Hong Kong/Outlying Islands

Hong Kong's Outlying Islands (離島 lèih dóu) are a generic label for the other 234 islands, islets and rocks in the territory.

For tourists, the most popular islands include:
 * Cheung Chau (長洲 Chèuhng Jāu), a small island off Lantau that used to be a pirates' den but now houses mostly windsurfers and sunbathing day trippers
 * Lamma Island (南丫島 Nàahmā dóu) is a relaxed destination with lots of great seafood, hiking and beaches.
 * Peng Chau (坪洲 Pìhng Jāu) to go off the beaten track.
 * Po Toi Islands

Understand
Hong Kong's islands have been and to some extent continue to be Hong Kong's hinterland, home to rustic fishing villages battered by the occasional typhoon, monasteries run by hardscrabble monks and little else. However, the last decade or so have seen some changes. The islands are car-free, so expect plenty of bicycles and a chance to escape the noise, aggression and air pollution associated with the modern motor car.







Get in
Travelling to the Outlying Islands is much simpler and easier than many visitors might suppose. Most tourists and local residents use the frequent and inexpensive ferry services to travel to their preferred island. The exceptions to this rule are the smaller and more remote islands where you will need to either hire a boat to take you there or investigate the less frequent and more informal boat services that can, sometimes, be hard to find. However, most Hong Kong people never concern themselves with the smaller islands, so simply head for the Central ferry terminals (alongside the Star Ferry) and make your choice. Having an Octopus card will speed you through the gates because some ferry services only accept payment using coins or Octopus.

See the main Hong Kong article on how to get and use the Octopus Card.

Some services impose a 50% surcharge for travel on Sundays and public holidays. Therefore, it's usually cheaper and less crowded to visit during the week or on Saturdays. Paying more for a premium seat on a ferry is usually a disappointing experience.

By boat
Ferries for all major islands of interest depart from the Outlying Islands pier in Central, to the west of the Star Ferry terminal. The largest operators are New World First Ferry and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry Company. Some ferries come in slow (or "ordinary") and fast versions. The slow ferry is generally available every other departure, so if the fast ferry comes every thirty minutes, the slow ferry will come every hour. When time tables show an asterisk beside a departure time, it usually means that a slow ferry is available in addition to the fast ferry.

There is also a local ferry service from Aberdeen to Lamma Island (Mo Tat and Sok Kwu Wan).


 * Tap Man Chau: Ferry from Wong Shek Pier in Sai Kung or from Ma Liu Shui Pier near Chinese University.
 * Po Toi: The Chuen Kee Ferry departs once a day leaving from Aberdeen, via Stanley. There is also a kaito from Aberdeen every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
 * Tung Lung Chau: Ferries from Lei Yue Mun pier in Kowloon, and from Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong island. for more information.
 * Soko islands: there is no public transport to the Soko islands; you will need to hire a sampan from the harbour at Cheung Chau.
 * Tung Ping Chau: Limited service from Ma Liu Shui pier taking 90 minutes.
 * Waglan Island: Permission is needed first from the Marine Department.
 * Kwo Chau islands: They are uninhabited islands. You have to join a tour or try and rent a small boat (kaito) from Sai Kung.

Get around
On the islands you're pretty much restricted to walking, renting a bike ($10 an hour or $30 a day is typical) or catching a kaito (街渡 gāaidouh), a small ferry, from one pier to the next.

See
Besides participating in the festivals, tourist can visit different sites, for example the temples and caves.


 * Po Toi (蒲台) is famous for its rock formations, such as Tortoise Rock, Buddha's Palm Cliff and Monk Rock. There are also some prehistoric carvings.
 * Soko Islands (索罟群島) are known for the 'rock forest' that surrounds the islands. Tai A Chau also used to have a Vietnamese refugee camp.
 * Tap Mun (塔門) has a Tin Hau temple built between 1662 and 1721, housing a bronze bell made in 1737, and a very large swordfish bone.
 * Tung Lung Chau (東龍洲) has historic stone carvings (700 years old) and the remains of a fort (demolished in 1810). There are also sea caves around the coast.
 * Tung Ping Chau (東平洲) has a 250 year old temple and deserted villages. The island is famous for its beautiful schist rock formations, that have different colours because of the calcium and magnesium in the schist.
 * Waglan Island (橫瀾島) is famous for its lighthouse built in 1893.
 * Ninepin islands (果洲群島) are known for the cliffs and caves around the islands.

Buy
There are not many shopping bargains on the islands. However, beach items tend to be more reasonably priced.


 * Fish Sauce is sold in many locations, including Cheung Chau.

Eat
Lamma and Cheung Chau are well known for a large number of seafood restaurants. The decor of the restaurants are generally basic but clean and should never be seen as an indication of the quality of the food which is usually high.

Drink
Aside from a few pubs on Lamma, the nightlife in the islands is pretty quiet. Island drinking usually amounts to no more than either a few bottles of cheap Chinese beer, or endless cups of jasmine tea.

Sleep
Accommodation on these islands is fairly limited compared to Kowloon and Hong Kong island and consists mainly of guest houses (a few of which call themselves hotels).