Plover Cove Country Park: discovering heritage and harmony with nature

For a day escaping the hustle and bustle of the city, Plover Cove Country Park has it all — from traditional walled villages to amazing coastal scenery, “fung shui” woods and the stunning geological features of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark.

Your day starts in the village of Wu Kau Tang, dating back some 400 years, where you can see traditional Hakka houses with their tiled roofs and groves of bamboo — a material that was put to good use by the local community in the past and is still used extensively today in scaffolding.

Heading eastwards you pass through verdant valleys and join the cobbled Miu Sam Ancient Path that takes you towards the coast. At Sam A Wan there’s a chance to refuel and take in the serene views over Double Haven harbour — and perhaps catch a glimpse of crabs scurrying through the mangroves.

From Sam A Wan pier you take the path to Lai Chi Wo, which is home not only to one of the best-preserved Hakka villages in Hong Kong, but also to an abundance of wildlife. An estimated 163 plant species and 112 freshwater insect species, along with a huge variety of birds, butterflies and reptiles, inhabit the area including the endangered Yellow-Breasted Bunting songbird and the rare White Dragontail butterfly. Lai Chi Wo is also the place to find Hong Kong’s largest mangrove trees and one of the most impressive mangrove forests in the territory.

A look around the almost-deserted village brings its own rewards, with restorations of the Hip Tin Temple, Hok Shan Monastery and village walls helping to bring back some of its character and vitality. And don’t miss two of the village’s natural highlights — the famous ‘five finger’ camphor tree, which was saved by defiant villagers during the wartime occupation, and the century-old hollow maple tree.