Asia, Hike and Nature, Hong Kong
134 hike Sai Kung: Sharp Peak-3 Peninsula-4 beaches
Mar
134 – 一尖三咀過四灣 – 1 Peak-3 Peninsula-4 Beaches is the trail name for hiking Sharp Peak, Mai Fan Tsui, Tuen Tsui, Cheung Tsui, Tung Wan, Tai Wan, Ham Tin Wan, and Sai Wan in Sai Kung Geopark together in one go.
This is known as one of the four toughest trails in Hong Kong covering 27 km and takes around 10 hours! The second one that I’ve done after the Devil’s Fist.
If you’re up for the challenge, here’s how to hike it:
Summary of 134 hike:
Time taken: 10-11 hours (27km)
Difficulty: 6/5 because this is hard!
Pros: a great challenge and a highlight to see all some beautiful views, peninsulas, and beaches in Sai Kung
Cons: very, very long, and Sharp Peak is a difficult hike in itself
Essential information before hiking the 134
To do a long hike, you must be prepared with enough previsions and essential items, and here are my recommendations:
- Water – I recommend 2.5L as half of the group finished 2L before Tai Wan. I personally brought 3L and drank about 2.5L, although it was a hot day.
- Lunch: a wrap, sandwich, whatever you prefer. We got rice balls.
- Snacks: any sweets, candies, or protein bars for a kick of energy. I ended up making my own peanut butter bites from this recipe because protein bars are so expensive.
- Sun protection: the trail is almost completely exposed, so you definitely need hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
- Headlamp: the trail takes between 10-11 hours, so you best prepare to get out late and have this handy.
- Offline GPS Map: several parts of the trail can get very confusing, so it’s important to have a map to help. I’ve been using OSMAnd since 2015 and it’s pretty handy.
The Best Time to Do the 134 Hike
Because the trail is long and exposed, it’s best to do the hike when the weather in Hong Kong is milder. This means the best months are between December and March, and it’s best to choose an overcast day but a sunny day is beautiful.
We ended up going in February when the sun doesn’t set as early as January when we did the Devil’s Fist hike when we didn’t end the hike until dark.
It’s also best to start the hike from Pak Tam Au at 8 am and aim to at least be at Ham Tin Wan by sundown.
134 hike trail start: Pak Tam Au
The trail starts for 134 hike is the same as Sharp Peak, at Pak Tam Au on MacLehose Trail Section 2. Since this is inside the Sai Kung Geopark area, you can only get there by public transport or taxi. Taxi is the fastest way, which might be the best choice simply because you’re pressed for time for this hike.
But here are the public transport options:
- Bus 94 from Sai Kung to Wong Shek Pier
- Minibus 7 from Sai Kung to Hoi Ha (although you’d need to tell the driver when to let you off)
- Bus 289R from Shatin to Wong Shek Pier (only on weekends and public holidays)
There is a public bathroom and vending machine at Pak Tam Au, and it’s the last clean bathroom before we reach Sai Wan.
Pak Tam Au to Chek Keng Village on MacLehose Trail Section 2
The start of the MacLehose Trail Section 2 to Chek Keng Village is also known as Chek Keng, which means the ‘red trail. It’s paved and relatively flat, which makes for a nice warm-up and walk.
You can catch a glimpse of Sharp Peak and we were lucky enough to see clouds hanging onto it in the morning. We also spotted Wong Shek Pier, too!
Chek Keng Village to Tai Long Au
There is another public bathroom at Chek Keng Village as well as a small cafe/shop, but since this hike is time-sensitive, there’s no time to stop to have breakfast. The bathroom here is also not as clean.
Tai Long Au is just to the left where the little hut/signpost is
Once you cross the bridge, the trail becomes much steeper and it’s the final stages of warm-up until we reach Tai Long Au. This is where MacLehose Trail Section 2 intersects with the trail that goes up to Sharp Peak.
Tai Long Au to Sharp Peak
Take the stairs up at Tai Long Au and it’s a short stint in-between the trees before we are back in the open again.
We passed through signs that warn about the danger of carrying on the hike, just keep going and take the trail to the right towards Sharp Peak at the second one.
It’s a relatively flat trail that steadily grows wider and more slippery, then we have to climb up.
If you need a break, there’s a great view of 2 of the peninsulas and 3 of the beaches to the right!
Sharp Peak 1hr45mins
The top of Sharp Peak is usually quite crowded. We spent about ten minutes there taking some photos before descending, and this mark the end of the toughest part of the hike.
Once we go down, we head towards Mai Fan Teng but veer left before the trail goes up, since this isn’t part of the 134 and we wanted to save our energy.
The trail takes us past a bend where we can see Wong Mau Chau from afar, and then it’s a clear view of the descent to Mai Fan Tsui.
The junction between Mai Fan Tsui and Tuen Tsui is marked by two laminated papers pointing to respective trail set between small rocks on the ground – which is nice to have.
It is also higher than I’d like, although this does make the descent to Mai Fan Tsui more fun and easy. It was pretty slippery at certain places and I almost slipped twice. But overall, it was an easy trek down.
Mai Fan Tsui 2hr5mins
The tip of Mai Fan Tsui is a truncated island so we stopped where the trail sort of ends. You can go around by getting down to the coastline, but we decided that this was as good a place to turn around as any.
Going back up to the junction was the second hardest part of the trail and it’s best to try and get back up before midday, otherwise, the heat can get stifling.
Once you’re back at the junction, follow the sign on an easier downhill trail that is also a bit slippery.
As we approach the junction between Tuen Tsui and Cheung Tsui, which is blessedly far lower, the trails become a bit of a maze.
Even though the map shows only one trail, there were multiple and we took a wrong turn to the right at the last branch instead of left. But we managed to make it.
The Tuen Tsui and Cheung Tsui junction is surprisingly in the wood with trees tied with various coloured-ribbons, and the same laminated white A4 signs pointing to respective directions.
Tuen Tsui 4hr30mins
Tuen Tsui stands for ‘short peninsula’ and is interesting with its shape because it’s a series of small peaks that meander to the left then slope down to its peak.
There are two points on the descent from the last highest point to the end of Tuen Tsui that are quite narrow and might be a challenge for those with a fear of height.
We took a lunch break on a cluster of big rocks in the middle of Tuen Tsui, since it’s close to but not in the way of the main trail.
We accidentally blew past the junction when we returned, but we followed the trail, into the wood.
Then we ended up going down, crossing a river, then climbing back up on the other side of the bank.
After that, it was a relatively flat trail to Cheung Tsui.
Cheung Tsui 6hr36mins
Cheung Tsui means ‘long peninsula’, and it’s wider than expected. It’s flatter than the other two peninsulas but has the highest point to the right (south) side.
There is a branch along the way that can go right or left on a loop. The right side goes to the highest point first, and the left side to the grass field under the hill first.
We ended up doing the left trail, since climbing up the slippery trail to the peak is easier than sliding down. The hill has a black and white pillar marking it as the highest point which makes for a good check-in point for Cheung Tsui.
The grass field is also great for a picnic if you haven’t eaten already, and there’s a memorial for an overseas Hong Konger nearby.
We stuck to the left when hiking out of Cheung Tsui, which conveniently lead us to the branch that goes to Tung Wan. This is probably the easiest part of the hike.
Once you see a kind of a branch with a giant boulder to the left, go towards it and it’ll take you down to Tung Wan Beach.
Tung Wan 7hr30mins
Tung Wan is the smallest and the easternmost beach of the four. The trail continues at the other end of the beach, with some red arrows spray-painted on the rocks to mark the direction.
Once you go to a small beach on the other side, go towards the cliff at the end and you’ll see the red arrows point up to the trail on the hill. This is not too difficult but is still a climb.
Then it’s the shortest hike from one point to another to Tai Wan!
Tai Wan 7hr47mins
Tai Wan is the longest beach out of the four and there are two main ways to go to Ham Tin from here.
short on the map but steep to the flat trail!
The shortest route on the map is up the hill then down at the end of the beach, but if you’re tired like us, you can go to the back of the beach which is a flat route to Ham Tin.
Ham Tin Wan 8hr06mins
This trail enters the beach through the Hoi Fung Store, which is the first refreshment point since Chek Keng Village. Since we wanted to get out by sundown, we only got a drink before moving on.
The MacLehose Trail Section 2 is a paved, concrete trail at the end of the beach and it’s what feels like a flight of stairs up. This part is still quite long so at least you don’t have to worry about tripping.
We ended up taking a small break at Sai Wan Stargazing ground which is already close to Sai Wan beach.
Sai Wan 8hrs56mins
We exited the trail onto the beach and there’s a wider than usual river. You can either jump across or go to the beach by the trail to the Four Consecutive Pools and Falls.
There’s also restaurants and cafes at Sai Wan and the MacLehose Trail Section 2 continues behind the village.
Sai Wan Pavilion 9hr47mins
The hike from Sai Wan to Sai Wan Pavilion takes around 45 minutes to an hour. It’s mostly uphill for the first half, then levels out a little. The reception at the Sai Wan Pavillion is spotty, so you might want to call out ahead for a taxi.
While there are minivans to and from Sai Wan Pavillion and Sai Kung, by then they’d have wrapped. If no taxi wants to go in, add 50 HKD extra and that’d usually do it.
