The Nam Shan Old Village Path is a short and relatively easy trail between Mui Wo and Nam Shan. The trail is often viewed as a hiking-friendly alternative to Section 1 of the Lantau Trail, which also runs between Mui Wo and Nam Shan.
Hiking up the Nam Shan Old Village Path
Nam Shan is a short hill near Mui Wo, often associated with its camping site, tree walk, barbecue area, and starting point for the Sunset Peak Hike. The path cuts across two villages, Mui Wo and Luk Tei Tong Tsuen, before making it to Nam Shan.
About the Nam Shan Old Village Path
The Nam Shan Old Village Path sometimes referred to as the Old Nam Shan Path, is an ancient path that connects Mui Wo to Nam Shan. Although this path still serves its purpose, it is easier to reach Nam Shan via the South Lantau Road on a vehicle nowadays.
Nam Shan is where Section 1 meets Section 2 of the Lantau Trail. Lantau Trail Section 1 is the section of the South Lantau Road between Mui Wo and Nam Shan.
The pavilion at Nam Shan, where Section 1 and Section 2 of the Lantau Trail Meet
However, most hikers will avoid the road because of the cars and buses, and prefer taking the more peaceful Nam Shan Old Village Path.
The hiker-friendly alternative
And this makes the Nam Shan Old Village Path a hiker-friendly alternative to Lantau Trail Section 1.
Nam Shan Old Village Path Map
Starting Point
The Nam Shan Old Village Path starts from the Mui Wo Ferry Pier. There are a couple of ways to arrive here.
- From Central via ferry – the ferry timetable can be found on the operator’s website.
- From Tung Chung via NLB number 3M.
Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade walk
Once you arrive at Mui Wo, exit the ferry pier and turn right towards the Cooked Food Market.
Exit the ferry pier and turn right
Walk around the market till the path reaches the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade.
Walk down the path and past the cooked food market
This promenade is one of my favourite promenades in Hong Kong!
Walk down the beautiful Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade
The views of Silvermine Bay, Silvermine Beach, and the surrounding hills never fail to disappoint me. If you ever plan to spend a day at Silvermine Bay, it offers plenty of activities and things to do.
Keep walking to the end of the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade but don’t turn right towards the beach. Go straight towards the River Silver.
Continue straight after the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade towards Riverwalk
Walk along the River Silver
As you move away from Silvermine Bay, the promenade continues along the River Silver and Riverwalk. Riverwalk is a development of shops, restaurants, cafes, and apartments on this promenade.
The Riverwalk promenade along the River Silver
Walk past the restaurants and coffee shops to the end of the promenade and turn right onto the bridge.
Turn right onto the bridge after Riverwalk
Cross the bridge and immediately turn left onto Ngan Shu Street. Walk to the end of this street.
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- Turn left onto Ngan Shu Street
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- Walk to the end of Ngan Shu Street
To Luk Tei Tong Tsuen
The next section of the Nam Shan Old Village Path moves away from the urban township of Mui Wo toward a more rural landscape. I found this section to be quite scenic.
At the end of Ngan Shu Street, turn left onto the bridge. Cross the bridge, walk along the river and onto the next bridge.
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- Turn left onto this bridge after Ngan Shu Street
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- Walk along the river to the next bridge
I’m not sure if this bridge has any historical significance but I found it to be quite beautiful!
Cross this aesthetically pleasing bridge
On the other side of the bridge, take the path on the right. And continue walking down this path alongside all the houses.
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- Turn right after the bridge to stay on Nam Shan Old Village Path
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- Stay on the path through the village
Signage for the Nam Shan Old Village Path is visible on this path which should prevent you from taking a wrong turn.
Follow the Nam Shan Old Village Path sign
After the last house, the Nam Shan Old Village Path crosses one last bridge. But there is no river under this bridge, just a grassy riverbed with trees growing in it. Again, very picturesque!
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- Walk past the last red brick house
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- Cross the final bridge
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- A dry riverbed that is now covered with grass and has trees
Across the bridge is a lush field, almost like a buffer between Mui Wo and Luk Tei Tong Tsuen ahead.
Nam Shan Old Village Path leading to Luk Tei Tong Tsuen
Take a break at the pavilion to admire the views of Fuk Tak Temple, or walk towards the village.
Beautiful and rustic views of Fuk Tak Temple
Navigating through Luk Tei Tong Tsuen
Perhaps the trickiest part of the Old Village Path is navigating through Luk Tei Tong Tsuen. I found some of the signs hidden or not too easy to find.
Standing in front of Luk Tei Tong Tsuen
Upon entering the village, turn left and follow the path as it naturally curved right and passes between more houses.
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- Turn left as you enter the village
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- Walk between the houses in Luk Tei Tong Tsuen
At the next four-point crossing, turn right. There is a sign for the Nam Shan Old Village Path hidden behind a fence.
Turn right here (did you notice the sign?)
Continue walking through on the path till it splits in two. At this point, keep going straight.
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- Keep walking through Luk Tei Tong Tsuen
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- When the path splits, continue walking straight
After crossing a few more houses, the Nam Shan Old Village Path comes to an area with houses on the left and shrubs and trees on the right.
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- Keep following the signs
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- The last row of houses in Luk Tei Tong Tsuen
Funnily, this path leads to a dead end! But if you notice carefully, the Nam Shan Old Village Path quietly breaks away to the left, just before the last houses in the lane.
The Nam Shan Old Village Path turn lefts just before the last house (can you spot the signs?)
Keep an eye out for the sign and turn left before the last few houses. It feels odd but the path cuts into one of the house’s backyards.
The Nam Shan Old Village Path cuts through someone’s private property
The first and final ascent
Up until now, if you were wondering, “wow, this barely feels like a hike”, you wouldn’t be wrong. Of the 2.8 km, only 1.1 km is uphill.
The Nam Shan Old Village Path now moves away from Luk Tei Tong Tsuen into the woods.
The trail moves away from the village and into the woods
The initial section is actually flat as it runs alongside a stream. But because we ventured on this hike in the summer, we were almost devoured by mosquitoes next to the stream! So, we decided to skip going down to the stream and instead run away from it!
The trail remains flat as it runs alongside the stream
As the trail progresses, it moves away from the stream and gently begins its ascent.
The Nam Shan Old Village Path moves away from the stream
The Nam Shan Old Village Path is reminiscent of the other ancient trails in Hong Kong that granite stones to build the path. These stones can become very slippery when wet, as we learned during our Kap Lung Ancient Trail Hike.
The granite stone steps reminded us of the many ancient trails in Hong Kong
One noteworthy point here is that Nam Shan is a little over 150 metres tall. And as the climb from 0 to 150 metres happens only in the last kilometre or so of the hike, it can feel a little steep.
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- Quite a scenic path
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- And the steep incline begins
The incline gets steeper closer to the end. My advice is to go slow and take your time.
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- The trail gets steeper closer to the end
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- Almost at the end of the climb!
The end of the climb is evident when the old granite stone steps transform into a more modern, paved (granite) path. And then that path fades away into the grassy barbecue area.
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- The paved surface signals the end of the climb
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- And the trail finally emerges at the Nam Shan barbecue area
It’s here that the Nam Shan Old Village Path enters its final stage, next to the barbeque pits and lush hilltop of Nam Shan.
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- What a beautiful way to end the Nam Shan Old Village Path
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- The lush and verdant top of Nam Shan
I always find this area to be so beautiful!
The pavilion and benches at Nam Shan
The Nam Shan Old Village Path ends at the pavilion which signifies the meeting points of Sections 1 and 2 of the Lantau Trail.
The end of the Nam Shan Old Village Path next to South Lantau Road
Options to end the hike
There are multiple options to end or continue your hike at the end of the Nam Shan Old Village Path.
There are bus stops next to the Nam Shan barbecue area to return to Mui Wo or Tung Chung. Step onto South Lantau Road and turn right to walk to the bus stops. Stay on the same side of the road to return to Mui Wo or cross to the other side for Tung Chung. Or head to Pui O, Cheung Sha Beach, or Tong Fuk to grab an amazing beachside meal and drink!
Long Island, Lower Chueng Sha Beach
Alternatively, you could continue on the Nam Shan Tree Walk, which is a 330-metre nature walk that highlights many of the trees found in the area. At the end of the walk is an exit onto South Lantau Road.
The Nam Shan Tree Walk
Or you could continue hiking on Lantau Trail Section 2 to Sunset Peak, which is one of the most unique hikes in Hong Kong!
Lantau Mountain Camp under Sunset Peak
We hope you found this guide to the Nam Shan Old Village Path useful. As always, please feel free to share this post on the social media channel of your choice or drop us a comment below.
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2 Comments
A lovely little summer hike that I really needed after a crazy time at work! Your directions were excellent as always, Devesh! Thank you so much! 🙂
You’re welcome, Nikki! 😃
Hope you’re being careful hiking in this heat.