There is a version of Hong Kong that almost everyone expects.
A city of soaring towers, crowded pavements, flashing neon and relentless energy. A place where every square metre seems to have been claimed by another apartment block, office tower or shopping mall. Efficient, exciting and endlessly busy.
Then you board a ferry in Central.
Less than forty minutes later you step ashore on an island where there are no private cars, where narrow paths replace roads, where fishing boats rock gently in sheltered bays and where the soundtrack is birdsong, conversation and the sea.
Lamma Island feels less like leaving Hong Kong than discovering a version of it that somehow escaped the rush towards modernity.
For us, it became one of the most surprising days of our stay. If you’re planning to explore the territory on foot, our guide to Walking in Hong Kong brings together the best hikes and easier walks across Hong Kong’s islands, coastlines and mountains.
A different pace of life
The ferry crossing is part of the experience. As Hong Kong Island slips behind you, the skyline gradually gives way to wooded hills, rocky headlands and scattered islands. It is a reminder that Hong Kong is not simply a city but an archipelago, where dramatically different landscapes lie only a short journey apart.
Arriving at Yung Shue Wan, you immediately sense that life follows a different rhythm. The waterfront is lined with cafés and seafood restaurants sheltered beneath colourful tarpaulins that flutter gently in the breeze. Every few metres another smiling restaurateur invites you in for lunch. It all looks wonderfully tempting, but we had only just arrived and the walk across the island beckoned.
The village has an easy, almost bohemian atmosphere. Cyclists drift past. Residents pause to chat outside small shops. Visitors wander without obvious purpose. Nobody appears to be in a hurry.
Walking across the island
The path leaving Yung Shue Wan is pleasantly understated.
There are signs, but not so many that the walk feels over-managed. Occasionally we paused at a junction to decide which way looked right, but there was never any real concern about becoming lost. The island encourages exploration rather than rigid route-following.
Although the route is fully paved, it is not entirely effortless. Some of the climbs over the low hills are surprisingly steep and soon remind you that this is more than a gentle stroll. Fortunately, every ascent reveals another magnificent view.
The South China Sea stretches away in every direction, dotted with islands that seem almost close enough to touch. Fishing boats leave faint white trails across the water while ferries thread their way between the islands towards Hong Kong. It is difficult to believe that one of the world’s most densely populated cities lies only a short ferry ride away.
The Hong Kong you weren’t expecting
What struck us most was not simply the scenery. It was the silence.
Back in Central, the city constantly demands your attention. Traffic lights beep. Construction echoes between tower blocks. Crowds surge through shopping streets. Even moments of calm seem temporary.
Here, walking sets the pace. Without private cars, conversations spill naturally onto the paths. Children wander safely ahead of their parents. Cyclists ring their bells politely before passing. The journey feels slower, simpler and somehow more human.
Lamma offers a glimpse of another Hong Kong — one built around villages rather than skyscrapers, ferries rather than flyovers, and footpaths rather than motorways. That contrast is precisely what makes the island so memorable.
But change is beginning to arrive
Lamma is not a museum preserved in time. As we walked, small motorised utility vehicles occasionally passed us, carrying building materials to construction projects elsewhere on the island. They were practical rather than intrusive, but they hinted at a wider question facing Lamma today.
How do you accommodate new homes, improved infrastructure and the expectations of modern life without losing the qualities that make the island so distinctive? The island still feels wonderfully separate from urban Hong Kong, yet there are subtle reminders that development continues here too.
Perhaps that tension is inevitable. Places that remain attractive are rarely allowed to stand still forever.
A beach worth lingering at
As the path descended towards the southern side of the island, another surprise awaited us. A beautiful sandy beach appeared below, its clear water inviting enough to make us seriously consider abandoning the walk for an afternoon swim.
Sadly, we had come unprepared. Swimming costumes had been left behind in Hong Kong, so we settled instead for a few quiet minutes watching families enjoying the water before continuing towards Sok Kwu Wan.
If you are planning this walk yourself, pack your swimming gear. You may well find yourself making a different decision.
Sok Kwu Wan
Where Yung Shue Wan feels relaxed and slightly bohemian, Sok Kwu Wan has the atmosphere of a traditional fishing village that has gradually welcomed visitors without entirely changing its identity.
Fishing boats crowd the harbour while seafood restaurants line the waterfront, displaying live fish and shellfish in tanks beside their entrances. For us, it was the more interesting of the two villages.
It felt like somewhere to wander slowly rather than simply pass through — browsing small shops, watching life unfold around the harbour and eventually settling down for a leisurely seafood lunch before catching the ferry back to Central. If your schedule allows, don’t rush away.
The village deserves an hour or two of unhurried exploration.
One unavoidable interruption
For much of the walk the views are magnificent.
Blue water.
Green hills.
Scattered islands disappearing into the haze.
Then, unexpectedly, the skyline of Lamma Power Station enters the panorama.
Its industrial buildings are hardly beautiful and they interrupt an otherwise idyllic coastal landscape. Yet perhaps they also serve as a reminder that even here, on Hong Kong’s quietest island, modern life is never entirely absent. The city always remains just over the horizon.
Planning your visit
One of Lamma’s greatest strengths is that it doesn’t demand an entire day.
An easy mid-morning ferry from Central allows plenty of time to enjoy the walk at a relaxed pace, explore Sok Kwu Wan, linger over lunch and still return to Hong Kong during the afternoon. That makes it an ideal excursion for visitors with limited time.
The route is suitable for most reasonably active walkers and is particularly good for families. Children can enjoy the freedom of traffic-free paths, while adults are rewarded with scenery that constantly reminds them they are seeing a side of Hong Kong that many visitors never discover.
Planning this walk
• Ferry from Central to Yung Shue Wan.
• Walk across the island to Sok Kwu Wan.
• Around 3–4 hours walking, or 5–6 hours including ferry crossings, lunch and stops.
• Suitable for families and reasonably fit walkers.
• Bring water, sun protection and swimming gear if visiting during the warmer months.
Continue exploring Hong Kong on foot
If Lamma Island has revealed Hong Kong’s quieter side, there are plenty of other walks that show the territory from completely different perspectives.
- Best Walking Trails in Hong Kong – Our comprehensive guide to the territory’s best walks and hikes, from gentle coastal paths to challenging mountain trails. Whether you’re looking for family-friendly outings or serious hill walks, it’s the best place to start.
- Above Kowloon: The Long Climb From Sha Tin – Discover the climb that gave rise to Hong Kong’s famous Lion Rock spirit and enjoy one of the city’s most rewarding panoramas.
- Dragon’s Back – Often regarded as Hong Kong’s classic introductory hike, with spectacular ridge-top views over the South China Sea.
- Victoria Peak and the Morning Trail – Leave the crowds behind and experience one of Hong Kong’s most famous viewpoints at walking pace.
- Tai O and Lantau Island – Fishing villages, stilt houses and another fascinating glimpse into traditional Hong Kong life.
Further information
If you’re planning this walk, these official resources are worth consulting before you travel.
- Hong Kong Tourism Board – Lamma Island
- Hong Kong Transport Department – Ferry routes and current timetables
Final thoughts
When our ferry pulled away from Sok Kwu Wan, Hong Kong’s skyline gradually reappeared on the horizon.
The towers had not changed.
But our understanding of the city had.
Lamma Island had shown us that Hong Kong is far more than a place of skyscrapers and commerce. It is also fishing villages, wooded hills, beaches, sea breezes and communities where walking remains the natural way to move from one place to another.
That quieter Hong Kong may not remain unchanged forever. Development is slowly reaching even places like Lamma, and with it come difficult questions about how much modernisation an island can absorb before it begins to lose the very character that attracts people in the first place.
For now, though, Lamma remains one of Hong Kong’s most rewarding escapes. It isn’t simply a pleasant walk.
It is a chance to discover another side of one of the world’s greatest cities—and perhaps to leave with a rather different idea of what Hong Kong really is.
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