Activities in China
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Lantau Island and Giant Buddha Day Trip from Hong Kong
8 hours (Departs Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
by Viator
Take a day trip to Lantau Island, Hong Kong's largest island, and discover pristine beaches, traditional fishing villages, lush valleys, soaring mountains and s…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$99.19 - All activities
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China Cycle Tours
Joint Sūzhōu–Shànghǎi cycling group with tours of both cities as well as the surrounding countryside. Family friendly.
reviewed
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Ngong Ping 360
Perched 500m up in the western hills of Lantau is the Ngong Ping Plateau, a major drawcard for Hong Kong day-trippers and foreign visitors alike, especially since 1993, when one of the world’s largest statues of Buddha was unveiled here. Po Lin Monastery is a huge Buddhist monastery and temple complex that was built in 1924. Today it seems more of a tourist honeypot than a religious retreat, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year and still being expanded. Bringing the masses in ever greater numbers to Po Lin is the 5.7km Ngong Ping 360, a cable car linking Ngong Ping with the centre of Tung Chung (downhill and to the north). The ride is well worth taking, off…
reviewed
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Terracotta Warriors Essential Full Day Tour from Xi'an
9 hours (Departs Xian, China)
by Viator
Xi'an is home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors Army and Horses, one of the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. This full-day …
Not LP reviewed
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Mandarin House
With four branches around town, new language classes start each week. Courses at all levels, with an average of four to six students per class.
reviewed
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West Lake Boat Trips
Wooden cruise boats ( 游船; yóu chuán; 1½hr; adult/child incl entry to Three Pools Y45/22.5; 7am-4.45pm) shuttle every 20 minutes from a number of points around West Lake (including Gushan Island, Yue Fei Temple, Red Carp Pond and the south end of Hubin Lu) to the Mid-Lake Pavilion ( 湖心亭; Húxīn Tíng) and Xiaoying Island ( 小瀛洲; Xiǎoyíng Zhōu), which has a fine central pavilion and ‘nine-turn’ causeway. From the island you can look over at the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (Sāntán Yìnyuè), a string of three small towers in the water, each of which has five holes that release shafts of candlelight on the night of the Mooncake Festival in midautumn…
reviewed
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Shamian Traditional Chinese Medical Centre
To the southwest of the city is the leafy oasis of Shamian Island. It was acquired as a foreign concession in 1859 after the two Opium Wars and is now a peaceful respite from the city. Shamian Dajie, the main boulevard, is a gentle stretch of gardens, trees, and old men playing Chinese checkers. Travellers recommend Shamian Traditional Chinese Medical Centre, at the western end of the island, for its massage (Y68 per hour).
reviewed
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Spring City Golf & Lake Resort
The Spring City Golf & Lake Resort, on the northeastern shore of Lake Yangzong, is arguably China's best golf course (can't wait to get furious letters from China's East Coast on that claim). Golf media absolutely gush over some of the signature holes. It features one championship 18-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus and another designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, as well as a five-star resort and water-sports centre.
reviewed
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Bike Asia
Bike Asia arranges outings from half-day expeditions to three-day adventures. Two- to four-week cycling expeditions are also arranged through China, Mongolia, Laos, Cambodia, Tibet and Nepal. Bike Asia also hires decent and well-maintained mountain bikes.
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Splash Hong Kong
Hong Kong has some surprisingly worthwhile diving spots, particularly in the far northeast, and there is certainly no shortage of courses. One of the best sources of information for courses and excursions is Sai Kung–based Splash Hong Kong.
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Karst Café
Karst Café has one- to 10-day climbing excursions. Climbing in Yángshuò has mushroomed in popularity over the past decade. Autumn is the best season for clambering up the karst towers.
reviewed
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Cycling
There's no shortage of places to rent bikes (from Y15 per day), but for the best equipment and strong advice on possible trips, try Bike Asia, above Bar 98. Bikes go for Y50 per day (deposit Y350), including safety helmet and map. English-speaking guides (from Y300) are available.
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Western Steps
The 15km western steps route has some stellar scenery, but it's twice as long and strenuous as the eastern steps, and much easier to enjoy if you're clambering down rather than gasping your way up. If you take the cable car up, just do this in reverse.
The western steps descent begins at the Flying Rock (飞来石; Fēilái Shí), a boulder perched on an outcrop half an hour from Běihǎi Hotel, and goes over Bright Summit Peak (光明顶; Guāngmíng Dǐng; 1841m). Look out from Bright Summit Peak to Áoyú Peak (鳌鱼峰; Áoyú Fēng; 1780m): you'll notice that it looks like two turtles!
South of Áoyú Peak en route to Lotus Flower Peak, the descent funnels you down thro…
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Happy Valley Racecourse
Horse racing is the most popular live spectator sport in Hong Kong, not least because it offers one of the few legal ways to gamble in the city. An evening at the races here is also hugely atmospheric and is one of the quintessential Hong Kong things to do, if you happen to be around during one of the roughly fortnightly Wednesday evening races. The punters pack into the stands and trackside, and the atmosphere is electric.
The first horse races were held in 1846 at Happy Valley and became an annual event. Now meetings are held both here and at the newer and larger (but less atmospheric) Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories. If you know nothing about horse racing but…
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Eastern Steps
A medium-fast climb of the 7.5km eastern steps from Yúngǔ Station (890m) to White Goose Ridge (白鹅峰; Bái'é Fēng; 1770m) can be done in 2½ hours. The route is pleasant, but lacks the awesome geological scenery of the western steps. In spring wild azalea and weigela add gorgeous splashes of colour to the wooded slopes of the mountain.
Much of the climb is comfortably shaded and although it can be tiring, it's a doddle compared with the western steps. Slow-moving porters use the eastern steps for ferrying up their massive, swaying loads of food, drink and building materials, so considerable traffic plies the route. While clambering up, note the more ancient flight …
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Pat Sin Leng Nature Trail
This excellent (and easy) 4.4km-long trail, which should take from two to 2½ hours, leads from the Plover Cove Country Park Visitor Centre at Tai Mei Tuk and heads northeast for 4km to Bride’s Pool; there are signboards numbered 1 to 22, so there is little danger of getting lost. The elevation gain is only 300m, the scenery is excellent and the two waterfalls at Bride’s Pool are delightful, but the place gets packed on the weekend. You can either return to Tai Mei Tuk via Bride’s Pool Rd on foot or catch green minibus 20C, which stops at Tai Mei Tuk before carrying on to Tai Po Market MTR station. On Sunday and public holidays only, bus 275R links Bride’s Pool with Tai Po…
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St Stephen’s Beach & Military Cemetery
A great little tucked away spot, St Stephen’s Beach, with a cafe, showers and changing rooms, is south of the village. In summer you can hire windsurfing boards and kayaks from the water-sports centre. To reach the beach, walk south along Wong Ma Kok Rd. Turn west (ie right) when you get to a small road (Wong Ma Kok Path) leading down to a jetty.
At the end of the road, turn south and walk past the boathouse to the beach. Bus 14 or 6A will take you close to the intersection with the small road.
Well worth a look is Stanley Military Cemetery for armed forces personnel and their families. The oldest graves date back to 1843 and are an intriguing document of the colo…
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Hong Kong Dolphinwatch
Between 100 and 200 misnamed Chinese white dolphins (Sousa chinensis) – they are actually bubble-gum pink – inhabit the coastal waters around Hong Kong, finding the brackish waters of the Pearl River estuary to be the perfect habitat. Unfortunately these glorious mammals, which are also called Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, are being threatened by environmental pollution, and their numbers are dwindling.Hong Kong Dolphinwatch was founded in 1995 to raise awareness of these wonderful creatures and promote responsible ecotourism. It offers 2½-hour cruises to see the pink dolphins in their natural habitat every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday year-round. Guides assemble in the…
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AJ Hackett
Macau Tower, at 338m, is the 10th-tallest freestanding structure in the world; it stands on the narrow isthmus of land southeast of Avenida da República. The tower houses observation decks on the 58th and 61st floors, and restaurants and bars such as the revolving 360° Café on the 60th floor, and the 180° Lounge one floor below it. If none of this takes your fancy, you might be interested in the activities of the New Zealand–based extreme-sports company AJ Hackett , which organises all kinds of adventure climbs up and around the tower. The intrepid will go for the Mast Climb (MOP$1688), in which you go up and down the mast’s 100m of vertical ladders to the top in two hour…
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Long Coast Seasports
Cheung Sha (Long Sand), at over 3km Hong Kong’s longest beach, is divided into ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ sections; a trail over a hillock links the two. Upper Cheung Sha, with occasional good surf, is the prettier and longer stretch and boasts a modern complex with changing rooms, toilets, showers and a snack bar. Lower Cheung Sha village has a beachfront restaurant, Stoep Restaurant. Long Coast Seasports is a water-sports centre offering windsurfing, sea kayaking and wakeboarding. Prices vary widely, but basic windsurfing costs from $100/300/500 for an hour/half-day/day, while a single kayak rents for $60/180 for an hour/half-day. Beach umbrellas are also available f…
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Suzhou Creek Boat Tours
New boat tours along Suzhou Creek, which has benefited from a decade-long clean-up project, were scheduled to begin service in April 2010. Tours are expected to take in several new museums, including the Matchbox Museum (2521 West Guangfu Rd; 光复西路 2521 号 ), the Coin Museum (17 West Guangfu Rd, inside the Shanghai Mint; 光复西路 17 号上海造币厂内 ) and the Silk Museum (289 Aomen Rd; 澳门路 289 号; admission free), actually tours of a silk factory. Boats will leave from W Guangfu Rd in western Jìng’ān, running for a 10km stretch along Suzhou Creek to the M50 art galleries (it will be easiest to find more information about the tours at M50). There are plans …
reviewed
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Tai O River Boat Tours
A century ago this mostly Tanka village on the west coast of Lantau was an important trading and fishing port, exporting salt and fish to China. Today Tai O is in decline, except perhaps as a tourist destination offering an intriguing glimpse of the life of a traditional fishing village. Tai O is built partly on Lantau and partly on a tiny island about 15m from the shore. Until the mid-1990s the only way to cross was via a rope-tow ferry pulled by elderly Hakka women. That and the large number of sampans in the small harbour earned Tai O the nickname ‘the Venice of Hong Kong’. Though the narrow iron Tai Chung footbridge now spans the canal, the rope-tow ferry is resurrect…
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Star Ferry Harbour Tour
The easiest way to see the full extent of Victoria Harbour from sea level is to join a circular Star Ferry Harbour Tour, of which there are a number of different options. A single daytime round trip, departing hourly from the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui between 2.05pm and 5.05pm daily, costs $50/45 for adult/concession (children aged three to 12 years and seniors over 65). A full-/half-day hopping pass, available from 11.05am to 7.05pm/5.05pm, respectively, costs $170/75 for adults and $153/68 for concessions. At night, a two-hour round trip (at 7.05pm and 9.05pm) is $100/90 for adult/concession. A single night ride taken between 6.05pm and 11.05pm costs $95/85. Ther…
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Tung Lok Barbecue Store
Shek O has all sorts of activities to keep you amused plus some creditable dining and drinking options. Shek O beachhas a large expanse of sand, shady trees to the rear, showers, changing facilities and lockers for rent. It’s a good spot for swimming with several platforms offshore within a netted swimming area. In the village itself there’s miniature golf, and from Dragon’s Back, the 280m-high ridge to the west of the village, there’s both paragliding and abseiling. Walking is possible around Shek O beach, though the terrain is steep and the underbrush quite thick in spots. You can also take advantage of several bicycle-rental shops (bicycles from $15 a day), including T…
reviewed
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Lantau Island and Giant Buddha Day Trip from Hong Kong
8 hours (Departs Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
by Viator
Take a day trip to Lantau Island, Hong Kong's largest island, and discover pristine beaches, traditional fishing villages, lush valleys, soaring mountains and s…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$99.19 -
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Sha Tin Racecourse
Northeast of Sha Tin town centre is Hong Kong’s second racecourse, which opened in 1978 and can accommodate up to 80,000 punters. In general, races are held on Saturday afternoon – and sometimes on Sunday and public holidays – from September to June; a list of race meetings is available from the HKTB or the racecourse website. Bets are easily placed at one of the numerous computerised betting terminals run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The MTR Racecourse station, just west of the track, opens on race days only. Otherwise, get off at Fo Tan station and walk north along Lok King St and its extension, Lok Shun Path, for about 1.5km.
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