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Cycling / Bike Touring in Plover Cove
The northeast corner of Hong Kong's New Territories, where the calm inlet of Tolo Harbour runs up to the vast Plover Cove Reservoir and the Pat Sin Leng hills. A near-continuous waterfront cycle track links Sha Tin and Tai Po to the dam at Tai Mei Tuk, the backbone of the territory's most popular family bike ride.
Why here
Hong Kong is not the first place most people picture on a bike, which is exactly why the New Territories cycle network is such a pleasant surprise. From Sha Tin, a dedicated, mostly flat cycle track shadows the Shing Mun River and then the shoreline of Tolo Harbour all the way to Tai Mei Tuk and the great dam wall of Plover Cove Reservoir, around 22 kilometres one way with the water on one side and the Pat Sin Leng ridge on the other. It is car-free for almost its whole length, which makes it accessible to families and casual riders rather than only the lycra crowd, and it strings together riverside parks, old walled villages, the temples and markets of Tai Po, and waterfront seafood at the far end. The reservoir itself is a quiet novelty, a body of fresh water reclaimed from a sea inlet by damming the cove, ringed by hills that hikers climb for the sunset. A guided ride adds the local texture the track alone does not give you: which village to detour into, the history of the Hakka settlements and the reservoir engineering, and a lunch stop worth stopping for. Autumn to spring is the season, when the humidity drops and the harbour views are sharp. This is the mellow, green, water-level side of Hong Kong that most visitors never see.
Best months
Ride from October to April for cool, dry, clear weather; summer is hot, humid and exposed on the open waterfront sections, with afternoon storms. The core Sha Tin to Tai Mei Tuk track is flat, paved and almost entirely separated from traffic, so it suits beginners and families, with the distance rather than any difficulty being the main effort. Weekends and public holidays are busy with local riders and the rental kiosks run short of bikes, so start early or ride midweek. Bring water, sun protection and a lock for stops.
Getting there & around
The route is easy to reach independently: Tai Wai and Sha Tin MTR stations sit at the western end near the bike-rental kiosks, and Tai Po Market and University stations give access partway along, so you can ride as much or as little of the track as you like and return by train. Public rental bikes are plentiful but sell out on busy weekends. A guided tour handles the bikes, the transport links and the village detours, and typically runs point to point around Plover Cove. Bring cash for rentals and the seafood lunch at Tai Mei Tuk.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (1)
Hong Kong a la Carte
OutfitterHong Kong a la Carte is a Hong Kong tour operator and a member of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents (HATA) and the Travel Industry Council. It runs a guided 25-kilometre cycling day around Plover Cove and Tolo Harbour, starting from Sha Tin, that rides the waterfront track past old walled villages with a local lunch stop. Bike rental, a private guide and the public-transport connections are included.