WHAT TO EXPECT
FITNESS LEVEL: You will need basic fitness to complete this distance.
KAYAKING EXPERIENCE: No kayaking experience is required
DURATION: 1 day – easy (approx.14 kms)
DEPARTS: Daily, 10:30 am – Kei Ling Ha San Wai (see map below).
PRICE: HK$750 pp
This is a relatively easy sea kayak trip in the protected waters of 3 Fathoms Cove and the Tolo Channel which will cover about 14 km’s.
There are very few visitors to this area due to it’s inaccessibility, so we can expect to find ourselves on the ocean by ourselves, making it an idyllic nature-based experience, perfect for taking in the scenery, watching the herons, egrets and kites soar and dive and seeking out little known coves hiding isolated beaches for swimming and snorkelling.
If time allows we will land on one of the 2 small islets in the middle of the channel that are almost completely comprised of shells.
We will also do a short hike into an unusually beautiful Hakka Village, with manicured gardens and lakes. Surreal but very pleasant.
Our actual route is always determined by the weather conditions on the day.
the trip in pictures
Created by a massive fault zone, the Tolo Channel separates the ancient sedimentary rock formations of Hong Kong (400 million years) from it’s more recent volcanic activities (140 million years ago).
This body of water runs in a straight line almost splitting Hong Kong in two but instead becomes the gateway to some of the most pristine natural environments in Hong Kong including 4 more sections of the UNESCO Global Geopark.
Our day begins in the headwaters of 3 fathoms Cove, a protected inlet at the base of the dominating Ma On Shan mountain. This bay is famous for bird watching, floating seafood restaurants, mangrove systems and small Hakka villages.
But our tour today is to venture further, out into the Tolo Channel fault zone to explore more of the unique features of the UNESCO Global Geopark and some forgotten Hakka settlements. We will take a short hike into the mountain village called Sham Chung and discover the geology behind the coastal rock formations that make this part of Hong Kong globally unique.
If time permits, we will also land on an island made of shells, swim in the crystal clear waters and maybe snorkel over some coral reefs. This region is rarely visited so we will probably have the ocean to ourselves.
what's included
We use double sea kayaks for less experienced paddlers or paddlers with children. Doubles are faster and more stable making it easier for people to do the distances required per day.
This includes spray skirts, paddles & spare paddles, buoyancy vests, paddle floats, pumps etc.
Our guides are seasoned professionals with international qualifications. Not only are they familiar with the regions in which they paddle, they are also fully trained in sea kayak rescues, first aid and emergency procedures.
We provide a picnic lunch during the trip as well as fruit snacks and drinking water.
We will be taking photos all the trip which will be freely available for download after the tour is over.
Snorkeling equipment is available for people wishing to explore the underwater world around the islands we visit.
We hike to Lai Chi Chung and the coastal formations of the Lai Chi UNESCO Geopark.
