Trio Beach (三星灣泳灘) is a small secluded beach at the end of Pak Sha Wan Peninsula that is part of Ma On Shan Country Park South Portion in the Sai Kung District of Hong Kong. And the only way you can get to the sandy beach is by a hiking trail or a sampan boat.
Besides the scenic Trio Beach hike, you can explore other areas including Tai Ngam Hau (大岩口), which is the east side of the peninsula that has a rocky headland at the end of the trail.
In this post, I’ll show you how to hike to Trio Beach in Hong Kong and explore all the interesting parts of Pak Sha Wan Peninsula. Then the one-day itinerary ends with a quick sampan boat ride to Hebe Haven (白沙灣), also known as Pak Sha Wan.
Want to read this post later? Pin it on your Pinterest board!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through them, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost. Thank you for supporting this website. For more information, please read the disclosure for more info.
What you need to know before hiking to Trio Beach HK
Before starting the Trio Beach hike, take a look at my Hong Kong solo travel guide and get an overview of HK first.
Here are a few additional tips for visiting Trio Beach in Hong Kong:
- The best time to hike in Sai Kung is late autumn, winter and early spring. Part of the trail is exposed to the sun, so I would not recommend hiking during the height of summer.
- Try to go during weekdays as the trails in Sai Kung are busy on weekends and holidays.
- Bring enough water for a few hours of hiking. There isn’t any opportunity along the trail to replenish until you reach Trio Beach.
- Get an Octopus Card, a rechargeable smartcard for taking public transportation and use it for taking the minibus to and from Sai Kung. It costs $100HKD, but you can use $50 stored value and get your $50HKD refundable deposit when you leave HK.
How to hike to Trio Beach Hong Kong
As I mentioned earlier, you can get to Trio Beach by hiking or by taking a trio beach ferry aka a sampan boat ride.
Personally, I like to mix things up, try a variety of things and make the most of the day.
So I would suggest starting the day in Sai Kung first, then hiking to Tai Ngam Hau and then to Trio Beach. At the end of the day, take the sampan boat from Trio Beach to Hebe Haven.
Click on “more options” on the top left corner of Google Maps and the map will open in your browser or in the app on your smartphone.
- Difficulty: easy
- Duration: 3.5 hours
- Distance: 8.5 km
- What to bring: light hiking shoes, sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen), water, snacks, smartphone (for taking photos and navigation)
How to get to Trio Beach in Hong Kong
From anywhere in Hong Kong, take the MTR to Choi Hung MTR Station. Then take exit C, and find the bus stop for minibus 1A and take it all the way to the end, which is at Sai Kung Pier Minibus Terminus.
- Minibus1A: from Choi Hung Station Exit C to Sai Kung Pier Minibus Terminus
- Time: 35 minutes (every 4 minutes)
- Cost: $9.70HKD (use Octopus Card)
- Check: 16seats website for minibus 1A for more information
Walk from the Sai Kung town to Tui Min Hoi Chuen
The first part of the hike will take you from the town of Sai Kung to the housing estate and seaside villages of Tui Min Hoi Chuen.
But you might want to explore Sai Kung town and grab some breakfast first. And this is also a good time to get water and snack for your hiking day.
When you are ready to start the Trio Beach hike, walk towards the sea and find Sai Kung Hoi Pong Square, which is the seaside pedestrian promenade. Walk west along the promenade, pass the park, and turn left at the end of Chui Tong Road and walk towards Tui Min Hoi Chuen.
Walk up the hill by following the pedestrian walkways and staircases
For this part, follow my instructions on how to get to the start of the hiking trail to Trio Beach. I couldn’t create a route in Google Maps (I guess it’s because there are no actual roads through the housing estates), but there is a way to zig-zag through the villages.
First, follow the narrow pedestrian road in the village until the road splits at a two-storey building. Take the path on the right and walk up the slanted road when you see the path with railing.
The slanted road becomes a paved road. Walk up the steep road until you reach Hong Kin Road. Cross the road and walk up a flight of stairs to the housing estate compound.
Then weave through several flights of stairs in the housing estate compound. At the top, turn left on Hong Fu Road. The start of the Trio Beach hiking trail is at the end of the road.
The start of the hiking trail to Trio Beach and Tai Ngam Hau
At the end of Hong Fu Road, the hiking path starts, and it will take you to both Trio Beach and Tai Ngam Hau.
Soon after you start hiking into the woods, there is a perpendicular junction. Turn left here.
Trio Beach hike: trail condition
The Trio Beach hike is relatively easy. The trail is either a dirt path, steps made with stones or wood planks, or smooth paved paths.
The first part of the hike in the woods has the most elevation. The path takes you up a hill and right back down until it reaches another perpendicular junction. At this point, turn left.
First junction: Tai Ngam Hau, Ma Nam Wat and Trio Beach
Keep walking until you reach the first junction of the hiking trail.
The path on the left takes you to Tai Ngam Hau and Ma Nam Wat. Tai Ngam Hau has a hiking trail that will take you to a secret beach and a rocky headland. And Ma Nam Wat is a tiny village on the inner cove where the peninsula splits. (However, I am not including Ma Nam Wat in this itinerary as I think there are better ways to spend your time in the area. More on that later).
And the trail on the right will take you directly to Trio Beach, a white sandy beach that is perfect for relaxing.
First, let’s explore Tai Ngam Hau and return to this spot and hike to Trio Beach.
Second junction: Tai Ngam Hau and Ma Nam Wat
Soon after passing the first junction, you’ll reach the second junction.
This time, the path splits where the left path will lead to Tai Ngam Hau, and the right path will lead to Ma Nam Wat.
Continue walking on the left path and walk towards Tai Ngam Hau.
Part of the hiking trail will open up to scenery to the east. There are several points in the path where you can see Sai Kung town, Inner Port Shelter, which is the body of water between Sai Kung and Pak Sha Wan Peninsula and the mountains in Sai Kung Country Park in the distance.
Third junction: a secret beach and Tai Ngam Hau
While you are hiking towards Tai Ngam Hau, the path splits again for the third time.
At this junction, the left path will take you to a secret beach and the right path will take you to Tai Ngam Hau.
Before venturing into the path on the left, I had no idea what it entails. But I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw!
Left path: a secret beach
Walk past the “no through road” sign for about 8 minutes and you’ll reach a hidden beach.
There’s not much to this secret beach; it is rocky and has a bit of sand at the far end. But the water is really clean and inviting. I’ve been here twice and have never seen anyone.
So if you want a small private beach all to yourself, this might be a good one! But bring lots of sunscreen and sun protection!
Right path: rocky headland of Tai Ngam Hau
When you are ready to continue on, backtrack to the third junction and take the path on the right towards Tai Ngam Hau.
The hike to the rocky headland of Tai Ngam Hau is longer than the hike to the secret beach. It takes about 25 minutes of a bit of up and down, but it is not too difficult.
Parts of the trail is covered then it opens up near the end.
Tai Ngam Hau: rocky headland
At the end of the hiking trail, it opens up to a rocky area next to the turquoise seawater.
The rock formation continues pretty far and it looks like it wraps around the peninsula. On the west side, you can even see ropes for climbing the rocky coastline.
And I have read other blogs and watched Youtube videos that it is possible to coasteer around the rocky edges of the peninsula. However, I didn’t do that because I wasn’t sure how safe it would be. Hence, I would only suggest walking around the rocky coastline if you have experience in coasteering.
Whatever you decide to do, this is an excellent spot for resting and taking photos.
A questionable trail to Ma Nam Wat
On Google Maps, there is a dotted line indicating a hiking trail from the tip of Tai Ngam Hau to Ma Nam Wat. And it looks like it is a shorter trail back to the first junction where you can hike to Trio Beach.
But at the entrance of this trail, the trail itself is not really visible. The bushes around the path are overgrown, and it doesn’t seem like it goes anywhere.
As much as I wanted to trust Google that this is in fact a shortcut to Ma Nam Wat, I decided not to proceed forward.
And besides, I visited this small village on a previous trip. There’s nothing much to see in Ma Nam Wat other than a few houses, a scary goat tied to a pole and the ferry pier. This is why I decided to exclude this village from my itinerary.
Return to the first junction: hike to Trio Beach
In order to hike to Trio Beach, you’ll have to return to the first junction where the path splits. Take the path on the right to Trio Beach.
On the way to the beach, part of the trail opens up to views of Hebe Haven, a quiet harbour with many boats and yachts. And in the distance, you can see the undulated mountains of Ma On Shan Country Park.
First glimpse of Trio Beach in Sai Kung
At the bottom of the trail is a perpendicular junction. Turn left and walk towards Trio Beach.
After a minute of walking, you will see the playground, barbecue pit area and a flight of stairs going down.
When you walk down the stairs, you’ll get the first glimpse of Trio Beach. This is the more secluded part of Trio Beach. It is quieter than the other area which is separated by a lifeguard tower.
Arrive at Trio Beach in Sai Kung
You can either walk along the beach or get back on the main path and continue forward.
As you walk further, the path splits into two. They both go to Trio Beach; the left path wraps the back of the main building, and the right path goes directly to the beach.
The beach itself is not very big; only 130m long. But it has soft white sand and is pretty clean as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department maintains it.
And the water at Trio Beach is quite clear. It is an excellent spot for swimming and some fun in the sun.
And just in case you are wondering, there are changing rooms, shower facilities, toilets, and a refreshment kiosk at Trio Beach. Pretty well-equipped for a small beach.
Take a sampan boat from Trio Beach to Hebe Haven
Instead of hiking all the way back to Sai Kung town or the main road, the closest way and the easiest way to get back home is to take a short sampan boat ride to Hebe Haven Ferry Pier.
The sampan picks up passengers at Trio Beach at the east end of the beach where the ferry dock is located. You can wait for the next boat at the dock or on the benches nearby.
Trio beach ferry: short boat ride to Hebe Haven Ferry Pier
The sampan leaves Hebe Haven Ferry Pier for Ma Nam Wat first. Then it goes to Trio Beach before heading back to Hebe Haven Pier. The boat ride costs $10HKD cash. You can pay the fee when you get on the boat.
There isn’t an official Trio Beach ferry schedule. But I spoke to the helmsman, and he said the sampan boat would come by every half hour.
Take minibus 1A back to Choi Hung MTR Station
Once you are at Hebe Haven Ferry Pier, walk towards Hiram’s Hwy, which is the main road in Sai Kung. At Hiram’s Hwy, turn right and walk for 2 minutes until you see the bus stop in front of a parking lot.
Since minibus 1A comes by frequently and is the fastest bus back to Kowloon, I always take this minibus back to Choi Hung MTR Station.
But there are other minibuses and buses. See more information below:
- Numerous minibuses and buses from Sai Kung
- Minibus 1, 1A, 1S, 2, 2S, 101M: Check the 16Seats website for more info
- Bus 792M: Check the Citybus website for more info
- Bus 92, 96R, 292P: Check the KMB website for more info
Are you ready to hike to Trio Beach and explore Pak Sha Wan Peninsula?
I sure hope so! The Trio Beach hike is easy and pretty accessible. I really like an interesting point-to-point hike where you can see a variety of things and end off with a nice beach and this hike is the perfect combination of everything I want!
It is possible to do the entire hike in reverse. This is also a good option if you want to end the day with a seafood meal in Sai Kung.
If you want to explore other trails in Sai Kung, Po Pin Chau and Ma On Shan hike are both excellent hikes.
And if you are looking for other easy hikes in HK, you might want to check out Victoria Peak, High West, Mount Nicholson and Red Incense Burner Summit on Braemar Hill.
Thank you for reading my Trio Beach hiking post
You might also like these other posts on solo travel in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Island Hikes
- Victoria Peak Hike: See Hong Kong’s beautiful skyline
- High West Hike: 3 ways to hike up High West Peak
- Dragon’s Back Hike: the most popular day hike in HK
- Violet Hill and the Twins: hike over two mountains with over 1,000+ steps
- Rhino Rock Hike: see a rocky rhinoceros head in Stanley
- Red Incense Burner Summit on Braemar Hill: best spot for sunset and night views
- Mount Nicholson Hike: see hidden rock statues in the middle of HK Island
- Cape Collinson hike: visit an old battery used during WWII on Hong Kong Island
- Mount Davis Hike: see an old military site on HK Island
Island District Hikes
- Lamma Island: hike from Sok Kwu Wan to Yung Shue Wan
- Cheung Chau Island: 1-day itinerary around Cheung Chau
- Peng Chau: 1-day itinerary
- Tung O Ancient Trail: hike the coastal trail in Lantau North Country Park
- Lo Yan Shan Hike: hike Chi Ma Wan Country Trail in southern Lantau Island
- Fan Lau Hike: explore the southwest tip of Lantau Island
- Po Toi Island: see Hong Kong’s South Pole
New Territories Hikes
- Pineapple Mountain: the Great Canyon of Hong Kong
- High Junk Peak: one of the three sharpest peaks in HK
- Ma On Shan Hike: hike across the horse-saddle mountain to Sai Kung
- Pat Sin Leng Hike: hike over 8 peaks named after Chinese Mythological immortals
- Po Pin Chau: hike around hexagonal rock columns in Sai Kung
- Plover Cove Reservoir Country Trail: hike around HK’s largest reservoir
- Kowloon Peak and Suicide Cliff: See HK’s most dramatic cliff
- Tsing Yi Nature Trails: meander through the easy trails in Tsing Yi
- Tsing Yi Peak: hike the three peaks on Tsing Yi Island
- Ma Shi Chau Nature Trail: see 280 million-year-old rocks in Tai Po
- Tai Tan Country Trail: hike an easy coastal trail in Sai Kung
- Robin’s Nest Hike and Lin Ma Hang Cave: explore northern HK near the Shenzhen border
- Kai Kung Leng: hike the Rooster Ridge in Lam Tsuen Country Park
Like this blog post? Pin it on your Pinterest board!
No Comments