City: Southern District
Top Things to do in Southern District
Top Restaurants in Hong Kong
Countries
What to do and see in Southern District, China: The Best Bodies of Water
Delectable dim sum, floating islands, and a one-of-a-kind skyline are just some of Hong Kong’s unique features. Get an eyeful of traditional Chinese architecture in Ngong Ping village, then take the tram to the tippity-top of Victoria Peak for unparalleled views. The rocks and gentle hills of Nan Lian Garden will bring you inner peace, as will a calming cup of tea in a Stanley café. Become one with everything at the Chi Lin Nunnery, a serene Buddhist complex.
Restaurants in Hong Kong
1. Crab Cave (Cape D'aguilar)
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By TheOExpress - Hong Kong, China
...which rewards with spectacular crashing of waves and great climbing opportunities, seemingly all to find the perfect photo...so you may have to wait your turn to capture the image you came for. As a spectacle aside from taking pics, it’s a great spot to just watch the sea, either through the gap or from above.
2. Tai Tam Country Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
The Tai Tam Country Park is a wonderfully scenic area with green peaks and deep valleys studded with reservoirs, dams and natural waterways. It covers about a fifth of Hong Kong Island. Entry to the park is free and you can join any one of several hiking trails - Stage 1 of the Wilson Trail, Jardine’s Lookout, the Tai Tam Family Trail, parts of the Hong Kong Trail and a unique Waterworks Heritage Trail. Some overlap and criss-cross each other but for the most part, they are well sign-posted. The hikes are easy to access and offer different degrees of difficulty, from relatively easy to very steep and difficult. All of the trails have a range of terrain. Mostly you will be on dirt bushland tracks but at other times, you’ll walk along a stretch of road or on paved paths that follow the water catchments and at other times, you will climb up or down stairs. The dirt tracks can be uneven and rough in places, with gnarly tree roots but they are cleared trails and there is no bush-bashing or scrambling involved. For a challenging hike, the Wilson Trail heads relentlessly up Violet Hill and the Twin Peaks, then down to the south side of the island, ending at Stanley Gap Rd. For easier walks, the Family and Heritage Trails are both suitable for families and you don't have to be a seasoned hiker. They still provide variation with stunning views and lots of points of interest. These trails are well marked with regular, clear signs and maps. The Family Trail has information panels on flora and vegetation. Recently it has had clusters of the very pretty Ericaceae, a pink, bell-shaped flower that blossoms around Chinese New Year. The Heritage Trail focuses on the history of the area and follows a path leading past 22 Declared Monuments. Detailed information boards describe the history of the 19th century reservoirs and dam walls, as well as the aqueducts, stone bridges and various other structures that you see along the way. Intriguingly, a sunken Hakka village lies beneath the dam waters, submerged over 100 years ago. WHAT TO TAKE: Water, sunscreen and a hat are essentials - you can'y buy anything inside the park. Decent shoes or runners are recommended because you’ll wan't steady footing and you’re walking some of the way on red dirt. There are a few toilet blocks and some picnic and BBQ areas but you’ll need to bring all food and drink in with you. GETTING THERE: You can join many of the trails from outside the Parkview residential block. From Central, a taxi will cost about $75HKD and will take about 15 min. Or you can take the #6 Stanley Market bus (don't get the 6X bus which also goes to Stanley via another route). Get off on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road beside a petrol station (just past the tennis courts and cricket club), where you’ll see a set of stairs that lead up to Tai Tam Reservoir Rd. It is a 10 -15 minute walk up this steep road to Parkview where you can easily join the various trails.
3. Cape D'Aguilar Marine Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
This is a very beautiful marine reserve with craggy rock formations, sweeping coastal views and features, including unusual caves, the ‘Miss Willy’ whale skeleton, WWII military batteries and Hong Kong’s oldest lighthouse (see separate reviews). However, it is also an isolated spot and well off the beaten track. If you only have a few days in Hong Kong, then you will be too busy with other sights and this is too remote and too out of the way to include in an itinerary. Entry is free but to get there, you need to walk in. The bus will drop you off at the large roundabout which is where your walk starts. It is one of the easiest coastal trails and is a roughly 5 km gentle, downhill walk along Cape D'Aguilar Rd (the bad news is that you will have to walk back up again unless you are lucky enough to snag a taxi that has dropped someone else off). It’s not terribly well sign-posted. You can generally follow other hikers but basically stick to the road until you get to the radio transmitters. At this point, you take the dirt path on your left and circle around behind the station where you can pick up the road again to head downhill. Towards the end of your walk, the road splits but there is a large, blue sign at this point directing you down to the reserve. Make sure to take sunscreen, hats, water and food. The walk is quite exposed and if you go on a weekday, there are no opportunities to buy anything. You’ll also need good shoes because once you get to the reserve the rocks can be sharp and around the caves and water, it is quite slippery. The only public toilets that we saw were two porta-loos about 5 min into the walk. Be aware, that despite the beautiful waters and the hot walk to get here, you can’t jump in for a swim because it's a marine reserve. Instead, we took a taxi later in the day to Shek O beach for lunch and a cooling swim ($46HKD). GETTING THERE: It’s a long-ish but very straightforward trip from Central. A taxi or uber will take cut your travel time in half and can also save you some walking because it can take you part of the way down Cape D'Aguilar Rd. You should pay under $200HKD. We found public transport easy although it took about an hour. We caught the MTR to Shau Kei Wan. Exit A3 brought us right up at the bus bay and the #9 bus went right to the start of the walk. The only tricky part is to double-check that your bus stops at Cape D’Aguilar. Not all do. Some #9 buses go straight through to Shek O so don't get on unless the sign specifically says “via Cape D’Aguilar”.
4. Deep Water Bay
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 69 reviews
Reviewed By STELLA08Auckland - Auckland Central, New Zealand
We came here because Repulse Bay was too busy and spent a lovely afternoon. It had a good changing room/toilet block right on the beach. Couldn't believe how many lifeguards for such a little, sheltered bay. On the day we went, there were only about 4 other people swimming so that was very appealing. Went upstairs above the changing rooms to get a drink at the cafe - not sure what the food options are, but a nice cold beer was just the thing on such a hot day.
