There's a pleasant stroll from Chi Ma Wan (芝麻灣) pier to Pui O (貝澳).
There’s a pleasant stroll from Chi Ma Wan (芝麻灣) pier to Pui O (貝澳).
There’s a pleasant stroll from Chi Ma Wan (芝麻灣) pier (most easily reached by inter-island ferry connecting Cheung Chau, Mui Wo and Peng Chau; also by path from Mui Wo), southeast Lantau, to Pui O (貝澳).
You start by walking past the prison at Chi Ma Wan, uphill, and then right, along narrow Chi Ma Wan Road (usually quiet). There are trees by the path, a few houses alongside, and the path curls round to the left, to a broad valley opening to the sea. Here, a tidal creek meanders through long abandoned fields with scrub and damp patches – where feral water buffalo roam.
On from here, the road climbs – fairly steep, but not high. On the left is a turn to the Chi Ma Wan Country Trail, also a mountain biking trail. Soon, on the right, there’s a rough footpath on the right – and a short way along this a surprise (today, in Oct 2005): a brand new pavilion, just built here for some reason – with trees hiding most of the view, and hills only just visible, in a place surely few people visit.
From here, the road dips steeply down, towards Pui O.
The road passes small farmhouses, Spanish villas in pleasant grounds, then runs alongside a beach. Here, at low tide today, there were ghost crabs scuttling about – bodies raised high on legs designed for scooting around in search of small food particles, and dash into burrows in case of danger.
Then, the road curves towards Pui O. It passes a tidal creek, with mangrove creatures such as mudskippers and fiddler crabs. Little egrets may chase after fish and crabs in the shallows, and there’s a chance to see other birds including sandpipers and kingfishers.
The road crosses the creek: head straight on, and you come to a junction where you can turn left to the beach (see article elsewhere on this site, on Pui O). Or, take the old stone footbridge beside this, and you can walk the concrete path through the damp fields where there are more water buffalo, to the main road with bus stops (Mui Wo lies to the right).
