O Tau New Village (M071) to Pak Kong via Maclehose Section 4

Duration:  11.3 km (4h)

Difficulty: 7/10. 539m elevation gain.

Cel phone coverage: Everywhere

Water needs: 2 liter. 60% shaded. 

Appreciation: 9/10. Some stunning views of Hong Kong.

Map & Details: https://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/5181576364/

Exercise Area: No

Transportation:  From Diamond Hill MTR station, KMB 96R or 92 will take you to the Sai Kung terminus. Then take bus 99 or 299x and stop at 澳頭新村

O TAU NEW VILLAGE (the 6th stop). Walk in the same direction the bus was going for about 150m. Trail head is on your left. Return via KMB 96R or 92 (actually, there are quite a few buses and mini-buses at the stop) at the Pak Kong bus stop.

Why it's worth it:

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Trail head will be on your left, with toilets on your right, across the road.

Climb the stairs and head left after the gate

About 35m into your hike (2.5km), you will be leaving the paved road you were walking on and head left on the dirt path.

Lots of nice bamboo forests along the way...

About 45m into the hike, sharp left and up the stairs; that's when the real ascent starts. You will be climbing up for a good 45 minutes, about 250m ascent.

Ma On Shan, in front of view during the climb.

You made it to the top. While you can head right and climb Ma On Shan, it is not today's hike... Head left and straight, following Maclehose 4.

At this point, you will be 2h30 (6km) into your hike and you will be facing Pyramid hill. Again here, you can climb it and go down on the other side, for an added challenge, or, keep going around, on Maclehose 4. The paths join on the other side, at the bottom of Pyramid Hill.

Head left at the sign. Always follow the leaning little hiking icon on the sign (The Maclehose dude). You will see the area where the paragliders takeoff. 

Head right. It is well-marked anyway.

At this point, you should be about 3-3h30 into your hike (9km). You can choose to complete Mac 4 by going straight, through the field and left and then maybe do Mac 5 (http://www.hongkonghikes.com/2011/12/maclehose-section-4-5.html). Or, as we did that day, simply take path A that towards Pak Kong via the Ma On Shan Country Trail, for a much shorter hike.

You will be walking down on the Ma On Shan Country Trail for about 1km and you will then reach the Pak Kong Au Road. A the gate, take a sharp left and just stay on Pak Kong Au Road until you reach Hiram's Highway.

Reaching Hiram's Highway. The bus stop will be right in front of you, across the highway.