Nam Shan Old Village Path, Lantau Island

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.

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.

However, most hikers will avoid the road because of the cars and buses, and prefer taking the more peaceful Nam Shan Old Village Path.

And this makes the Nam Shan Old Village Path a hiker-friendly alternative to Lantau Trail Section 1.

Starting Point

The Nam Shan Old Village Path starts from the Mui Wo Ferry Pier. There are a couple of ways to arrive here.

1. From Central via ferry – the ferry timetable can be found on the operator’s website.
2. 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.

Walk around the market till the path reaches the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade.

This promenade is one of my favourite promenades in Hong Kong!

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.

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.

Walk past the restaurants and coffee shops to the end of the promenade and turn right onto the bridge.

Cross the bridge and immediately turn left onto Ngan Shu Street. Walk to the end of this 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.

I’m not sure if this bridge has any historical significance but I found it to be quite beautiful!

On the other side of the bridge, take the path on the right. And continue walking down this path alongside all the houses.

Signage for the Nam Shan Old Village Path is visible on this path which should prevent you from taking a wrong turn.

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!

Across the bridge is a lush field, almost like a buffer between Mui Wo and Luk Tei Tong Tsuen ahead.

Take a break at the pavilion to admire the views of Fuk Tak Temple, or walk towards the village.

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.

Upon entering the village, turn left and follow the path as it naturally curved right and passes between more houses.

At the next four-point crossing, turn right. There is a sign for the Nam Shan Old Village Path hidden behind a fence.

Continue walking through on the path till it splits in two. At this point, keep going 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.

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.

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 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 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!

As the trail progresses, it moves away from the stream and gently begins its ascent.

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.

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.

The incline gets steeper closer to the end. My advice is to go slow and take your time.

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.

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.

I always find this area to be so beautiful!

The Nam Shan Old Village Path ends at the pavilion which signifies the meeting points of Sections 1 and 2 of the Lantau Trail.

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!

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.

Or you could continue hiking on Lantau Trail Section 2 to Sunset Peak, which is one of the most unique hikes in Hong Kong!

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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