Sai Kung, up close

Sai Kung town sits at the gateway to a peninsula that holds some of Hong Kong's best hiking and its least developed coastline — a genuinely different pace from the urban core, despite being under an hour away.

The waterfront

Sai Kung's promenade is lined with seafood restaurants, many with live tanks out front where you choose your own fish or shellfish before it's cooked.

Getting out onto the water

Small sampan boats and speedboat operators run informal trips from the pier out to the surrounding islands and beaches — useful for reaching spots the road network doesn't.

High Island Reservoir and the hexagonal columns

Further into the peninsula, exposed volcanic rock columns at the reservoir's edge are one of Hong Kong's more surprising geological sights, reachable by a moderate hike or as part of a longer MacLehose Trail section.