Hong Kong Photo Gallery
Lamma Island (Yung Shu Wan - Sok Kwu Wan)

No trip to Hong Kong is complete unless you also visit at least one of the outlying islands. A short ferry trip away from Central, Lamma is a popular expat haven and is an entirely different world away from the city. With a population of about 6000, Lamma gets flooded with tourists on holidays who walk the easy path between the 2 main villages. The typical tourist itinerary is to arrive in Yung Shu Wan on the northwestern part of the island. The town here is much bigger and has many restaurants and cafes.
While most tourists would head straight into town to start the hike, an off-the-beaten track detour is to turn left at the pier and go behind the bicycle parking lot to see a small fishing boat mooring area. The path leads through the basic shacks and onto a small beach facing the sea.
Back at the pier, there is only 1 main street leading into town. Other than emergency vehicles, this island is car-free.
At a junction in town, signs highlight the start of the journey to the beach and onwards to Sok Kwu Wan on the other side of the island.
Hung Shing Yeh beach is popular for residents and tourists as they have on-site shower and changing facilities. The backdrop is a bit odd with the power plant's 3 chimneys in the background. The facility was built here in the early 1980s as land was more precious in the city.
From the beach, it is a climb through the hills with a few small informal kiosks selling supplies along the way.
It takes about an hour to walk the length of the trail to Sok Kwu Wan, a much smaller village of 500.
Just before entering the village, you will pass by the kamikaze caves, which were dug by Japanese troops to store boats stuffed with explosives.
Sok Kwu Wan is a more traditional fishing village specializing in seafood restaurants. The hordes of tourists would line up here for the ferry back to Central. What they are not aware of are the kai to, smaller boats, that make more frequent trips to Aberdeen. Perhaps this is not in the tourist literature but the schedule is posted on an adjacent pier. If you dine in some of the seafood restaurants along Sok Kwu Wan's main street, they might even offer a free boat transfer back to the city.