Lying just west of Hong Kong Island, Lamma Island (南丫島) has a reputation as a hippie haven. This image is perhaps outdated, but Lamma does offer a great contrast to the city, and its six thousand or so residents include a fair proportion who have come in search of an alternative lifestyle: maybe focusing on arts and crafts, or wanting to live somewhere rural whllst commuting to a city office.

Over 80 percent of Lamma folk inhabit the north of the island, especially in and around the largest village, Yung Shue Wan. With no cars or trucks on the island (apart from in the giant power station complex, that is!), this is a pleasant place to wander around - even the "Main Street" is just a footpath, leading from the ferry pier and past waterfront shops and restaurants.

Though the south of the island offers Lamma's best hiking, there is a pleasant, easy walk from Yung Shue Wan in the northwest, south to the village of Sok Kwu Wan on the central east coast. As there are ferries serving both places, you can readily catch a ferry to one of these villages, walk to the other, then return to the city. Here are some photos and notes from places en route (YSW to SKW).