Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan
Ak-Suu Traverse
4 days · 42 miles · wild camping
Four days over high passes in the Tian Shan near Karakol.
- All four days
- Straight answers
- Getting there and back
- Passes, streams and camps
Hong Kong · 5 days · 71 miles · camping
MacLehose Trail Hiking Guide
In January 2020 my friend Ryan and I hiked the whole MacLehose Trail across Hong Kong: from Pak Tam Chung around High Island Reservoir, along the beaches of Sai Kung, over Ma On Shan, Lion Rock and Tai Mo Shan to Tuen Mun, camping four nights. 71 miles on foot on my GPS. It's the trip from my film Hiking 60 miles on the MacLehose Trail in Hong Kong. This guide has my GPS files, maps and notes for every day, every official campsite on the route and where you can't camp, the buses at every section end, water, and what changed by 2026.
What's inside
- All five days. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the trail, where to get off, a map with an elevation profile, and links to that day in my film.
- My GPX files. My own recordings for each day, with waypoints for the campsites and places in the guide, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
- Planning the nights. Every AFCD campsite on or by the trail with its water and toilets, the gap with no campsite, and how to sleep in the city instead.
- Getting there and getting off. Buses to Pak Tam Chung, and the bus or minibus at every section end, checked in 2026.
- Water and food. The filling stations, the village restaurants and stores, and the long dry stretches.
- Safety. Heat, storms and warnings, the high-risk spots, monkeys and wild pigs, and the distance posts to give 999.
- Before you go and a trip sheet. One page of year-to-year checks and a printable one-page summary of the whole trail.
Look inside
The details
- Format
- A 51-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
- Edition
- 2027 season edition, updated September 2026.
- Delivery
- Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
- Payment
- Secure checkout through Stripe. The price is in US dollars, and sales tax or VAT is added where it applies.
- Questions
- Email kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions
- How many days does the MacLehose Trail take?
- I walked it in 5 days in January 2020, with two days off in the city in the middle, camping four nights. The official trail is 100 km in 10 sections, and the parks department adds up to about 37 hours of walking. Many people walk it a section or two at a time from the city, because buses reach almost every section end.
- Can you camp on the MacLehose Trail?
- Yes, but only at the parks department's (AFCD) designated campsites, which are free. On or by the trail they include Pak Lap, Long Ke Wan, Sai Wan, Ham Tin Wan, Pak Tam Au, Cheung Sheung, Shui Long Wo, Ngong Ping, Lead Mine Pass, Rotary Park, Twisk, Ho Pui and Tin Fu Tsai. Twisk needs a booking. There is no campsite on Sections 5, 6 or 10.
- Where does the MacLehose Trail start and finish?
- It starts at Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung, reached by bus 94 from Sai Kung town (and 96R and 289R on weekends and holidays), and finishes at Tuen Mun, near buses, the light rail and Tuen Mun MTR station.
- Is there water on the MacLehose Trail?
- Only in places. AFCD's filling stations are at Pak Tam Chung, Pak Tam Au, Sai Sha Road at Kei Ling Ha, Shing Mun and Kowloon Hill, and there are village restaurants at Sai Wan and Ham Tin. There are none on Sections 4, 5 or 7 to 10, so carry plenty and treat stream water.
- When is the best time to hike the MacLehose Trail?
- October to March, the cool and dry season. The Hong Kong Observatory calls November and December the best months of the year; May to September is hot, humid and rainy, with typhoons most likely from July to September. I went in late January.
- How long is the MacLehose Trail?
- 100 km (62 miles) by the official sections. My GPS read 71.4 miles because of my detours: down to the Sai Kung road for Lunar New Year, up to the top of Lion Rock, and down to shops in Kwai Chung.
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Get the next guide
I'm making guides for more of my hikes, and I host a group trip about once a year. Get an email when a new guide or trip is out. A few emails a year.