eing in Hong Kong one cannot avoid visiting some small local islands.

Ma Wan is a tiny place of not even 1 square kilometer to walk around. It is situated between Tsing Yi Island and Lantau Island. You can easily miss it when you go to/from the airport – too fascinated by the bridges or the views around you or stuck in dark, metro tunnels.

It is an old place. With a recently discovered Neolithic remains descendants of the Tonka people, a 250-year-old ghost village, and a modern residential complex it is a surprising little thing.

In the shadows of the passing planes and surrounded by bird’s music you can spend a lovely day here – enjoy a beach or a hike, eat some nice food, listen to some Kwok brother’s gossip or wonder about dogs being driven in trolleys.

How to get there?

Is it complicated? Ok – there is no metro stop – but that is not a problem.

For hundreds of years, people got here with a boat. At it was like that until quite recently since the bridges are just around 30 years old. The Rose Garden Project was a colorful vision of a prosperous future. It linked the mainland with Lantau Island and built a new, bigger airport to accommodate the growing traffic of the early 90s. It facilitated life for many but also destroyed some precious things and places as you will soon find out.

This means – that there is still the boat connection! Quite frequent and convenient – at least for the locals living there.

In Ma Wan you will arrive at the local plaza of the Park Island residential complex. A map of the local area will great you. There will be some bars, a supermarket and a sea of possibilities to choose from.

Boat to/from Central Island, Pier 2

Price*: 27 HKD

*All the prices in this article are for adults – children normally pay half of it (child – under 12 years old)

It leaves Central (as it is called by everyone) every hour starting with 7.30 till 23.30 (then only a bus)

From Ma Wan it is every full hour. The reason is simple – the travel time is about 25 minutes. It basically goes there and back all the time. Very easy to remember!

In the rush hours of the morning and evening – when people get back from work it is even more frequent.

Here is a link to the timetable for both boats.

Boat to/from Tsuen Wan West

Price: 12 HKD

Leaves 3 times a day.

Times for Ma Wan: 10.15, 13.15, 16.15

Times for Tsuen Wan West: 10.35, 13.35, 16.35

Finding the pier is quite easy – it is just next to the exit from the violet metro station – Tsuen Wan West. Get to the exit D and when you see the daylight direct yourselves to the water (should be somewhere on the right). The pier is the only thing in this part of the shore, and a gathering of smaller and bigger boats will be a good indication for where to go.

Since the bridges were built Ma Wan was one step away from a road connection. The residential complex was ignited at the beginning of 2002. Park Island was born, and its personal bus link was created for it.

The areas where you can find their bus stops on the mainland are Tsuen Wan, Tsing Yi, Kwai Fong, night bus to the Central, and a bus to the airport.

Bus 331 – Tsuen Wan Metro Station

Price: 13,60 HKD

From the metro station, go to the exit B3. You will see the entrance to a shopping gallery but there are also stairs leading to the ground-road level. The bus stop is on the opposite side of the road, unfortunately. No pedestrian crossing either.

But knowing where it is, or just looking at it from the level 1 height take the pedestrian bridge paths (they go around) and you will easily get there.

Bus 331S – Tsuen Wan West

Price: 14,30 HKD

The final stop is in Tsuen Wan West next to the Nina Towers. A good indication of the place is a huge bus terminal under one of the towers – but the bus stop to Ma Wan is just next to the road – not inside!

There is also one stop above the Tsuen Wan metro station. Going out of the metro find the stairs going up. Remember that cars go on the left side here. This means that one road will lead you to the bus stop going to Tsuen Wan West and the other – to Ma Wan. There is no pedestrian crossing there – you will have to go down and take the other flight of stairs to the other side.

The above busses go every half an hour from the early morning to the late evening. Here is a link for a timetable.

In Ma Wan they arrive in the Village – there are a few stops there. If you get off on the first stop, as soon as you get to the island – you will be close to everything: the promenade, Noah’s Ark, etc. – but you will have to find your way there (the stop is marked on the map). The last stop is the Bus Terminal – very close to the Noah’s Ark, the parc area, and to the hikers’ paths.

Bus 330 – Tsing Yi

Price: 9,50 HKD

You will find the bus stop on the ground floor of the metro station. Direct yourself to the vicinity of the exit C. Take the escalator down and find your bus stop somewhere to the left of the underground area.

It goes every 15-20 minutes.

Bus 332 – Kwai Fong

Price: 10 HKD

It is the connection with the Metroplaza Shopping Centre.

The bus stop is next to the building. It is difficult to find it at first – but google maps show it well. You need to find a service road – not far from the other bus stops or taxi area. There will be a barrier there since it is only accessible to some services. The only indication that there is a bus stop – apart from a small sign, are the benches for the people waiting, some shadow area, and the lines of the queue on the ground.

There may be no one – normally people wait in the air-conditioned Metroplaza until the last moment. There will be a small door there – the entrance to the shopping center.

The bus goes more or less every 30 minutes

Link for the timetable.

Both busses stop just at the beginning of Ma Wan – after the toll post. There will be a map there – it is close to the beach, promenade, and Noah’s Ark. If not – go to the last stop which is the bus terminal – this one is next to the pier, main square, shop, and the promenade. A walk between the two stops is 15 minutes.

Night Bus and Airport Link

To facilitate the lives of the residents there are two more interesting links.

One is the night bus between the Central and Ma Wan. It replaces the boat service during the night – the timetable stays the same (every hour). It basically means that you can party in Soho/Ma Wan and you can still get back home.

There is also a direct link to the airport (bus 334). Very useful if you are a tourist staying on Ma Wan. Price – 24 HKD. Works between 6 and midnight (from Ma Wan; for the airport it starts at 6.30). At the airport look for the coaches’ stops (not bus stops).

Link to a timetable

Important – you need to have an Octopus Card. Recently the drivers stopped accepting cash.

What to do there?

You can easily plan a whole day there, with various attractions included. There is really not that much but combined together they create a fascinating day.

In a shortcut – there is an abandoned village, a beach, a hiking ground with some hidden spots, a cemetery, restaurants, parks, bars, and benches with a nice view to relax. Not to forget the Noah’s Arc – but this is more of a paying attraction for families.

Wow! Right?!

Arriving at the pier or the bus terminal you have the main square greeting you. Here is a spot to sit down and look at the people. The residents relax here, they come to eat or drink something, spend time with each other, do some sports or dances. It is a very peaceful place, with great views of the Tsing Yi Bridge.

You are in Park Island complex already. It is not a closed area so you can move freely there. Enjoy the shade of the trees. Go to the playground with your kids. See the “park” of those who choose to live surrounded by green color.

The place was built in 6 phases, between 2002 and 2006. It is the child of the Sun Hai Properties or as some call it – the Kwok brothers. It cost 12,5 million HKD bringing back even more with every flat sold. Each tower has 27 floors, each – with 6 apartments. There are 31 towers – check the current prices in one of the agencies here and do the math… it will blow your mind. The Kwok family is the third richest in HK and China just after Li Ka-Shing. Their story is even more fascinating since Thomas Kwok was put in jail for bribery on a government official in 2014.

Going through Park Island or up the road next to the bus terminal. You will eventually arrive in Ma Wan Village. These groups of 2 floors, similar buildings are in reality a group of villages. People on Ma Wan call them simply – village houses. This is where the residents of the now-abandoned fishing village moved to. There are even words about a forced eviction, and it is certain that some people were not happy to leave their previous homes. 2011 brought the end to the fishing village and the people were recompensated by getting a village house (2 floors and a roof) or 3 apartments (max 65 square metres) in one block of the Park Island complex. Who did the “eviction” is quite clear now, isn’t it.

We are so sorry to inform you dear readers… The abandoned village of Ma Wan will soon be no more. The area is permanently closed (as of May 2021) and you can see the project that will make the Ma Wan Village bigger. Meaning… no more or the super-climatic surrounding!

There are plans to preserve some parts of the area, but no one knows how it will be in the end. Hopefully the dolphin statue will still be there.

We are not changing this part of the article so you will know how it was…

The abandoned town is at the “bottom” of Ma Wan Village. You can get there through the passages between the houses – if you know the way. Or through an entrance marked on the plan, I have made for you (it is not far from the bus terminus of line 331). The “main path” will lead you to a picturesque scene of a small fishing village, some boats hidden in the typhoon shelter, and a pier. It is absolutely lovely and in huge contrast to the scene, you meet 5 minutes later.

As you approach the houses you see the state, they are in. Some are falling apart, others not really. You even have the impression that someone is still living there. Everything is closed and behind a fence and venturing inside might finish with your foot stuck on the floor or a stair.

This once was a lively place, with a history of 250 years. The village was called Tin Lin – it was founded by Chan family that came here from Tsing Yi. The people were the descendants of Tanka tribes – outcasts and sea gypsies or just the people who lived all their lives on a boat. These are the true natives of Hong Kong. They may have started to build their houses – close to the water, elevated (on benches or wood trunks – they are called stilt houses or pang uk) – but their whole culture was built on the idea of living on a boat. Fishing, sleeping, learning, building a family, having a wedding – all of it. Today you can see the remnants of these traditions in Tai O village on the Lantau Island – here you will find only ghosts.

It was a long but fast way from 2000 Ma Wan residents to more than 15000 of today. Their main occupation was fishing, you could get great seafood here or their specialty – dried shrimp paste. It was not that long ago you know – in 1995 it was quite famous. Today there is still a lot of fishermen everywhere on Ma Wan. Maybe they continue the traditions of Tin Lin Village 😊

It is a great and spooky place to come in the evening. But the bridge to Lantau is beautifully lit and the pier is very inviting – so don’t be too scared. Sometimes there are lights in the water – maybe it is just a passing boat or maybe these are treasure hunters! It is said that a pirate Cheung Po-Tsai lost his valuables somewhere in this passage.

Another interesting feature on Ma Wan is Noah’s Ark. This biblical boat is hard to miss – it doesn’t matter whether you arrive by boat or bus. It sticks out and looks very… well, biblical. It is an invention of Thomas Kwok who turned to evangelical religion at some point in his life. The whole thing is mainly a theme park for children – with its most prominent landmark – the animals going out of the ark. There is also a hotel inside – so you can spend a night there – enjoy the area, the beach and Ma Wan itself.

Ma Wan Park Nature Garden is a place not to be missed as well. You will find it close to the entrance to the Noah’s Ark. It is free to visit – don’t be scared by the fence. I love to listen to cicadas out there – it is impossible how loud they can get. And with a lovely piano music in the background… What is more there are a few lookouts points out there, a jungle of plant species, a solar tower where you can experience looking at the sun, a square with a giant shell and so much more. My first mantis was seen there too!

The final attraction of Ma Wan is a hiking area. I discovered it in two phases – the first one was a cemetery with an incredible view of the Central and Lamma Islands and the Hong Kong bay area. Then I went further – discovered hidden beaches and piers and an area where you feel like in a savage country. It was amazing, and I would love to return there on a low, autumn tide and try to get to that small island adjacent to Ma Wan. The locals say it can be done. 

And when you feel tired – go back to the beach or the square. You can enjoy some well-deserved rest there. The beach has a very original name of Tung Wan Beach (there is a dozen others like that in HK) which means the East Bay Beach. The square will be close to your transport back home. Both places offer some amazing views of the Tsing Yi Bride, which ist the 9th longest span suspension bridge in the world. It had a tiny construction problem at the beginning – it was unstable during the high winds. But there is a solution for everything – here they added more concrete to make it heavier.

The views and the atmosphere are fantastic, food nourishing and drinks – refreshing. What more would you want for a one day trip somewhere…

Lastly – some tips that will help to plan your day there:

• Boat or bus 330, 334, 332 terminals are close to a few restaurants, square, and a supermarket. It is a 10-minute walk (via the promenade) to the beach area and 20 min walk to the garden or abandoned village.
• Bus 331 terminal is close to the entrances to Noah’s Ark and the garden. The hiking trails or abandoned village is 2-3 minutes from it
• In-village bus stops are the most confusing
• Hiking will take the most of your time – making a circle with checking the small bays takes about 2-3 hours
• Remember to always have your hat, sunscreen, and some water