Hiking Hong Kong Discovery Bay to Mui Wo Route 1

I think this has to be one of the most well known hikes to residents of Discovery Bay as it is family friendly and not that difficult. The highest point of the hike is 240 meters which offers fantastic views of Mui Wo, Sunset Peak and if you are lucky on a clear day you will see most of Hong Kong.

This hiking trail scores 3 stars for enjoyment due to the fact that it is 100% paved. If it were not, it may score 4 stars. Difficulty scores 3 stars as the long continuous slope can be quite challenging.

The 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). As you exit the ferry terminal take a left, heading towards the main road and then take another left onto the main road.

Continue along the main road until you reach a dip in the road. Cross the road and turn right into the street which leads to the water. Look out for a opening in the fence to your immediate right which leads to Nim Shue Wan.

Continue to follow the path which heads down to the beach and towards Nim Shue Wan.

Be weary of dogs around this area. Most that are roaming free are usually harmless, although I have noticed on occasion that some owners leave their gates open, allowing their (aggressive) dogs to roam free.

There is also a banana farm just past Nim Shue Wan where you may also find some dogs roaming around. Should you be riding your bike to Mui Wo (yes it is possible), also be weary through this area as I have had the local children here throw large rocks at me when riding by.

As you head into Nim Shue Wan, you may feel as if you are headed the wrong way as the path seems to wind through some peoples houses. As you reach the end of the beach follow the path around towards the right. Tak a left and right, straight past someone's front door and what looks like a patio.

Up ahead at the fork in the path, veer towards the left. Keep left again up ahead.

Continue along the path and head up the slope. There is another trail up here that leads off to the left, however be sure to keep to the right, continuing up the slope.

Towards the end of this path you will come to a set of stairs. Continue up the stairs and over the hill past a small farming area on your left. Continue on past the banana plantaion ahead.

The following village is called Cheung Sha Lan, where you appear to walk right through some flats, with the patio out front and the doors, usually open, to your right. Often people are inside watching TV or eating their lunch. Continue on, they are used to people passing by.

Continue up the stairs at the end of the beach and get mentally prepared for a long slow climb towards the Trappist Monastery. Oh, did I mention that this is a popular trail to see Giant Golden Orb Weaver Spiders? No, oh well you should get mentally prepared for that as well. During the hot, humid weather in June and July, they are out in full force and their favourite place to build a web is across the trail that you walk on. So if you are one of the first people out on the trails, be sure to keep your eyes peeled.

Here is my first shot of many of the Giant Golden Orb Weaver. To learn more about this spider check out our Wildlife page on Hong Kong Spiders. Thankfully I got a good selection of pictures on this particular day as it was so hot that not many people were hiking this trail, and so many of the webs were still intact.

These spiders weave such thick webs that they are known to even catch small birds in their webs. Here, you can see that this Giant Golden Orb Weaver has caught a huge bug of some sort which is actually much larger than itself. Yum!

At the end of the path below, turn right onto the main slope which leads up to the Trappist Monastery. Oh, and don't forget to look up towards the skies to see many more of those lovely Giant Golden Orb Weavers!!!

Another great catch. Not as good as the last one though!

Here, you can see several giant golden orb weavers. In fact the large spider is the female and the smaller spider (yes it is of the same species) is the male spider! This girl's lucky, she's got two guys chasing after her!

You can get some great shots of Hong Kong on a clear day from this vantage point.

This is the Trappist Monastery. To the left (out of the picture) is a temple or church of some sort and across that bridge (with the blue posts) is the actual monastery. Continue up to the right.

It is difficult to see, but between where the truck is coming out and the road leading up to the right, is a path straight down the middle. It is sign-posted, pointing to Mui Wo. Take this middle trail..

Watch out for these darn golden orb weavers - they are everywhere!

Continue following the hiking trail up this long slope. Turn to the right at the point below - there is really only one way to go here. When you see the temple up to the left, you are close to the top.

Looking back at the tip of the Trappist Monastery at the bottom of the hill.

When you reach the top there is a final set of stairs before you get to the lookout point. The views from up here are spectacular on a clear day. If you are too exhausted, you can take a shortcut on that narrow trail that leads off to the right of the stairs, bypassing the final climb.

After taking a short rest at the top of the hill, continue on down the other side towards Mui Wo.

Mui Wo can be seen in the distance from this vantage point.

Continue down the stairs. Believe me, there are a lot of them. The lower you get, the steeper the stairs get so do watch your step.

When you reach the bottom of this very long and steep set of stairs, take a right.

This path is also very steep so do be careful, especially when it is raining or very humid as this path can become slippery.

 

There is a toilet at the bottom of this slope, should you need it.

When you reach the bottom, continue to follow the path along the beach front and past some of the hotels located here in Mui Wo.

When you get to the bridge below, cross it and turn left, following the beach front.

Cross the green bridge below and turn left to head towards the Mui Wo Ferry Pier.

Take a left toward the ferry pier when you reach the road.

I took this picture below of the Mui Wo to Discovery Bay Ferry Timetable, should you wish to head back to Discovery Bay. This ferry costs HK$12.

Well done! You have made it to Mui Wo. Still got energy? Well then head on back to Discovery Bay on this hiking trail from Mui Wo to Discovery Bay!!!