Hong Kong - Beyond Central

Easy escapes from the skyscrapers

(photos of 2005-2009)

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The far end of Hong Kong Island

There is much more to Hong Kong than its urban center with dense skyscrapers, "canyon" streets, Victoria Harbour, Victoria Peak and Kowloon's waterfront. Thanks to excellent public transportation, it is remarkably easy to quickly escape the crowded financial, commercial and shopping areas.

One favorite visitor destination is the town of Stanley (map, Wikipedia), a spectacular bus trip away at the far end of Hong Kong Island. The following scrollable panorama shows this small but upscale residential and shopping town along Stanley Bay, as seen from its new pier.

Not far from Stanley on Hong Kong Island is a beautiful hiking trail on a ridge called Dragon's Back (Lung Chek, map), shown next in a 360-degree panorama. Stanley is seen just at center on the narrow neck of a longer peninsula (left of the strings of modern and expensive housing estates on the "Red Hill" Peninsula). To the left, between two beaches and next to a golf course, lies the town of Shek O (Wikipedia), with its small peninsula Tai Tau Chau.

The next panorama was taken from that small peninsula Tai Tau Chau, looking back at Dragon's Back above the town of Shek O. (To the right we can guess high-rise apartment buildings at the eastern entrance to Victoria Harbour.)

Nearby islands

The next 360-degree panorama shows several of the numerous islands to the west of Hong Kong Island. It was taken from the High West Peak (map) of Hong Kong Island.

At far left we see tentacular Lamma Island. To its right is Cheung Chau, formed by a pair of small islands connected by a village and harbor. Fast ferries pass to its right on their way to and from Macau, out of sight behind large Lantau Island, with its top under a cloud. To the right of the center of the panorama is Hong Kong's main harbour, with Hong Kong's tallest peak (Tai Mo Shan, 957 m) behind it. To its right is Kowloon with its Union Square (map), which includes the International Commerce Center (ICC) under construction, becoming the tallest building in Hong Kong, 484 m high. Further right we see Victoria Peak and its antennas.

Lamma Island

The nearest major island to Hong Kong Island is Lamma Island (Wikipedia). As seen next from here, it offers fine hiking and great views (especially when the power plant is hidden behind a tree, as it is at right). Lamma's village of Sok Kwu Wan (Picnic Bay, map), seen in the following view, is partly afloat -- it raises fish in underwater cages and feeds a row of restaurants.

Cheung Chau

Lamma Island is a favorite destination, and even a home, for foreign residents ("ex-pats"). By contrast, the next shown island, Cheung Chau (Wikipedia), attracts more Hongkongese, with its more pronounced Chinese character. As the map shows, Cheung Chau is built on a narrow strip joining two slightly taller islands. The eastern side of the narrow strip, seen in the next panorama, has a long beach facing Hong Kong Island (at center) and Lamma Island (right of center) -- note the shark net.

On the other side of the strip is Cheung Chau's relatively large harbour, shown in the next two panoramas (the second spans 360 degrees). It is home to a substantial fishing fleet. Note the covered roof-top terraces, popular in the region.

A wonderful feature of these islands is the scarcity of roads, cars, buses and trucks (only a few miniature vehicles are used, for instance as trucks and ambulances). The village streets are narrow and perfect for strolling around, as seen next in Cheung Chau, where dried seafood is very popular.