Hiking Hong Kong Discovery Bay to Trappist Monastery Loop

This is one of my favorite hikes in Discovery Bay as it is rather short (less than 2 hours) and it has great views on a clear day. Half of the hiking trail is covered by trees and it is a 50/50 sand/concrete trail. Starting from the ferry pier and returning to the ferry pier is perfect for anyone coming over for a hike either before lunch or before dinner. With the current promotion (still valid as of 13th October 2009) in Discovery Bay you can eat a meal at the designated restaurants (my favorite is Zaks) and get a free ferry ride home (for every HK$100 that you spend - though it must be used on that day).

This hiking trail gets 4 stars for enjoyment as the views of Discovery Bay and Hong Kong Island are exceptional on a clear day. It also passes through the Trappist Monastery and several small villages along the way. Difficulty ranks in at 3 stars as there is a short steep incline at the beginning which is quite draining.

View Discovery Bay Loop via Trappist Monastery Hiking Trail in a larger map

The best starting point for this hike is right from the Plaza at Discovery Bay ferry pier or if you arrive on the bus from Tung Chung (DB01R) or the Airport (DB02R) or Sunny Bay (DB03R). Here is a link to the current timetable for the Central to Discovery Bay ferry.

Proceed from the ferry pier along the water front to the left, up the gentle slope past the busses and cross the road taking the first left into La Vista.

Head straight up the stairs in front of you. At the top of the stairs take a right and head up the road towards the building at the top.

There is a lovely garden/water feature at the top of this hill that is great for relaxation and offers some exceptional views.

Take some time out to have a wander around before heading on if you wish.

Once at the top of the water feature/park area head directly towards the mountain. The hiking path starts right behind the building at the end of La Vista.

You should see a small staircase leading up the hill (about 15 stairs) which then continues up a drain way (covered).

Keep to the right (the left is a short cut but way too steep) and follow to the top. Take a left at the end and continue up the next drain way.

Be careful if it is wet or humid as these grates can get rather slippery when wet or damp.

The beginning of this trail to Trappist Monastery is very steep so take your time if you find it difficult. There are five lengths which zig zag up the hill until you reach a tree at the top. Take a look around as you climb this hill as there are many pleasant views between the trees. After this section the trail remain relatively flat and for the most part downhill.

When you reach the top head straight ahead. The trail is a little un established here but for the most part try to keep to the trail along the left wherever there is one. Up ahead a new path (road?) has been created. When you can move onto the small single trail that follows the road on the left. It later moves away from the road and you want to be sure that you are on it to keep to the track.

Go left here! There are some great views here if you are lucky enough to be hiking on a clearer day.

Follow this trail until you reach this sign and head towards the Trappist Monastery.

This trail is quite pleasant. There is only one way so follow it while enjoying the views. Generally speaking the right hand turns along the mountain are dry and slippery while the left handers are wet, undercover and slippery. Be careful in dry or wet or even humid situations.

As the sign suggests "Beware of flying golf balls for next 100M". This path is directly alongside the golf course (somewhat set down from it) and as a result you may get bonked on the head by one of these white balls (no doubt it has happened before and hence the existence of the sign. Luckily it has not happened to me yet. For that matter I have never seen a golf ball down here so I think the chances of that happening are in fact quite rare.

The end of this path leads down a steep slope. If you are riding a bike (not legal through the Monastery) be very careful down here not to go to fast (in fact I recommend to go really slow) as the is a river at the end of it. Follow the sign to the Trappist Monastery and take a hard left and proceed down the slope.

This trail is very rocky and hence very slippery when wet. Be cautious when walking down here. On occasion I have seen several bee hives in the trees along here so if you hear any buzzing sounds try to spot the bee hive and move on quickly without creating a disturbance.

This will be your first sighting of the Trappist Monastery to the right of the trail. As you reach the bottom keep an eye out for any spiders lurking in the trees above. This appears to be a common area for Giant Golden Orb Weavers which I am glad to report are harmless however they do have large fangs which can pierce through your skin and hurt as much as a bee sting. Also you really don't want to run into one as the females are very large (often the size of your hand) and their webs are very thick, almost like fishing wire (you can actually hear them tear if you happen to walk through them) and generally yellow in color. Here is a sample for you so you can spot them.

At the end of the trail take a hard left and walk down the concrete slope. If you are interested in the Monastery take some time out and have a look around.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipeadia:

The Trappist Haven Monastery (Traditional Chinese:熙篤會神樂院 or 聖母神樂院) is a monastery at Tai Shui Hang (Chinese: 大水坑), on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It is home to a number of Roman Catholic monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, or Trappists. It adopted its new, official name Our Lady of Joy Abbey on January 15, 2000.

Located on a scenic hiking trail leading from Discovery Bay via Nim Shue Wan (TC:稔樹灣) to Mui Wo, it provides a resting point halfway through the hike.

The monastery is famous for producing the Trappist milk (known as Cross Milk 十字牌牛奶 or Priest Milk 神父牌牛奶 by Hong Kongers). The factory, however, is now located at Castle Peak, Yuen Long; and the cow farm is said to have been moved to mainland China.

Around the monastery some of the last free roaming feral cattle in Hong Kong can be seen, being the descendants of the cattle released after the closure of the dairy farm.

The monastery can be accessed by kai-to ferry from Peng Chau.

Continue down the steep hill until you reach a small path leading off to the left that heads towards Nim Shue Wan and Discovery Bay. There is a sign hidden in the trees that can sometimes be easy to miss.

Follow this path through a small village. There are often several dogs around here but for the most part they are relatively calm. The ones that are not are most likely behind gates or tied up. Don't get a shock I one comes running towards you barking mad and then gets strangled by his own rope - it has happened to me several times along here. I have also encountered local children throwing rocks so be weary of that too.

Continue along this path and through Nim Shue Wan, which is a small village just off of Discovery Bay. As you can see from the above shot, the beaches along here are pristine... NOT!

DB Green do a great job at trying to clean up these areas on occasion which help for a short period of time, however rubbish quickly accumulates once again.

Continue along the path, often passing through what seems like people's living rooms. You may think you are headed the wrong way at times. If you do ask for directions to Discovery Bay and no doubt you will find people happy to help as a lot of helpers and Discovery Bay cleaners live in this area.

At the end of this path after having passed the pier, you will enter through a gate to Discovery Bay. Keep left and turn left again onto Discovery Bay road. Follow the road up a slight incline until you reach the road that turns right back to the bus terminus or the ferry pier.

There is a great Flower place right at the end of Nim Shue Wan called Wing Fung Garden. Drop by and take a look at the many reasonably prices flowers and plants.

There are lots of great restaurants now in Discovery Bay so if you feel a little peckish after this hike do dine at a restaurant and pick up the free promotional ticket (selected restaurants only)at the ferry pier (keep your receipt) to enjoy your free ferry ride home.