Advertisement
Four Hong Kong boat trips to outlying islands, traditional villages and quiet bays aboard ‘kaitos’ show a different side to life in the city
- Hong Kong’s remaining ‘street ship’ ferry services offer links to remote spots while being relatively cheap and generally free of selfie-taking travellers
- These four trips range from ones that can be done in a couple of hours to whole-day excursions and are worth taking for the ride alone
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Ferries large and small bind Hong Kong and its 250 or so islands together like the spokes in a wheel.
Advertisement
The city’s main ferry routes are supplemented by kaitos, or “street ships”, rag-tag packet boats that are as much a community service as a commercial enterprise. Perhaps totalling a couple of dozen at peak times, their numbers are dropping as MTR tunnels and lofty suspension bridges proliferate and fewer people choose to live in really remote areas.
However, the few surviving kaito routes are relatively inexpensive and little trafficked. They also serve as a happy reminder of the days when the pace of life was slower.
Here are some trips to consider.
Inter-Islands
At a cost of HK$13.40 (US$1.70), the hour-long inter-island shuttle aboard the Ming River must rank as one of the world’s best harbour-cruise deals. The Ming putters back and forth between Peng Chau and Cheung Chau pretty much from dawn till midnight every day of the year, and there’s hardly a selfie-stick in sight.
Advertisement