If we’re going from Tseng Lan Shue, we don’t really go through Ho Chung, but we pass the village Ta Lam Wu 大藍胡 in the Ho Chung Valley.
Coming up out of the Ho Chung Valley on the Wilson trail is a long, steep climb to the top of Dong Yang Mountain (東洋山). The peak has spectacular 360 degree views of Clear Water Bay, TKO, and the Sha Tin and Tai Po areas. After that, the hard work is mostly done. Once Mau Ping Resting Area is reached, there are several choices for descending into Sai Kung. We used to go back up to Ngong Ping and then down, but we don’t like the descent. Nowadays we usually follow the trail towards Pak Kung, and either go down through the bamboo forest tunnel into Pak Kung and then down to the road to pick up the bus to Sai Kung, or we take another trail that heads into Pak Kong Au and then Po Lo Che while avoiding the up and down associated with Ngong Ping.
