The Land Between Tour

The New Territories, which lie between the Kowloon Hills and the border of the SAR (Special Administrative Region), is an enormously diverse suburban area full of contrasts. More than a century ago, this area was entirely rural. Today, sophisticated new towns exist alongside peaceful woodlands. Vast housing estates soar skyward, casting their shadow on traditional villages and old markets.

Visit Chuk Lam Shim Yuen (Bamboo Forest Monastery) which houses three of the largest precious Buddha statues in Hong Kong. Continue into the countryside pass banana plantation to Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong's tallest mountain, for a view of Hong Kong Island and Tsuen Wan industrial town to the south, and "the land between" ahead to the north.

Stop at the traditional rural market at Luen Wo and browse among the colorful stalls piled high with dried fish, herbs and vegetables, fresh fruit and flowers - a pungent combination! Head to the border stopping at Luk Keng. Nearby are a Hakka village and a bird sanctuary where Chinese pond herons and night herons nest. Visit Sam Mun Tsai fishing village to see how the locals breed fish in submerged cages.

Next is a turn south through the Plover Cove Country Park to Plover Cove Reservoir, a vast inlet storing millions of gallons of fresh water behind a huge dam - fresh water on one side, the open sea on the other. En route back to the city passes the town of Tai Po, one of Hong Kong's oldest commercial centres, and past the Chinese University for lunch on the terrace of the Yucca de Lac restaurant overlooking the peaceful Tolo Harbour. The last stop is at the Sha Tin panorama - once a sleepy village and now the site of an impressive new town and racetrack.