Tung Lung Chau 東龍洲, or “East Dragon Island” with the direct translation, is an island located off the tip of the Clear Water Bay Peninsula in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It is also referred by Hong Kong people as Tung Lung To or Tung Lung Island (東龍島). The island is largely uninhabited. Administratively, it belongs to Sai Kung District.

This island is definitely a secret island, a well hidden paradise that is not known by many people. In Hong Kong, when you talk about nice beaches, you’ll think of Sai Kung right away; when you talk about beautiful cave, you might think of Cape D’aguilar; when you talk about hiking, Tai Mo Shan & Sunset Peak will pop in your mind. Tung Lung Chau has a lot to offer, breathtaking landscape, scenic hiking trail, rock formation, caves, natural fountain, historical rock carving, beautiful cliffs, etc., you name it. 

Other than what I have mentioned, this beautiful island is also a perfect place for camping & rock climbing. 

Why camping on Tung Lung Chau? 

If you are a sunset & sunrise lover like me, you definitely have to experience camping on this island. After setting up your tent, you can hike to the highest point (250M) of Tung Lung Chau for watching sunset, it is about 30-40 minutes hike from the campsite. You can take all your time to enjoy the sunset and the colour transformation of the sky, and your tent is just half an hour away. Do remember to bring your headlamp with you though. 

Let me share my little tip with you when you choose your spot for setting up your tent, the official campsite is usually packed. Since the ferry services to Tung Lung Chau only run during weekends and public holidays, it is not a surprise when you see the campsite is overcrowded. There are much better spots, so don’t worry if you can’t find a spot. Follow the trail and go to higher ground, you should be able to see some tents from far, that’s where you are heading. Up there, you will find your spot easily with more space, less people and much quieter and peaceful. You are going to get an unobstructed view of the sunrise the following morning.

Imagine waking up the next day with this absolutely gorgeous sunrise right in front of your tent, the whole world just belong to you.

How to get there & return:

1. Take MTR Kwun Tong Line to Yau Tong 油塘 station.

2. Take exit A2 and get to Cha Kwo Ling Rd., follow the road, it’s slightly steep, keep going until you get to Shung Shun St., walk until the end towards the sea and you will arrive at Sam Ka Tsuen Ferry Pier 三家村渡輪碼頭. 

3. Buy your ferry ticket to Tung Lung Chau, you have to decide your returning date and time because they only sell “return ticket”. The reason is they are trying to control the number of passengers on every departure.

4. Alternately, you can take MTR Island Line to Sai Wan Ho 西灣河 station.

5. Take exit A and get to Tai On St., walk towards the sea and turn to Tai Hong St., you will arrive at the Sai Wan Ho Pier 西灣河渡輪碼頭. You can buy your return ferry ticket to Tung Lung Chau.

#Remember, the ferry services from both piers to Tung Lung Chau only run during weekends and public holidays. If you would like to secure your time slot going and returning, I’d strongly advise you to be there early to buy your ticket. It’s first come first serve.

What to see in Tung Lung Chau?

As you can see from the map above, there’re plenty of sights to see on Tung Lung Chau, the best way is definitely to camp there, so you can truly enjoy the island taking all your time without feeling the rush to catch the ferry.

It’s not a big island, so with the map, you can easily plan your own adventure and have a lot of fun. 

If you have a drone, you have to bring it there, it’s the perfect place to fly your drone and capture some insanely beautiful images and footages. The landscape is beyond captivating, it didn’t feel like you are in Hong Kong at all when you are standing in front of those caves and cliffs. 

If it’s not because of the pandemic, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to truly explore Hong Kong because traveling is not possible. Not only have I learned so much about the place I have been living in for over 12 years, I have realized how fortunate I am, living in a metropolitan with direct access to breathtaking nature and incredible landscapes, and they are all in close proximity. 

The “Secret Blue Cave 崖下秘洞” is a spot you must not miss. It is rather hidden, if you look for the path carefully checking against the map, you will find your way. When you reach the spot shown on the picture above, then you are going the right way. The “Secret Blue Cave 崖下秘洞” is just located below the cliff, carefully find your way down stepping on the rocks and you will see it at the bottom. 

And here we are … 

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”

– Henry David Thoreau

In Tung Lung Chau, you can easily find your instagram-worthy spots. Go out there and get lost on the island, that’s all I can say if you ask me how to have an incredible adventure! 

If you love rock climbing and zip lines, you’ll probably want to try it there.  

Worrying about food and supplies? 

There are a few village stores and restaurants on the island selling delicious local food and cold drinks to quench your thirst. The price is very reasonable, a bowl of soup noodles is about HKD38 and a plate of fried rice/ noodles is between HKD50-60. They also sell home-made dessert, I recommend you to try it!  

Lastly, Tung Lung Chau is a remote island without basic facility, and there are a small number of inhabitants living their humble lives there. They welcome tourists but do remember that we have our responsibility to keep the island clean so the others can enjoy. The least we can do to help the villagers is to pack our own trash bag and bring it to the pier for disposal. 

If you enjoy exploring Hong Kong’s outlying island, you might be interested in checking out Grass Island 塔門.