Some of the best coasteering in Lamma is available only November to March. Even far from the best conditions, time to check its slabs, scrambling & climbing walls
- Beauty/fun: 8/10 slabs, walls where you can scramble, traverse, boulder even sport climb. Not as clear water as in the Eastern Hong Kong.
- Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 8/10 longish route without a clear early exit. It can be exposed to Easter wind and swell. Doable with just a couple of short swims but with high scrambles.
- The map (how to download to your phone offline maps)
See full screen & the Garmin track.
Sham Wan used to be a turtle nesting area, but it seems there has been none for years. To try to lure them back the Government made all the bay a Restricted area, closed for general public from 1st of April to 31st of October. Therefore this and the South West routes are not doable in that period.
The closest pier is in Sok Kwu Wan. Ferries departing from Central and Aberdeen land there. Considering the big wave forecast and the tide
we took the 9:30 ferry from the latter. Arrive around 10, get everything ready and walk on the concrete path to Shek Pai Wan. Beach and onto the rocks.
Easy initially
but soon we arrived to the slab section.
It was quite wavy and we decided to go on the upper part. Finding the way to the top and back down was a lot easier than expected.
Eventually we arrived at a corner that required us to swim.
More slabs and lower rocks where timing to avoid the waves was key.
Second swim. Full of barnacles and urchins. So to cross carefully.
In any case, being so close to the lowest tide allowed us to be way safer than the wave forecasts could entail. Sometimes scrambling high, sometimes crawling through tunnels.
Almost on the Shouthermost point you arrive at these stairs that bring you up to the lighthouse. Tricky spot to arrive at with higher tide and big waves.
After seen a short hiking path on openstreetmap, JV decided to go through it instead of following me on the aforementioned tricky scrambling + wave section. Bushy, bushy. I have marked it on the map anyhow. I guess that quite some sections of the path in the middle of the peninsula are also very overgrown. So possible emergency exit through there might be slower than coasteering.
In any case, in that exact point the fastest way is definitely on the rocks, then go up to the lighthouse and head down just after 10m above where he is. That way you avoid another swim. Just a little further a cracked slab and the Sham Wan Restricted Area sign.
A few more sections of high but easy (good hand and foot holds) scrambling
and a lot flatter on the West coast. With tons of “bouldering” opportunities.
This nice looking “pancakes” area required a tricky scramble and jump (just one meter from where he is) or getting fully wet again.
Finally the climbing bolted walls. We could see ribbons in this area. So we went up right, behind the perpendicular wall (if you zoom you can see a climber with all its gear under) and down little after (JV descending).
A few more picturesque rocks before arriving at Sham Wan beach.
Almost same way return.
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