Peculiar coasteering route with interesting spots but too much concrete and small rock areas also. For hardcore “want-to-do-all” or beginners.

  • Beauty/fun: 4.5/10. The old swimming sheds, the WW2 remains, the waterfalls, and several rock sections are very picturesque. Not clean water in some areas, boring small rock or concrete sections on the bad side.
  • Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 4.5/10 if getting wet. 8/10 if trying to keep mostly dry and next to the coastline. Tons of potential early exits and very accessible, with the road just nearby. The scrambling in a few points can be challenging, easily avoidable with short swims or wades. I struggled a bit on small sections with no waterproof bag on me. Usually calmer water, but for waves coming from big ships crossing the channels around.
  • The map

And Colin’s (some areas have changed a bit since 2012).

You could do this outing way shorter. In our case, this time, pics, we did it swimming and North direction. To end up with the most interesting part.

A nice start is this swimming gathering point for the old locals.

To get Google Maps directions to it check for 滿緣,

a little gathering of tons of Buddha statues. Several en route.

Just pass it East direction and in a few meters, you will find the entrance. Get yourself ready to swim or coasteer.

This initial part is very “civilized”, with several concrete sections and areas where people go to see the sunset.

In no time you will arrive at Waterfall Bay itself. Very nice place but for the water… One of the polluted areas.

Cross the “beach” and little river and you will find some building remains and nice rocks just afterward.

Including a little waterfall (might be polluted too) before arriving back again to the concrete section under Residence Bel-Air.

Nothing interesting in the next section. Smaller boulders and

the pier next to the park.

A little further another nice rock small section, even with some tafoni.

Instagram pics for reference.

Telegraph Bay.

And

a big section of small boulders again.

before arriving at Sandy Bay.

Which is not so “sandy”… Another old swimming shed there.

Starting from here the nicest coasteering section.

A tiny waterfall.

A pillbox.

And a little further.

the Jubilee Battery.

Start turning North, North-East.

Rocks with pretty colors.

And the last cliff before arriving at the

Sai Wan swimming shed.

With long queues for photo taking.

A very Instragramy location worthwhile visiting with good light. Go up the stairs and you will find a bus stop. Or just walk down to Kennedy Town.

Everything you should know before coasteering and open water swimming.

Coasteering the very same route in Feb 2021. Map

See full screen & Garmin track.

Confirmed that it is doable completely dry. Although we get a bit wet ourselves. Starting on the small rocks after the swimming shed.

Waterfall Bay.

The “bunker” just after.

Pretty rock for a little while and dry waterfall before arriving at

the wall under Cyberport. If you want to keep dry you need to climb the stairs up and go in that upper level. Otherwise exactly here you need to get wet. Not much, knee/thigh high for us.

Trying to avoid going to the esplanade next. Although all this area is completely man made, wave breaking rocks.

Before getting to a lot nicer natural rock area

with the tafoni and peculiar rock formations.

You can continue dry with some fun scrambling.

Here she managing to keep herself dry. Me on the meantime had jumped to the water, shin high, and was taking pics around.

After Sandy Bay arriving at the nicest section.

Several structures built by fishermen. “Fun”… If you are going to use any of the ropes (I avoid them completely), check carefully before trusting your weight on them…

The waterfall of dubious water quality.

Several nice rock sections around.

The pillbox with an interesting engraved graffiti.

The impassable cliff from this side if pure coasteering. You could descend with a rope if coming in opposite direction. The wade is deep, almost chest high, but

instead she escaped up the hill to those buildings around. And down again well passed the cliff.

The final challenge. This cliff is way more doable, although not easy. Good skills and grippy shoes required. Chest deep wade otherwise.

And finally able to see

the swimming shed and surprise all the people gathered there for the pics.

In May 2021 we went to check the Jubilee Battery area. Map above updated (green line) with it. Article of the SCMP that mentioned it and its map.

Pics and a video on Instagram.


Some info on gwulo. If you are just checking this kind of sites, you could start here and afterward go to Mount Davis to see the defenses there too.