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TAI PO

PLOVER COVE

TAI PO KAU

UNIVERSITY

SHA TIN

SAI KUNG PENINSULA

TAP MUN CHAU

TUNG PING CHAU

CLEARWATER BAY PENINSULA

OUTLYING ISLANDS

LAMMA

LANTAU

CHEUNG CHAU

ISLAND LIFE

PENG CHAU

MA WAN

TSING YI

TUNG LUNG CHAU

PO TOI

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top pikcs

Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade ( Click here)

The Peak ( Click here)

The Star Ferry ( Click here and Click here)

Cheung Chau ( Click here)

Hiking on Lantau ( Click here and Click here)

A seafood ramble on Lamma ( Click here)

Tian Tan Buddha ( Click here)

Ocean Park ( Click here)

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple ( Click here)

Hong Kong Wetland Park ( Click here)

What’s your recommendation? www.lonelyplanet.com/hong-kong

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There’s much more to Hong Kong than its oft-photographed heart of glass and concrete. Much of the land area beyond its high-rise urban core comprises a striking and rugged mosaic of islands, craggy shores, mountains and jungle.

While the urban areas may be teeming with buildings and people, they are also pretty compact, hugging the coastal strips and valley bottoms. Without the suburban sprawl found in many Western cities, there’s a surprising and often delightful proximity between high-density living and wild, open spaces in Hong Kong.

In practical terms it’s useful to think of Hong Kong as being divided into four main areas: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands.

The beating commercial and social heart of Hong Kong lies in the first two of these areas: the skyscraper-clad northern edge of Hong Kong Island and the busy commercial and residential district of Kowloon, which face each other across Victoria Harbour. The land beyond this urban hub – most of it in the New Territories and the Outlying Islands – is far more sparsely populated and offers space, greenery and wilderness in abundance

This chapter begins in Central on the northern side of Hong Kong Island. As its name implies, this district is where much of what happens (or is decided) in Hong Kong takes place. To the west and contiguous to Central is more traditional Sheung Wan, which just about manages to retain the feel of pre-war Hong Kong in parts. Rising above Central are the Mid-Levels residential area and the Peak, home to the rich, the famous and the Peak Tram. To the east of Central are: Admiralty, a cluster of office towers, hotels and shopping centres; Wan Chai, a popular dining, shopping and entertainment area; and Causeway Bay, the most popular shopping district on Hong Kong Island.

By contrast, Hong Kong Island’s southern edge is much less built up, comprising small, popular seaside towns, including Stanley – with its fashionable restaurants, cafes and famous market – and Aberdeen, Hong Kong’s original settlement, where you can ride in a sampan (motorised launch) around the harbour.

North of Hong Kong Island and across Victoria Harbour is Kowloon. Its epicentre is the shopping and entertainment district of Tsim Sha Tsui. To the east are Tsim Sha Tsui East and Hung Hom, awash with hotels and museums. North of Tsim Sha Tsui are the working-class areas of Yau Ma Tei – where you’ll find pawnshops, outdoor markets, Chinese pharmacies, mah-jong parlours and other retailers – and Mong Kok, a somewhat seedy district of street markets and brothels. Beyond are the districts of so-called New Kowloon, containing everything from cheap computers to Hong Kong’s largest temple complex, Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin.

The New Territories is a mixed bag of uniform and architecturally bland housing estates and some surprisingly unspoiled rural areas and country parks. The real drawcards are the more tranquil areas containing old walled villages, mountains, important wetlands, forested nature reserves, and the idyllic Sai Kung Peninsula. Studded around these areas lie hundreds of islands, which are mostly uninhabited but all part of Hong Kong. Among the so-called Outlying Islands accessible on a day trip from Hong Kong Island are Cheung Chau, with its traditional village and fishing fleet; Lamma, celebrated for its restaurants and