HK HIKES: MACLEHOSE TRAIL 2
I can't believe it's taken us a full year to return to do MacLehose Trail 2, but better late than ever, I guess!
Trail 2 takes you from Long Ke to Pak Tam Au. The online guides collectively state that the second phase of this world-renowned trail will take about 5 hours to complete, but we managed it in 4 hours.
I'll be honest. Getting to the start of the trail was a b*tch and took up a lot of time (And $$! Specifically, HK$200), but the hike is worth it.
We took the MTR to Choi Hung and then took a taxi (wrong move unless you have deep pockets) to the start of MacLehose Trail 2. You can also take a minibus from the MTR station, which will require a change to another minibus midway. I would take this option over taking a taxi because they take approximately the same time - we just weren't aware the cab ride in would be so. freaking. long.
Thankfully, the view more than made up for it. The taxi dropped us at the tail end of MacLehose Trail 1 and you'll have to do a relatively flat walk before you hit the start of Trail 2.
This sight greeted us right at the start of Long Ke, which is famous for its rhyolite volcanic rock formations.
Trail 2 begins here and will take you through the Sai Kung East Country Park! It's pretty clearly marked with distance indicators all along the way, so you won't ever have to worry about getting lost.
This was the paved flat terrain just before we had to begin the ascent up a pretty steep trail. Cue smiles from the husband who knew not what lay ahead of him.
The sea is never far from view and green coastal hills are all around. It's extremely calming to trek to such amazing sights, a wonderful reminder that even though we live in a bustling metropolis, there is a whole other side to Hong Kong for us to discover and enjoy. Only one of the many reasons why I love this city so damn much.
You'll get really sweaty once you start on the ascent. Part of it is paved with steps and part of it is rocky. Nothing's too undoable though, and even the rocky trails have plenty of stable surfaces your legs will be thankful for. I rolled my ankle about 10 days ago and there weren't too many loose rocks that would have aggravated it - plus point!
After quite a bit of an uphill trek, we got to Tai Long Wan promenade, which has sprawling views of the calming coastline and its many islets. This is probably about a third of the way into the hike, and retrospectively, we both felt that the most challenging portion of MacLehose 2 was behind us by this point. I love hikes like these where we get rewarded with an spanking view after finishing the hardest part of the trek, which is aptly conquered right at the start of the hike when we've got the most amount of energy to expand.
This view is probably my favorite part of the hike. Don't those little bays look like they form the shape of a shark?
Through the course of the hike, you'll pass four beaches and you can choose to stop over for a bowl of 豆腐花 (silky beancurd), which is probably the most Hong Kong form of post-hike (or intra-hike) nourishment. Sai Wan beach has a little village where we saw many hikers stop for a break. We got a bottle of water there and decided to just continue on our way.
You'll have an option of taking the paved route by the beach to continue on the trail, or if you're suckers for punishment (or rule followers) like us, then you can take the forest path, which is the official MacLehose 2 trail.
(I don't have pictures of the forest trail as the view was quite uninspiring and uniform, but there were multiple mini ascents and descents during these last 2 hours of the trail.)
Chek Keng reservoir is pretty much the last point on MacLehose 2 where you can stop for a change of scenery. Behind it is a pretty abandoned village, where we counted probably just 2 or 3 houses that still looked inhabited. The rest were just decrepit structures and old village homes that were boarded up.
Chek Keng reservoir gifts you with wonderful 360 views of nothing but blue waters and hills. A great respite from the monotony of the forest trail.
From here, there's just a tiny bit of the forest trail left before you get to Pak Tam Au, the end point! You'll meet with a slight uphill climb through forested terrain just before you hit the finish mark - one final little push before the sweet, sweet victory of another completed hike!
We missed the bus to Sai Kung and were too tired to wait for the next one (they don't run very regularly). We wound up taking a taxi to Sai Kung village, which cost about HK$80 - way cheaper than what we paid on the way in. That's what happens when you do a spin class before a 4-hour hike.
Sai Kung village has tons of refueling options hungry hikers will love, so it's a great way to end off a sweaty hike. There are plenty of buses and mini buses at the bus terminal there to multiple destinations, so it's not difficult to find a good transport option. We took an express bus to Choi Hung and then caught the MTR back to Admiralty from there.
So that's MacLehose 1 and 2 all wrapped up for the Lims. Can't wait to take on sections 3 and 4 of this amazing trail, and we better not wait another year for this to happen!
Cliff notes:
MacLehose Trail 2
Difficulty: 6.5/10
Distance: 13.5 kilometers (8.4 miles)
Duration: 4 hours
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