Lung Ha Wan (龍蝦灣 - Lobster Bay) and Tai Leng Tung (大嶺峒 - Great Ridge Cave)

Duration: 

3.5 hours (7 km), with 30 minutes of sightseeing included

Difficulty: 5/10. 290m ascent

Cel phone coverage: Everywhere

Water needs: 1 liter

Appreciation: 8/10. Nice views. Horses. Lobsters nowhere to be found though...

Transportation: To and back via bus 91 that you can take at Diamond Hill MTR station, exit 'C'. Get off at Tai Au Mun. You can also take a cab from anywhere in Tseung Kwan O if you want quicker access.

Details: http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/1940953577

Why it's worth it:

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At Diamond Hill MTR station exit 'C', take bus 91, get off at Tai Au Mun

Right off the bus, head on the left-most at the roundabout. That's Lung Ha Wan Road

Can't really miss it. About 100meters onto Lung Ha Wan Road, there will be a road to the Cham Shan monastery on your right. If you feel like it, that can be a nice little stop. Then continue on Lung Ha Wan Road which you will follow all the way to the next stop.

Paved and shaded

About 1.5km along Lung Ha Wan road, you'll reach this set of stairs on your left, going down to the bay where you will find some rock carvings. Great views there. When done, go back on the road and keep going.

After 300 or so meters on Lung Ha Wan, you'll reach the Clearwater Bay Equestrian and Education Centre. Take a quick break to admire the fine animals. You can also replenish in snacks/water and there are toilets. At the end of the dust road, there's a path leading to a pic-nic area with nice views, and people will often fly kites there. Once you are all done, come back to the spot pictured, then climb the stairs on the right on the photo. You are starting the Lung Ha Wan Country Trail proper.

Follow the Lung Ha Wan country trail

About 260m climb from this point. The path will lead you to more nice views and the peak of Tai Leng Tung. Then will end at a very large BBQ area. You will have to follow Clear Water Bay road back to your starting point where you can return via bus 91. You can probably also get a cab at the BBQ area

Kap Lung Ancient Trail

Duration: 

(2.5 kilometers)
1.25 hours

Difficulty: 3/10

Cel phone coverage: Everywhere.

Water needs: 0.5 liter

Appreciation: 6/10 nice trees at the beginning, lots of streams. Nothing spectacular, but certainly easy and short

Transportation: KMB 51 from Tsuen Wan West MTR station (exit A or E). Get off at Country Park bus stop. Return to Kam Sheung Road MTR Station via green minibus at end of trail map

Why it's worth it:

Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/624693655

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Get off at Country Park bus stop. The trail head is a bit further along, on the same side of the road as the bus stop

Forest trail and Ancient Trail overlap for a little while

At the junction, keep on the Ancient Trail. There's signage pretty much everywhere along the way

You will cross the stream over this waterfall. We went down to have a better view

At the end of the trail, you'll hit a road, head right until you reach a bus stop, about 750m in

Tai To Yan (大刀屻)

Duration: 

(~9 kilometers)
4 hours

Difficulty: 7/10.

Cel phone coverage: Everywhere

Water needs: 2 liters. About 30% of the trail is shaded, so it will be more difficult in Summer.

Appreciation: 6.5/10

Transportation: Bus 64k from Tai Wo. Returning via Fanling MTR

Why it's worth it:

Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/599691849

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Take Exit 'A' (Tai Wo Plaza) out of the Tai Wo MTR station. Head left.

There will be a set of escalators on your right, leading to the bus stops.

The KMB 64k stop is on the other side of the first road lane. Don't go all the way on the other side because you'd take the 64k to Tai Po Market.

Yeah, that one...

Get off at Kadoorie Farm. Cross the street to the start of the trail.

Start of the trail

Follow the directions to Fanling station

Very sharp peaks gets you...

... nice views.

People actually maintaining the trail! Amazing Hong Kong!

Follow Wo Hop Sehk here... Then it's pretty straightforward to the Fanling MTR station

Plover Cove Country Trail (船灣郊野公園)

Duration: 

(19 kilometers)
7 hours

Difficulty: 7/10. For distance and terrain.

Appreciation: 9/10. You'll also have a bonus waterfall start (Bride's Pool and Mirror Pool)

Transportation: Tai Po MTR station, exit A1. Take bus 275R on a Sunday or public holiday (doesn't run any other day). Return to TaI Po MTR station via bus 75k at the end of the trail.

Why it's worth it:

Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/436322856
(Ignore the abnormal little turn and skip 12 minutes into the trail on my Garmin map.We took a wrong turn there. Rest is fine)

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You will get off 275R at the bus terminus @ Bride's Pool. Then cross the road and go down by the picnic areas, over the stream and towards the other picnic area. You'll get here. Head right and up. (If you have a few minutes, you can instead go left and spend some time at Mirror Pool, just 3 minutes away. It is quite pretty)

You'll reach an intersection, go left and up on a path that zig-zags up.

Right after the zig-zag climb, you'll get to this intersection.
Head left (as our model Anthony make obvious on this picture ;-) )

You'll then go by the big, obvious Plover Cover Reservoir Country Trail sign that you cannot miss. That's the trail head. Off you go on your 7 hours adventure... The trail is obvious and there's not really and side-paths so no chances of getting lost there.

About 4, 4.5 hours along the way, you'll get to this intersection. The only point really where you could wonder which way to turn. Turn right! The rest is obvious. Be careful as the terrain gets really slippery.
The bus terminus is just a few minutes walk after the last dam.

Wang Chung stream (橫涌石澗)

(Updated: 2020:JUL-26)
Why it's worth it: 

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Duration: 

Bus stop to stream (bridge): 8 minutes. 0.4k
Stream: 2-3 hours, ~2k
Hike back to minibus at dam: 25 minutes, 1k
Total: 3-3.5 hours

Map & Details: https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/4530714139/


Difficulty: 

6/10. Not very hard. Still stream trekking though so it is more challenging than regular hiking. Please, do not attempt to climb directly in the larger falls. People did lose there lives there. Instead, follow the ribbons to bypass the larger falls.

Cel phone coverage: Rare coverage on stream. Full coverage on trail coming back.

Water needs: 1 liter.

Exercise Area: No

Appreciation: 9/10 lower part of the stream, 7/10 higher part; the big falls are in the first half. Need to go once it has rained a lot to get decent water flow however.

Transportation: Go on Sundays, you'll have the luxury of taking KMB bus 275R from the Tai Po MTR station which will drop you off very close to the stream entrance (otherwise, you'll have to walk an extra hour to the stream).  Same way return. Note that the last bus is at 18:45 so don't be too late.

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Take the East Rail MTR to Tai Po. Exit A3, tunnel, then follow directions leading you to bus stop 275R (it is behind the pillar although the schedule is in front of the pillar).

(1) No choice but to get out as your stop is the terminus station.
Follow the road back towards where your bus came from.

Quite a short walk actually; about 8 minutes to the bridge where you will see the stream on your right.

(2) Take the steps down right by the sign that tells you not to enter... ;-)
You will walk along the stream for a few meters then enter the stream proper.

(3) 15 minutes into the stream, you'll see this first medium size fall. Bypass it on the left .

(4) DragonBall Waterfall(龍珠瀑). One of the most spectacular waterfall I have seen in Hong Kong,  after good amount of rain. Clear bypass on the left, marked with ribbons. Don't try to climb the waterfall.

The bypass. Going back to the top of the waterfall.

Right at the top.

(5) About 20 minutes after the waterfall, you'll reach this dam.
Pass to the left, there's a path to avoid the subsequent pool.

(6) Another 20 minutes and you'll reach this large pool. Although the climb looks easy enough, if you want to do so, you'll have to swim there. Otherwise, bypass it following ribbons.

(7) 15 minutes after, you'll get to the other major falls. Quite pretty when there's good waterflow. Bypass on the right .

(8) 30 minutes or so after, the final set of falls with a wading pool in front.
Although  I didn't think the water was all that clean (there were vegetables in the water at the dam!)

The stream becomes flat, narrow and relatively uninteresting afterwards.
Use the various footpaths on either sides.

(9)  Eventually, a bridge on the Pat Sin Leng Nature Trail (八仙嶺自然教育徑) will be in sight., about 20-25 minutes after the last set of falls. You can't miss it. That's the end of the stream for you.

(9) Head right on the bridge. The path parallels the stream for a short while.
It will take you about 20 minutes to get back to the bus stop.

You'll eventually get to the direction stones, follow on the right towards Bride's Pool.
If it is early enough, go check-out the Bride's Pool's falls. Afterwards, bus 275R will bring you back to Tai Po
(stop is right by the gazebo).