Update June 21, 2021 – I found out that on Google Maps, Upper and Lower Cheung Sha Beach are swapped. So I have now corrected the names in this post. In the video, the beaches are unfortunately still wrong.
Hong Kong is beautiful. While most tourists know the urban city centre only, there are plenty of beaches and hills to climb not far away from downtown. Here you can find my favourite beaches in the South of Lantau. In my short movie, you can see a lot of shots from the mentioned beaches.
Upper Cheung Sha Wan
The Upper Cheung Sha Beach is a beautiful, long and mostly quiet and clean beach. And at over 3 kilometres, it is one of the longest beaches in the city. Mostly covered with white sand, you will also find some large boulders.
Be aware; there are no restaurants and no shops. If you like to buy water or some drinks, you have to head over to the Lower Cheung Sha Beach. Both beaches are connected, but you have to walk through the water.
Lower Cheung Sha Wan
The lower part of Cheung Sha Beach is slightly different. On this part, you will find numerous restaurants and cafes. And you can buy some basic things in a couple of small stores. Especially on weekends while the summertime, it gets pretty crowded. But I like the vibe of the place. And in the worst case, you are just a couple of minutes away from the Upper Cheung Sha Wan.
Pui O Beach
Nearby the town Pui O, you will find a quiet beach with fine and dark sand. You will find one big restaurant (Treasure Island) directly at the beachfront. The beach is famous for Camping, as the Pui O Camp Site is directly connected to the beach.
Tai Long Wan
If you’re looking for Hong Kong‘s cleanest, quietest and least crowded sandy beaches, you’ll want to head to Tai Long Wan on the south side of Lantau Island. Less known than Pui O Wan or Cheung Sha Wan is this quite remote beach.
Please note that there is also a Tai Long Wan Beach in Sai Kung. Please do not mix up these two beaches. (But both of them are great.) Tai Long Wan, which means lit. ‘Big Wave Bay’. And this one is next bay east of Yi Long Wan, where the Sea Ranch is located. Getting there will take a bit of physical effort. You have to hike the easy and mostly flat 9km from Pui O to this beach. At the end of your day, if you are lucky, you may catch one of the ferries and ride a traditional Hong Kong sampan to Cheung Chau Island.
How to go to these areas
From Central: Catch the ferry to Mui Wo from Pier 6 at Central Ferry Pier. Once you arrive at Mui Wo, take either bus numbers 1 or 2. I propose that you keep your map open on your phone. Once you are close to Pui O or Cheung Sha, please leave the bus at the next stop. Taxis are also available at the Mui Wo Ferry Pier. However, you might need to wait quite a long time, especially on weekends. I propose to take the bus.
From Tung Chung: To get to Cheung Sha Beach from Tung Chung, take bus number 11 from the Tung Chung Town Centre to Cheung Sha Ha Tsuen. To Pui O, you may take the bus 3M.
Or, you simply can hike from the Mui Wo ferry station to Pui O:
