Hardcore Coasteering Day Out at Sai Kung, Hong Kong

For those who don’t know about coasteering, it is an adventurous sport allowing one to explore many of the hidden areas of the coastlines that are otherwise difficult to access to. It’s one of the full body workouts that generally involves hiking, scrambling, bouldering and swimming.

This summer, it’s time for me to do an annual trip to Po Pin Chau area of Sai Kung, Hong Kong to pay homage to one of the best natural scenery in one of the UNESCO Global Geoparks that is located here in Hong Kong. It is an area full of volcanic geography and especially famous for the hexagonal columns of volcanic rocks.

Yes, the pictures you see are actually taken in Hong Kong. This is the REAL Hong Kong!

Our Approach to the Mok Min Cave

We got dropped off by the taxi near Pak Lap Beach, from which we hiked up to the top of the Mok Min Cave. It was a beautiful short hike and we were able to see the awesome scenery.

First off a short hike up to the top of the Mok Min Cave in the in the intense heat

The water was so clear, you can even see the rocks at the bottom of the sea from the top of the hill.

Picture taken from the top of Mok Mon Cave. Check out the hexagonal volcanic column at the side of that outcrop!

 

Cooling off at the sea

Once we scrambled down the rock face on the outside of the cave, we started out coasteering section of our trip. It was always exciting to take on challenges head on. We entered the cave and had a swim. What a nice relief from the searing heat!

We had some play around in the sea before heading off for our swim to the other side of the bay.

Mok Mon Cave is a sea cave where there is an entrance on both sides.

Mok Min Cave from at the sea level!

Our swim from Mok Min Cave to the other side of the bay. Check out those sea urchins on the rocks. Could have got some of those yummy things for our sashimi lunch!

This was one of our open water swims. Carrying a rucksack while you swim is much harder than you think, especially with the drag that it creates.

 

Leaving Mok Min Cave

After we left Mok Min Cave, we walked along the coast for a bit. But since it was low tide that day, people felt that it would be interesting to swim along the coast to explore some of the geography.

In fact, we did way more swimming than what we did last year. This is the beauty of coasteering. Every time you revisit the same places, you can end up doing completely different things seeing different things depending on the tide and the weather conditions.

We were walking along the coast, but the water looked very inviting.

So we end up jumping into the sea. Hell yeah!

After doing a lot swimming, I was certainly getting worn out. I had to break through the physical pain barrier to get to the other side of the bay.

More mid-swim action shots with my GoPro Camera

 

Getting to Po Pin Chau – The End Was In Sight

Despite getting tired and worn out, it was a beautiful sight to see Po Pin Chau. This rocky island is one of the most famous sights in the area. Personally, I think swimming in the channel is the best things to do, especially seeing the sea urchins chilling out on the rocks on both side of the channel.

This is one of the most the most famous outcrop in the area

Swimming in the channel and chillexing at the same time.

 

Afterthoughts

Certainly, this is not a hike for a beginner and of course not without risk. But if you are experienced, I would highly recommend you to do this and explore the part of Hong Kong that not many people can see. We were so privileged to be there and explore what this lovely countryside had to offer.

 

Trip Details:

• How to get there: From Sai Kung Town Centre, take a taxi and ask the driver to drop you at Pak Lap Village. You will not be able to get there with your own car as only taxi and cars with special permits are able to access the road. You will be turn back by the people at the gatehouse if you try.

• Distance: About 3-4 km max, but the fact that you will be swimming and exploring the caves means that it is likely for people to take 4-6 hours to complete.

• Words of warning: Coasteering is not a risk-free activity. You need to be wary of the tide and the current. This is especially true when you are near the rocks.

 

Have you done a coasteering trio before in Hong Kong or elsewhere? What was your experience? Or are you tempted to try out coasteering? Let us know your thought in the comment section!