Lamma Island is not very popular among tourists yet is still one of the most beautiful islands around Hong Kong. It is inhabited mainly by fishermen, but more and more Westerners settle there to enjoy its serene atmosphere.
It is just over 13 square kilometers in size, which makes it easy to visit much of the island on foot in just one day. Trek lovers will be delighted to try the island’s great courses in mountainous areas that offer magnificent views. If you are visiting the island to relax and get some rest, there are also beautiful beaches to unwind… that is if you’re curious enough to find them!
There are also quite a few souvenir shops that are nice but a little expensive.
By the way, there’s not a single car on the island, which is, I think, a great advantage. It is not connected to Hong Kong nor to the mainland by a bridge, like Lantau Island for example. And that to me is a very relaxing idea.
As far as accommodation is concerned, there are very limited options on Lamma Island so I recommend you book a hotel room in Hong Kong and devote a day to visit the island.
How To Get To Lamma Island?
Kind of obvious, right? The ferry you need to take is at Hong Kong’s Central Ferry Piers. Go to pier number 4 and be ready to pay for your ticket. A one way ticket costs between $2 to $4 depending on the time you are traveling and where you’ll be docking on Lamma Island. The ferry trip lasts about 30 minutes.
There are actually two ferry stations on Lamma Island and I recommend you head to Yung Shue Wan first (northern pier) and later head back to Hong Kong through Sok Kwu Wan (southern pier). You’ll need to walk one hour to reach both stations.
I listed ferry schedules for both stations below. Feel free to plan your trip the way you want it!
The Best Restaurants In Lamma Island
On this fishermen’s island, you can eat great fish and fresh seafood dishes. Prices are cheaper than in Hong Kong but they’re still decent prices. You’ll need around 300 HKD (about $40) for what is called a “set” of several fish and seafood dishes. $40 worth of outstanding dishes made with fresh produce and catch, how does that sound?
Most restaurants are actually near the ferry stations, so at Yung Shue Wan or Sok Kwu Wan. I went to a very good restaurant in Sok Kwu Wan where I hada hearty breakfast before hopping on the ferry. I wasn’t hungry at lunch time when I arrived at Yung Shue Wan so I didn’t try any restaurants there. But I’m sure both piers have great restaurants. Just trust your senses. 😉
A Nice Walk Through The Island
It took me 2 hours to go from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan, walking rather slowly, stopping regularly and wandering here and there. At Yung Shue Wan, there’s a power station on the right with 3 big towers, one of Lamma Island’s characteristic features.
It feels like it doesn’t belong in the landscape, like it’s a scrap heap that doesn’t match the background but hey, there’s a wind turbine… I got the impression that it’s a merely symbolic gesture to divert our attention from the power station, but it’s just an impression!
The walk is really great though, there are jungle-like bits with wild nature here and there. There are mountainous landscapes as well as a few steep climbs.
The panoramic views are really worth the effort!
There are also beaches on Lamma Island and if the weather is warm enough, be prepared to put on your swimsuit! I went there in December and although it was 26°C, I managed to get my feet a little wet!
The first beach you’ll come across is Hung Shing Yeh Beach (pictured above) with a great view… of the power station! Picturesque, right? The second one is Lo So Shing Beach (picture below) and it’s my favorite!
On your way from one station to the other, you will find all the necessary directions to those beaches. Feel free to discover other beaches or great spots if you like! Don’t forget to let me know about them in the comments though!
As far as wildlife is concerned, nothing too dangerous to report. You do come across small snakes sometimes but they’re nothing compared to the huge spider I met.
She is beautiful to be honest, especially if I’m looking at her from a safe distance! 😀
So tread carefully and you’ll be fine.
As soon as you get past the mountains, you get a glimpse of the other side of the island.
Before you get to Sok Kwu Wan, you’ll come across Tin Hau Temple. Would you be interested in visiting the island’s kamikaze caves? I’m guessing I lost you at the spider picture and the story of the caves will not make you want to visit Lamma Island. But you have my word they’re not dangerous! 🙂
In fact, during World War II, there was a ruthless battle between Japan and the American fleet in the Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Many defeats later, the Japanese decided to try kamikaze attacks by filling fast boats with explosives and crushing them on the US Navy. So fair play, right? Anyway, they hid several fast boats all over the Pacific, Lamma Island happens to include some of them.
Wasn’t that a lovely story to wrap up this blog post?
Seriously though, Lamma Island is a great destination if you like nature and tranquility. You’ll need half a day to do the trip I mentioned in this post and probably a whole day if you want to tour the southern part of the island, which looks really fun!
For more activities in HK, make sure you our top 10 things to do in Hong Kong.
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See you around,
MF
Hello after reading your post about Lamma island I followed your advice. Once we were in Yung SHue we asked the way to go to the beaches to the man you have in one photo, the one with long beard and books. His advice was no to walk to Sok Kwe because Yung SHue was nicer and that it was better to stop in the first beach because the second one was not such a big difference from the first. We didn’t follow his advice thinking we were going to miss something. At the end of the day we regret not to follow his wise advise. The nicest town is Yung SHue. The other one doesn’t Has anything special and Lo So Shing beach to us is not worthy the walk. I should say that if you want to do some walking and the temperature is nice do it, but when it is so hot and there is such a hight humidity as it was today I think is not worthy. I hope this comment can help some others travellers.
Thank you for your comment Lola, I’m sure your tips are going to be useful for a lot of travellers, including me! 🙂