Few in Hong Kong would imagine that within the SAR there exists a place as remote and idyllic as the Far North East of the New Territories. To most, the notion of a quiet night of camping in Hong Kong sounds about as pleasant and plausible as bodysurfing on the moon. Ironically, it’s precisely this misconception that preserves the Far North East as an unspoiled sanctuary. So get on out there – but please, don’t tell all your friends…

Friday Evening
At 6pm, your escape begins. Fight your way through the body-on-body hustle and bustle of rush hour and take the MTR to Tai Po Market (the journey takes about 45 mins and costs $16.50). Once you arrive in Tai Po, hit the supermarket in the mall attached to the station to stock up on water, food, and supplies for the weekend. Now find the green minibus depot and catch bus No 20C to Tai Mei Tuk (the ride costs $6.20 and buses leave every six to ten minutes from 5.30am to 1am).

Alight at the last stop, the tiny Tai Mei Tuk bus depot, just beside Plover Cove Reservoir. Plover Cove is remote for Hong Kong. One hostel and numerous campsites comprise all the area’s accommodation. Walk a few minutes towards the water and check into Bradbury Jockey Club Youth Hostel (66 Tai Mei Tuk Road, 2662 5123; $260 for a two-bed room/$320 for a four-bed room. Note that one guest in your party must be a Hostelling International member; a one-year membership can be purchased at the check-in desk for $110). The amenities are Spartan, but you’ll wake up tomorrow in a prime spot, ready to explore the Cove’s exciting recreational activities. By now you’ll be getting hungry. Lined along the street across from the bus depot, around seven minutes from the hostel, is a short strip of restaurants and bars. Highlights include authentic Thai fare at Chung Shing Thai Restaurant (2664 5218), organic veg-heavy dishes at Eco Farm Restaurant (9461 5626), and a large menu of pan-western cuisine at Café de Country Art (2824 1812), which also doubles as an eccentric little art gallery.

Everything is reasonably priced, with meals running $50-$250 per person, depending on how many Tiger Beers and piña coladas you’re in the mood for. Close your night with an evening stroll down the bike path along the luminous, moonlit cove.

Saturday
After a camp-cooked breakfast (a self-cooked meal over an open fire is always deeply satisfying in some guttural, tribal, hominid kind of way, no matter how charred the results) or dim sum at China Town Café (no phone) on the restaurant strip in town, slather on sunscreen and get ready for a very full day of serious recreation.

Bikes and three-person tricycle carts can be rented at several shops near the bus terminus ($50 a day for a bike/$120 for a tricycle), and there are bike trails along the water and country roads to be explored in every direction.

If you bike out of town along Bride’s Pool Road you’ll discover stunning overhead views of the massive blue-green Plover Cove Reservoir, and after about 5km you’ll find Bride’s Pool Nature Trail on your right, part of Plover Cove Country Park. Near the start of the hike, a majestic waterfall cascades into Bride’s Pool (be sure to find the small unmarked side-trail that leads down to the water). Bride’s Pool trail makes for a lovely wooded beginner hike and takes a leisurely two hours to complete.

After lunch back in town, as the day starts to heat up, you’ll feel ready to hit the water. Row boats can be rented along the reservoir near the bus terminus at San Lee Boat Rental for $20/hr. Those with certification can hire all sorts of water craft at the Tai Mei Tuk Government Water Sports Centre. For the uncertified, sailing, kayaking, and windsurfing courses are available, but they all require at least a day’s commitment.

Serious hikers might consider the Plover Cove Reservoir Country Trail, which begins at the Plover Cove Reservoir Dam. This 15km, six-hour trek loops around the reservoir, and climbs the area’s steepest peaks, offering remarkable views of the dramatic seascape.

The Plover Cove Reservoir Dam is a manmade marvel to rival the Hong Kong skyline. You can walk or bike atop the dam, which runs for 2km across the water, with the sea on one side and 230 billion litres of fresh water held against the cove on the other. The dam is a short stroll from the bus terminus or Bradbury hostel. Biking down the narrow dam, with two mirrors of endless water shimmering into the distance on each side of you is strange, beautiful, and thrilling; it’s an experience not to be missed.

In the late afternoon, grab your bags from the hostel and stop by the Plover Cove Park Visitor’s Centre (open daily, except Tues, 9.30am-11.30am & 1.30pm-4.30pm) along Bride’s Pool Road to pick up a hiking map. Then take a taxi or catch the 20C minibus at the Tai Mei Tuk bus station and get off at Wu Kau Tang Trail Head. Enter the trail for a gentle hike through the forest, following the signs to Sam A Chung Campsite, which you should reach in about an hour. The camp sits atop a secluded hillside, and looks down on a beautiful estuary that enters the sea along the craggy Double Haven coastline. The site is known as a hotspot for butterfly watching, and you can hike down to the water to climb around on huge coastal rock features and seek out hidden grottoes. Cook dinner, share stories, and spend a peaceful night under the stars.

Sunday
After a quick breakfast at your camp at Sam A Chung, it is about an hour’s hike to Lai Chi Wo, a 300-year-old, well-preserved Hakka village. Local residents offer a traditional Hakka lunch to visitors on the weekends for around $50-$100 per person. A Guan Di Temple at the village entrance is a rare example of authentic Hakka architecture and the millennium-old fung sui forest along the waterfront boasts six species of mangrove and some peculiar plant life, including strange interlocking vines and hollow tree formations reminiscent of ancient, mythical forests.

The hike back to Wu Kau Tang is 7.5km and takes about two hours to complete. Be sure to stop for photos at Siu Tan, where you’ll find stunning short-range views of the Double Haven coast. From Wu Kau Tang you can catch mini-bus 20C or city bus 275K back to Tai Po Market MTR station (you could also head back to Tai Mei Tuk to rent a bike for a nice evening ride back to Tai Po, which would take about an hour and a half). Hurry homeward for a cool shower and a deep sleep in your now much-appreciated bed, where you’ll no doubt dream in green. Patrick Brzeski

Other destinations:
Northeast weekend
Lantau weekend
Sai Kung weekend
The Angie Wong weekender