Mui Wo

Mui Wo, also called Silvermine Bay, is the ferry gateway to Lantau from Hong Kong Island and one of the quietest places in the territory reachable in under an hour: a small waterfront, a bus terminus, a beach, a wet market and a population that moves largely by bicycle. Behind the village a path follows a stream to the Silvermine waterfall and on to the entrance of a lead and silver mine worked in the nineteenth century, its main adit now gated with a viewing platform and interpretation. Old village houses and a small watchtower stand among the fields, and buses run from the pier to the beaches, Ngong Ping and Tai O.

What you actually see

• The Silvermine waterfall - the stream walk behind the village.
• The old mine adit - the nineteenth-century silver workings, now gated.
• A town that moves by bicycle - the quiet grid behind the ferry pier.
• The bus hub for Lantau - services to Ngong Ping, Tai O and the beaches.

When to go

October to April for walking. Half a day, or as a transit point. Ferries run frequently but fast and slow services differ in price and time.

Honest expectations

There is little to do beyond walking and eating, which is the point for some and dull for others. The beach is grey and modest. The mine can only be viewed from outside. Weekend ferries and buses are crowded.

Nearby

Pui O is west; Central is across the water.