Heavenly Book Wall

It all started with me browsing the internet to look for another interesting trail in Lantau for me to explore. A picture of the Heavenly Book Wall caught my eye. It looked like an open big book made by god Himself, it’s beauty truly astonishing.

I often wonder why it took me almost 6 months to finally set sail. There are many trails leading to this main attraction. Which trail you choose depends on your preference and capability. After doing some research, I decided to start the hike from Ma Wan Chun, Tung Chung – Pok To Yan summit – Heavenly Book Wall – Por Kai Shan – Tung Chung. The following is the technical aspect of the trail.

Duration : Total hours 5 (2 hours to Pok To Yan, 0.5 hours to Heavenly Book Wall, 1 hours to Por Kai Shan,1..5 hours to Tung Chung

Distance : 6.67 km

Ascent/Descent : Total 717 m Ascent and Descent

Difficulty : 8/10 (steep climb and ascent at some section with lots of loose stones)

Equipment : Good Hiking Shoes, Climbing Gloves and at least 1 liter of water.

Take Exit A of the Tung Chung MTR station, then walk all the way to the police station. The trail starts from Yu Tung Road on the right, towards Ma Wan village. Look for the dump site, and next to it there is a pathway up to the start of this trail.

Pok To Yan ridge actually consists of three gently peaks at an elevation of around 500 meters. This hike takes you up and over all three and the trail is fairly steep in places though not difficult. This trail ascends the ridge, gradually becomes steeper, and requires clambering up for almost 2 hours before summiting Pok To Yan at 529m.

I reached the summit of Pok To Yan in around 2 hours. The view here is unbelievable. After resting for a while we continue to hike to Heavenly Book Wall. Continuing on the main path will lead to a junction. The left trail takes you to the Por Kai Shan and the right trail leads down to the base of the Book Wall.

The descend to Heavenly Book Wall is precarious, and I would certainly recommend a good pair of gloves. The trail pass through the rocky gap where you will need to climb down using the tree roots on the rock as handles. Descend the trail a bit further, you will reach the Pak Lung Stream and eventually the Heavenly Book Wall.

The Heavenly Book Wall is made from two sheer vertical rock walls about 8-metres high aligned at a right angle. It looks like a giant book that’s been opened by divine forces.

There are many beautiful and interesting flower and plant species in this area. Por Kai Shan and neighbouring Pok To Yan were designated together a “Site of Special Scientific Interest” in 1994. According to the local government, this site has “over 200 species of native plants.” and “a number of rare and protected indigenous plants

Returning to the main path will eventually lead you to Por Kai Shan and a final descent. It then joins the Olympic Trail towards Tung Chung. Alternatively, if you do not feel like doing the climb Por Kai Shan, you could continue on along the main trail and then follow the left downhill path straight to Tung Chung.

If one day you decide to take the leap, I hope you will enjoy this challenging yet rewarding hike as much as I did!