Hongkong - yacht charter, tourist guide, descriptions, routes, photos

How to get there

The best way to get to Hong Kong is by air. The local airport is served by many airlines, including several from Europe - for example, Air France from Paris, Lufthansa from Frankfurt or Cathay Pacific from Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

Climate

Hong Kong's climate is, umm, interesting; it is generally classified as tropical and monsoon, which in practice means that it is cold and dry in winter and hot and humid in summer.

The best time to visit these regions is therefore autumn, when it is sunny, and at the same time quite warm and dry. As an additional attraction, there are occasional typhoons.

Practical advice

Hong Kong is officially recognized as a special administrative region of the PRC. It is located on the east coast of China, by the South China Sea. Hong Kong includes the Kowloon Peninsula and over 200 islands, including Lantau, Nanya Dao and Hong Kong Island, separated from the peninsula by a strait housing Victoria Harbour, which is one of the deepest ports in the world.

When we arrive in Hong Kong, we must have a passport valid for at least one month from the declared date of departure. However, if we are transiting through Hong Kong, going, for example, to Taiwan or the Philippines, the validity period of the passport should be at least 6 months.

Interestingly, going from Hong Kong to China is treated as going abroad and requires a special visa. For a fee, it can be obtained in Hong Kong (at Wan Chai, China Resources Building) or at the border.

Residents of Hong Kong, as befits people from the East, value order and the environment very much; for throwing paper on the street and for smoking in prohibited places (e.g. in all dining establishments) we can be punished with a large fine and even ... arrest.

Hong Kong is also a big challenge for drivers: firstly, there is left-hand traffic, and secondly, the local police do not honor driving licenses, neither Polish nor even international. As a consolation, it is worth adding that the entire region has a well-developed public transport network, so moving around by metro, trams, buses or even ferries is not a particular challenge. However, you should be careful when using taxis - although they are relatively cheap, additional fees are charged for tunnels and motorways. It is also worth remembering that the taxi driver will charge us for each piece of luggage that we put in the trunk.

Arriving in Hong Kong, it is worth buying a special Octopus card: it is a prepaid contactless card that we will pay in chain stores, some restaurants and bars, but it is especially useful when using public transport. The card can be obtained and topped up at all metro stations and in some retail outlets.

Ports/marinas

In the continental part, the Heba Heaven port, where yacht charters are most often held, and the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Shelter Cove located on the opposite side of the bay, deserve attention.

A little further south is another port, Club Marina Cove. An interesting, though not very cheap option is The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club.

In the island part, it is worth stopping at Aberdeen Harbor located in the south-western part of Hong Kong Island. Other options include the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in the Vioctoria Park area in the north of Hong Kong Island, and the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club - Middle Island, located directly on the opposite side of the island (in the south).

Local events/festivals

Every year in Hong Kong there are numerous holidays and festivals, so even arriving there "in the dark", we have a good chance to come across some feta. What's more, Hong Kong holidays are related to various religions - from Buddhism (which is quite obvious) to Christianity. The calendar of local holidays is as follows:

• Chinese New Year, falling between January and February
• Easter and Easter Monday (movable holidays)
• Grave Sweeping Day, or Ching Ming Festival - a movable holiday of Buddhism, falling in spring
• Labor Day - May 1
• Hofex Asia - secular day off
• Mother's Day - May 13
• Buddha's birthday - May 22
• Qingmingjie, which is the Ghost Festival celebrated at the end of the second or the beginning of the third month of the Chinese calendar (check it regularly, as it can be up to 13 months old)
• The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar

Top attractions

Hong Kong is a kind of bridge between the worlds of the East and the West, and this fact alone makes it an extraordinary place and worth visiting. No wonder that it is a real mecca for tourists who, apart from numerous attractions, find here a number of duty-free shops.

A local curiosity, perfectly showing the original way of thinking of Hong Kong residents, is the Bank of China Tower, designed by IM Pei. Although it is one of the most modern, tallest, and at the same time the most recognizable buildings in the world, the skyscraper was not received positively, because the residents of Hong Kong decided that ... it does not meet the principles of feng shui, because its angles are too sharp.

When visiting Hong Kong, it is worth seeing the Kowloon Peninsula with the local Avenue of Stars. An undoubted attraction is also the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas and Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin - a Taoist temple dedicated to the god Wong, which has become a place of worship for three faiths: Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, and by the way, also followers of numerology, followers of several local beliefs and numerous fortune-tellers who had their offices in the immediate vicinity of the temple.

Also worth visiting is Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island with a wonderful panorama of the city and the Man Mo Temple erected in honor of the gods of literature - Man and war - Mo.

In addition, it is also worth visiting Soho - a colorful district stretching along the world's longest escalators, which in the morning bring the inhabitants of the hills to work, only to go up in the afternoon. In the bay on the other side of the hills of the island is the nice village of Stanley, where you can relax from the hustle and bustle of the city. Those who like physical activity will certainly be happy to get acquainted with the 50-kilometre trekking route, which runs through 5 landscape parks.

It is also worth visiting Lantau Island, where the Big Buddha is located - the world's largest open-air Buddha statue (34 meters high and weighs over 250 tons).

Also worth visiting is the fishing village of Tai O - built on stilts and intertwined with a network of water channels through which boats glide. With a bit of luck, you can see pink dolphins living in the bay. The village itself is Chinese folklore in its undisturbed form - a remarkable contrast to the modern city. In the menus of local restaurants, fish and seafood are almost straight from the water.