Shing Mun Valley Taking a circular route around Shing Mun Reservoir, this hike offers beautiful scenery and clear direction signs. Walking up from the minibus stop, watchout for vehicles on the road. After passing the grass-covered dam, and then the main barbecue areas of Shing Mun Country Park, you should turn onto the Shing Mun Jogging Trail. The Jogging Trail is level, easy to walk along, and has wonderful views across Shing Mun Reservoir to the woodland slopes rising up to Tai Mo Shan. Turn left when you leave the footpath onto a forest trail, and you will find a pavilion downhill at a short distance. The picnic site here has spacious grassland, and makes a fine place for friends to enjoy time together. Farther on is the well-known Tai Shing Stream. This watercourse, with its ample water flow, is the main stream of Shing Mun valley - and nowadays it is the main source of water for the reservoir. This area has many luxuriant Paper-bark trees, whose straight trunks and peeling bark make the woodland here particularly attractive. Hong Kong's country parks are visited by about 11 million people every year. The keen demand for green country side and recreation is obvious. Boasting a wide range of facilities, our country parks are designed to meet such demand. Whether you are interested in hiking, nature study or simply enjoy being in a natural environment with your family, you will find sites and facilities geared to your needs. Shing Mun, Lion Rock and Kam Shan are the first generation country parks of Hong Kong, designated nearly 30 years ago on 24 June 1977. Today, Hong Kong has 23 country parks that harbour undisturbed habitats for diverse wildlife and provide a variety of recreational sites for the general public. Starting Point Visitors can take the green minibus route no. 82 at Tsuen Wan Shiu Wo Street to Shing Mun Reservoir. Visitors can lso take the bus route via the Ho Fung College at Wo Yi Hop Road. Get off at Ho Fung College bus stop and walk along the Shing Mun Road for 20 minutes to reach the Pineapple Dam. KMB 32 Olympic StationၧTsuen Wan Shek Wan Kok 40X Kwai Hing MTR Station Bus TerminusၧMa On Shan Lei On 46P Lai King North Bus TerminusၧShatin Hin Keng 46X Mei Foo ၧShatin Hin Keng 47X Kwai Shing East Bus TerminusၧShatin Chun Shek 48X Bayview Garden ၧShatinWo Che 73X Tsuen Wan Nina TowerၧTai Po Fu Sin (get off at Ho Fung college) 278X Tsuen Wan Nina TowerၧSheung Shui Landmark Green Mini Bus 82 Tsuen Wan Shiu Wo Street ၧShing Mun Reservoir Sai Kung Tai Long Hiking Trail Tai Long Wan Hiking Trail lies in Sai Kung East Country Park. It is suitable for hikers with reasonable experience and who are fit. Along the way there is stunning mountain and sea scenery. The trail starts at Sai Wan Pavilion, along Sai Wan Road, where you can see High Island Reservoir. Down the path, at the bottom you reach Sai Wan village. Rest here and enjoy the beautiful Sai Wan beach. Beyond the village, go across a stony bridge. The stream that flows under the bridge is the lower course of Kap Man Hang. If you walk upstream you will reach the impressive Sze Dip Tam and Sheung Luk Stream. The seascapes and coastal scenery between Sai Wan and Ham Tin Wan are delightful. When you reach Ham Tin Wan, there is another long beach to explore. West of Ham Tin village, there is a long steep slope from the village up to the gap at Tai Long Au, a good chance for hikers to test their own strength. Walking uphill to Tai Long Au, the rugged Sharp Peak is right ahead of you. Beyond the gap, continue downhill to reach the inshore village of Chek Keng. From Chek Keng the uphill path is shaded by overhanging trees. Pass through Long Hill and To Kwa Peng, Wong Shek Pier and Wan Tsai Peninsula are ahead. Walk on for about 20 minutes and you come to Pak Tam Au, on Pak Tam Road. Lung Mei Tau is the site of a concrete nullah made from a natural stream that flows from Ham Tin Wan from the northwest. This man-made structure was put in place to reinforce the downstream river banks. Concrete, being much tougher than the original sand and mud bed, is an effective anti-abrasion medium that accelerates flow. However this improvement work has altered the natural topography of the downstream channel and estuary. Starting Point Take the village bus and get off at the end of Sai Wan Road. Village Bus 29R Sai Kung market - Sai Kung Sai Wan Road End Finishing Point Take village bus at the finishing Point, Pak Tam Au to depart. KMB 94 Sai Kung Bus Terminus - Wong Shek 96R Diamond Hill - Wong Shek Ź City Bus 78NZ8FN<FS<TSL8MJP5NJWŹ Stanley Market A popular market town on the sunny south side of Hong Kong Island, Stanley's relaxed ambience, crisp sea environs and bargain buys have made it world famous. Seven days a week the open market around Stanley New Street and Stanley Market Road throbs with the passing parade of life as bargain-hunters from all over the world join in the fun of haggling with shopkeepers and stallholders. Choose from brand-name clothing and accessories, or simply irresistible souvenirs, ornaments and other Oriental knick-knacks. The market is open from 10:30am to 6:30pm. Stanley also has beautiful beaches that are popular with windsurfers. And when you're feeling peckish, you'll find a wide variety of funky bars and great restaurants to enjoy. Among the more interesting restaurant sites on the waterfront is Murray House, a 160-year-old restored three-storey colonial building that was dismantled in 1982 from its original site in Central and then rebuilt in Stanley. It was restored in 1998 and now houses the Hong Kong Maritime Museum as well as restaurants. Situated beside Murray House is Blake Pier at Stanley. Originally located in Central, Blake Pier was first dismantled in 1965 and later relocated to Morse Park to form the roof of the Morse Park pavilion. Now it has returned to its role as a public pier in Stanley, complementing the colonial architectural style of Murray House. How To Get There Stanley Market & Murray House 1. MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D and take bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 at Exchange Square Bus Terminus. 2. MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B, walk to Tang Lung Street then take green minibus 40. 3. Bus 973 from Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui outside Silvercord Centre. Giant Buddha / Po Lin Monastery / The Wisdom Path No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a visit to the Giant Buddha which sits serenely atop Ngong Ping plateau amid the spectacular mountain scenery of Lantau Island. The eyes, lips, incline of the head and even the right hand (raised to deliver a blessing to all), combine to lend great depth of character and dignity to this extraordinary statue. The majestic figure of the seated Buddha was cast in China and took 12 years to complete. It was unveiled in December 1993 amid deeply religious ceremonies. Visitors can climb more than 200 steps to reach the platform where the Buddha is seated. Besides attracting Buddhists from all over Asia, the magnificent figure with its compelling presence almost instantly transformed the remote Po Lin Monastery with its devout monks into a must- visit on tourist schedules. The Po Lin Monastery is set amid spectacular mountain scenery on the Ngong Ping plateau.Besides admiring the massive statue there is also much to see and do at the monastery itself with its various figures of gods and other colourful manifestations of aspects of the Buddhist religion. You can even enjoy a vegetarian lunch. From Po Lin Monastery it's a short walk to the Wisdom Path, an outdoor replica of the centuries old Heart Sutra, one of the world¶s best-known prayers that is revered by Confucians, Buddhists and Taoists alike. The sutra is displayed on wooden pillars placed in the form of a figure "" to symbolise the idea of immeasurable splendour and infinity. Not too far away is the culturally themed village of Ngong Ping, where you can enjoy a variety of attractions as well as indulge in a bit of shopping and dining. From here you can take a bus or taxi to explore other parts of Lantau Island, including the famous stilt houses of Tai O Village, the magic of Hong Kong Disneyland and the interesting village Mui Wo, near the ferry pier. How To Get There Giant Buddha / Po Lin Monastery 1.Catch ferry from Central Pier 6 (MTR Hong Kong Station Exit E1. Walk through ifc mall) to Mui Wo, then take bus 2. 2.MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B, then take bus 23 from Tung Chung Town Centre. 3.MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B, then take Ngong Ping Cable Car. Wisdom Path MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B, take bus no.23 to Po Lin Monastery, follow the HKTB directional sign to Tea Garden, walk through the hiking trail from the entrance of Tea Garden for 15 mins. Please refer to map:http://www.tourism.gov.hk/english/current/current_heart.html .