I believe many of you, like me, have seen the pictures of Ngong Ping campground, which is known as “Hong Kong Altay”, right? Lying on the green grass at the top of the hill, looking out over the blue sea and white sails, and if you're lucky, you can even see the colorful paragliders, it's so beautiful and chill, right?
To be honest, when I saw these beautiful photos, I was also very eager. Especially those bloggers all say that it is very close to Shenzhen, Futian after crossing the border to take the MTR is only 5 stations, 40 minutes to arrive, I feel than to go to Yantian, Daxiaosha is also close.
After the July and August heat and sunshine and pause outdoor adjustment, September want to go to the heart of nature has reached its peak. So this week about a friend, taking advantage of the sunny morning from the Futian border crossing, straight to Hong Kong “University Station”.
As it turns out, this hiking route is not that easy, so if you want to go, you must read this guide before you take action.
01 On the way to the transportation
1、 bring your own Hong Kong and Macao Travel Permit and a valid endorsement (cell phone in advance to buy a one-day traffic package, mobile is 9.9 yuan)
2、the Hong Kong MTR, double-decker buses support Alipay and WeChat payment (try to bring one or two hundred Hong Kong dollars if you can, some of the restaurants and food stalls in Hong Kong are limited to cash payment. Do not have to go to the bank, the port supports WeChat payment exchange of Hong Kong dollars, but must provide ID cards, Hong Kong and Macao passes can not)
3、After crossing the border at Futian Port (or Luohu Port), take the blue East Rail Line to the “University” Station, Exit B.
4、After arriving at Exit B of University Station, there are two ways to get to Ngong Ping Campground at the top of the hill, please choose according to your own situation.
Cross the road and walk up to the disk at the “Ma On Shan Village Road” sign, which is the starting point of the hike at the foot of the hill. Note: The whole route is uphill, chatting with friends while walking slowly, it will take about 2.5 hours to reach the top of the hill “Ngong Ping Campground”.
There are two ways to get there.
The first way is to take a cab to the top of the hill.
The second one is a longer walk (from the foot of the hill to the halfway point) and takes longer
02 On the way up
At the beginning, it is a big road, although it is uphill, it is wide and easy to walk.
There is a babbling brook next to the road, and the water is so cool in the hot weather.
Walk for 20 minutes and watch out for the road to narrow, recognize the sign “Ma On Shan Village Road”.
Walk for about 50 minutes and you'll come to the “Ma On Shan Grill”.
Continuing up the road, I met some aunts waiting for the bus at the station, and reconfirmed the direction of “Ngong Ping Campground”. As the road got smaller and less crowded, the signage started to change to “Ma On Shan Country Trail”.
Don't be too happy when you reach this “Ngong Ping” sign, it's still an hour away from the summit!Don't be happy, it's still an hour to the top.
This is something that many bloggers never mention.
Although Hong Kong is well established in terms of hiking trails, it is truly recommended not to walk alone on your first visit, especially for girls.
The next rocky path was the most confusing for me. There is no cell phone signal here to navigate. There was no signage pointing to “Ngong Ping Campground”, so I didn't know if I was on the right track or not, and there were no passersby to ask, so the more I walked in the forest, the more I panicked, and I was torn between retreating or continuing.
I met Monica at the top of the hill, who was also a first-time walker from Shanghai, and she said that if she hadn't met an older woman who knew the route well, she would have retreated and gone straight back!
Finally, with my friend, two people rushed upward, and reached the high gazebo to see two hiking brother, learned that it was the right direction, a heart only then let go. From here to the “Ngong Ping Campground” will take about 20 minutes.
At this point the trail starts to smell like cow poop, and a closer look reveals large black cows being herded in the woods.
It's almost time to see the light of day!
It was cloudy when I reached the top of the hill, so I couldn't see the blue sky, white clouds, or the magnificent view of the sea, but the green grass and the wind made me feel free and relaxed.
It was cloudy and gray, which discounted the scenery and was slightly regrettable, but I look forward to bringing friends back for a return visit in December when the skies are at their bluest!
It was cloudy and gray, which discounted the view and was slightly regrettable, but I'm looking forward to bringing a friend back for a return visit in December when the sky is at its bluest!
For those who like camping, you can also bring your own tent and other items, and I'm sure the sunrise will be beautiful! However, the camping site is about 100 meters away from the big grassy area where you can see the sea, so watch out for the signage.
This is the designated campsite
03 About descending the mountain
1、You can take the same route back to “Heng On Estate” and take 87K back to “University” MTR station.
2. Like me, I suggest to continue walking from the grassy area towards “Tai Shui Tseng” and go to Sai Kung to have lunch and have a rest.
The trail down to Sai Kung is narrow and through the forest.
The descent was naturally faster than the ascent, and we reached the bottom of the hill in about 40 minutes.
04 About Saigon
According to the signage, we were about 1.5 kilometers away from the Saigon beach. According to the signage, we were about 1.5km away from the Saigon beach. The guide told us to take the minibus 3A at the Pontoon Road bus stop and get off at the “Saigon Market”. However, when we arrived, we found the minibus whizzing by, and we didn't know how long it would take for the minibus to depart.
Thinking about the good weather in the afternoon, we decided to walk to the “Sai Kung Ferry Pier Public Light Bus Terminal”, just use your cell phone to navigate, it takes about 20 minutes to get to the beach.
Overall: 2.5 hours up, 1 hour down, so be prepared if you want to hike this route!
Here's a convenience store drink that was insanely featured in the Little X book, the Giant Grape is the best.
A little sleepy after lunch, the three of us decided to find a cafe to rest. In the neighborhood of “Saigon Market”, there are a lot of unique stores and cafes, if you are interested, you can citywalk around!
I visited one of the top 3 Japanese cafes on X-Review, and I was too tired to order, drink coffee and chat. When I was leaving, I was told that the store only accepts HKD cash or credit card (WeChat and Alipay are not supported).
After digging through all my pockets, I managed to scrape together the money for drinks, but it turned out that the three cups of coffee cost HK$160, and I still needed to pay a 10% service charge (I realized that all the cafes here also offer brunch, so I probably need to charge a service charge for the single-order drinks, too!) The reason I wrote this is to remind my friends that they should always inquire before placing an order.
05 About the return trip
If you still have time in the afternoon, you can take a boat from Sai Kung New Public Pier to and from Half Moon Bay or Qiao Tsui Island (National Geopark), which is described on the internet as a glassy sea with clear water and soft sand.
You can see the “Cat Kee”, “Ma Kee” and “Fat Lady” boats next to the pier. The round trip to and from Qiaozui Island is 30 HKD per person, and the round trip to and from Half Moon Bay is 40 HKD per person. The latest ferry back to Saigon is around 18:00, so if you want to go there, you must pay attention to the time.
For those who want to go back to Shenzhen earlier like me, you can take the 299X double-decker bus at the “Sai Kung Public Light Bus Terminus” next to the pier, which will take you to the end of the line at the “Shatin” MTR station (the fare is HK$11.3, available on WeChat or Alipay), and then transfer to the East Rail Line. Then transfer to the East Rail Line and return to Futian Port.
[Hiking Suggestion]
- Pay attention to sun protection throughout the hike.
- Be sure to go in good weather with blue sky and white clouds for the best view.- Bring your own water (at least 2 bottles) and food.
- Bring your own water (at least 2 bottles) and food.
- Don't go alone, especially if you are a girl.We will resume hiking in September, there are many new routes to try, and we will share them in time.
Thank you for your continuous support, and wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance!