Wineshark Go Hiking - Wu Kau Tang to Sam A Wan and return

Difficulty: 3/5

Total Distance: 10 km

Starting Point:
Wu Kau Tang

End Point:
Wu Kau Tang

Transportation:
Take minibus No. 20R from Tai Po Market Train Station to Wu Kau Tang, alight at the terminus.

Sharing:
One challenge of this trail is the transportation. The minibus is only operating every 45 minutes and like today we in fact could not get on to the minibus despite it already was a 19-seater. Fortunately another driver came and operate an extra service so we could arrive Wu Kau Tang per our schedule.

After getting off the minibus and passing through the village, we soon came to the path leading to Kau Tam Tso. Initially it is all concrete and very easy to walk, with the stream on your side and plenty of shades, but after passing Kau Tam Tso the way soon became the ancient stone path.

At the junction we took the path on the left and up the hills. While the path is jagged and made from pieces of rock, it is not too difficult in general. There are many butterflies we saw on the day, as well as some nice flowers, with the going not having a lot of big ups and downs.

Arriving Sam A Tsuen there is a famous stopover eatery, with many hikers (including us) choosing to refresh a bit and enjoy the nice hakka dishes. We ordered the chicken which was very tender and good in taste. Partly due to our hunger but also the quality of the chicken was nice as well.

We then resumed our hike and reached Sam A Wan, with the area having lots of mangroves. Lots of wildlife could be seen in the area, showing the vibrancy and relatively well-kept environment in this part of Northern New Territories.

Continuing towards Sam A Chung there is a section where you have to go on the coast, with the rocks quite steep and slippery. Fortunately there is a rope attached to the rock which helped hikers to move along.

Similar to the way we came, this return route is also an ancient stone path, but with many streams crisscrossing the path. In some places you would need to tread on water. But there is one section which is quite deeply submerged and we had to take another way to bypass it.

Again the return journey is not having a lot of big climbs or drops, making the travel quite smooth and fast. Soon reaching Miu Sam, we made good pace as we were trying to catch the minibus going back from Wu Kau Tang to Tai Po Market.

Getting back just in time, and luckily because the minibus also arrived late, we could take on it and return to the train station. The whole experience is pleasant and suitable for someone who wants some challenge but might not want the hike to be too physical.