Best Parks With Barbecues Hong Kong Near Me

4worldlovers: Sai Kung East Country Park, designated in 1978, occupies a vast area of east Sai Kung Peninsula and High Island. Within its borders are High Island Reservoir, High Island, Tai Long Wan, Pak Tam Au, Sheung Yiu, Wong Shek Pier and the surrounding countryside. Covering 4,494 hectares of uplands and coasts, it has the largest number of bays and coves among all country parks. Scenic spots within the park are numerous. Examples include the four most famous beaches of Hong Kong - Sai Wan, Ham Tin Wan, Tai Wan, Tung Wan, and the precipitous Sharp Peak. Other attractions are Po Pin Chau, Long Ke Wan, Luk Wu, Long Harbour and Chek Keng. There is a wide choice of country trails. Some orbit around the coasts, while others travel through rugged and wild terrain.

High Island Reservoir is the largest reservoir in the territory, and the grandest man-made construction within the park. The east embankment of the reservoir is lined with a spectacular cofferdam with giant dolosse units, offset by striking rhyolite in hexagonal stacks. The reservoir commands a brand of beauty all of its own, enchanting both leisure travelers and geologists.

Sai Kung East Country Park extends along a long coastline. Farming never really developed in this scabrous region. In the old days, local villagers were mostly fishermen. Lime making was another means of livelihood. Inshore waters provided an abundant supply of coral skeletons and the old settlements at Sheung Yiu were major production bases of this once booming industry.

According to records made in the last five decades, there were 16 villages living on the east coast of Sai Kung. Today, Luk Wu and Po Kwu Wan are completely uninhabited, and Long Ke has become a drug rehabilitation centre for the youths. Lan Nai Wan was submerged to create High Island Reservoir, and Sheung Yiu is converted into a folk museum, with only a handful of households remaining. Pak Tam Au and Ko Lau Wan are the only two villages with a decent population. The other old settlements only have one or two permanent households. Some villagers come home on Sundays and holidays to offer refreshments or board or lodging to tourists.

Pak Tam Chung is the starting point of the famous MacLehose Trail. Skirting the south side of High Island Reservoir, the trail crosses 8 country parks to end at Tuen Mun in the west. Section 1 and Section 2 of MacLehose Trail run inside Sai Kung East Country Park. The first section is mostly level walk, with many side paths leading to coastal villages. Along the shores, you will find unusual rock formations, and the picturesque Long Ke beach never failing to charm. Section 2 starts at Long Ke. Beyond Sai Wan Shan, the great sweep of Tai Long Wan comes into view, accentuated by the ever striking presence of Sharp Peak in the background. This stage ends at Pak Tam Au.


The country park has three other country trails. Luk Wu Country Trail, designed for energetic and experienced hikers, offers lovely scenery of the Clearwater Bay peninsula, High Island Reservoir and Ma On Shan. Pak Tam Country Trail, formerly an ancient village path, gives coastal views of Kau Sai Chau, Yim Tin Tsai, Sharp Island and High Junk Peak. Sheung Yiu Country Trail is an easy level walk that overlooks inshore islands and bays like Tsam Chuk Wan, Yim Tin Tsai and Kau Sai Chau.

Pak Tam Chung Nature Trail is an ideal destination for field study and nature education. Starting at Pak Tam Chung, it travels to Sheung Yiu Folk Museum in Sai Kung Country Park. The route passes a beach on the way, where you can study plants commonly seen in beaches and wetlands, such as mangroves and Screw Pine (Pandanus tectorius), as well as bamboos, Sandpaper Vine (Tetracera asiatica) and Incense Tree (Aquilaria sinensis), all native species cherished by the rural community for their economic value.

To cater to family visitors, Sai Kung East Country Park offers Sheung Yiu Family Walk and Wong Shek Family Walk. Both walks have midway stops where you can take a rest, and most people can complete these courses in one or two hours. Also in the country park are two tree walks : Tai Tan Tree Walk and Wong Shek Tree Walk. These short walks are lined by interesting flora species with information plates.