In climate and culture, the subtropical far south of Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, feels a part of southeast Asia. Much of the area is primeval rainforest, the last left in the country, and home to a huge diversity of flora and fauna, including a third of China’s bird population. A third of the population is Dai; another third is made up of the numerous other minorities. Most of the population lives in small villages and the area’s appeal lies in the opportunity to hop between towns, explore the countryside by bike, and trek through the jungle.

East to Laos, this route travels through cultivated flat lands and then highland forest to the Laotian border, which you can cross, provided you have the required visa.

The small settlement of Manting, a few miles east of Ganlanba is full of traditional wooden Dai houses. The town’s Fo Si and Du Ta are excellent reconstructions of 12th-century temples destroyed in the Cultural Revolution.

Three hours east by bus lies Menglun, a dusty couple of streets beside the Luosuo Jiang. The superb Botanic Gardens, across a suspension bridge on the opposite bank were set up to research medicinal uses of local plants. With over 3,000 different species, there’s plenty to see, even for the not-sobotanically minded, including the celebrated Dragons’ Blood Trees whose sap is used to heal wounds, as well as bamboo and ancient cycad groves. Stay the night, in the small hotel within the gardens.

Leaving the farms behind, the road to Mengla travels through a great tract of thick tropical jungle, the largest of Xishuangbanna’s five wildlife preserves, which gives way to rubber plantations. Mengla itself is a rather drab and unattractive town.

A short taxi ride north of Mengla, the Bupan Aerial Walkway, a chain of slender bridges 40 m in the tree canopy, allows for unrivaled views of the jungle below. It’s another 15 km to the Yao minority village of Yaoqu. There’s a hostel, and from here it is possible to trek into some very remote regions - you’re advised to hire a guide.

Shangyong is the last village before the Laos border and though not really worthy of a trip in itself, it’s interesting as Xishuangbanna’s Miao center.

West to Myanmar, western Xishuangbanna is less developed than the east, with rougher roads and sketchier transport. The many fascinating villages inhabited entirely by minorities, however, make the rigors of travel worthwhile.

Sprawling Menghai is unremarkable, but useful as a base for exploring villages and the countryside by bike. It’s renowned for its pu’er tea and hosts a lively Sunday market.

The monastery at Jingzhen is known for its busu, an octagonal pavilion for delivering sermons. The main temple has beautiful decorative wall paintings. A bit farther on at Mengzhe, the hilltop Manlei Si is a bizarre-looking, frilly octagon built in the 18th century, which holds an important collection of sutras written on palm fiber. Xiding, an attractive Hani village, holds a large Thursday market.

Gelanghe is dominated by the Hani, whose women wear elaborate silver headdresses. A sub-group, the Ake, who wear their long hair in braids, live in a settlement just north of town on the way to the lake.

Heading south towards the border, Menghun is a sleepy town with a huge Sunday market, beginning at dawn and over by noon. Most participants are Dai, but you will also see Hani and Bulang. There’s also a rather run-down 19th-century monastery in town.

The border town of Daluo is the end of the line for westerners who are not allowed to travel to Myanmar, unless being met at the border as part of an official tour. The cross-border market, which attracts hill tribes and Burmese traders, makes the trip to this outpost worth it.

Damenglong, 70 km south of Jinghong, comes alive on market days and is a popular spot for trekking and temple hopping. On the way, it’s worth stopping at Gasa to explore Manguanglong Si, a monastery with a lovely dragon-shaped stairway.

Manfeilong Ta is a half-hour walk north of Damenglong and its nine graceful spires make it the most impressive of the local temples. Built in 1204 to enshrine what is purported to be Buddha’s footprint, it is popular with Buddhist pilgrims and is the center of festivities during the Tan Ta Festival in late October or early November. Another Buddhist monument, Hei Ta, is rather run-down, but set in a very pleasant location.

The walk to Bulang Shan is a simple, well-established three-day walk along the Nana Jiang and its tributaries, passing through dense jungle and villages of the Dai, Hani, Bulang, and Lahu minorities. Hire a guide and be careful not to stray off the path into Myanmar. From Damenglong it’s 10 km to the Dai village of Manguanghan, then a further 13 km to the Bulang village of Manpo, which makes a good place to spend the night. The next day is a 22-km tramp through heavy jungle on winding paths to Weidong. The next day is an easy hike of 10 km along the road to Bulang Shan, which offers rudimentary accommodations and a daily bus to Menghai.

Cui Hu Park

Northwest of the city, this park has pavilions and bridges, and its lotus-filled ponds are visited by migrant red-beaked gulls in winter. Just west of the park, the old French Legation now holds temporary exhibitions. To the northwest is the university district, with its student cafes.

Yuantong Si

At the foot of Yuantong Hill lies Yunnan’s largest Buddhist complex and a popular pilgrimage spot. Renovated and rebuilt many times, it has an imposing Ming gateway, while a bridge over the central pond crosses through a Qing-era pavilion. Enshrined here is a 3-m golden statue of Maitreya Buddha. Behind the pavilion, the Ming-dynasty Great Hall of the Buddha has two wooden dragons on its main pillars, referring to a legend that the temple was built to pacify a dragon living in the pond. A new Thai-style hall behind holds a marble statue of Sakyamuni, donated by the King of Thailand. At the back of the temple is a cliff cut with steps allowing a view of religious poems and sayings carved into the rock.

The Stone Forest

Celebrated as a natural wonder, the limestone pillars of the Stone Forest (Shi Lin) are Yunnan’s most visited sight. The bizarre, tightly-packed formations, some as tall as 30 m, have been given imaginative names such as “Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon” and “Everlasting Fungus.” Resembling a petrified forest, the area is shot through with winding pathways, ponds, and look-out points. So popular is this place that the central paths can get clogged with tour groups. Head to the edges of the forest to find a quiet corner, but keep in mind that it is easy to get lost in this otherworldly landscape. For a more ethereal experience, spend the night and explore when it’s deserted and eerily lit.

Jin Dian

Well-kept flower gardens and leafy pine woods are reason enough to visit this secluded spot in the city’s northeastern suburbs. However, the park’s ostensible focus is the Jin Dian (Golden Temple) located on top of its central hill. Built in 1671 as the summer residence of the Qing rebel general, Wu Sangui, this unusual two-tiered shrine is made entirely of bronze. Its overall construction imitates the more conventional wooden temples, with screens, columns, and flying eaves. Just over 6-m high and weighing nearly 272,155 kg, the temple sits atop a base of Dali marble and is almost completely black with the patina of age. In the courtyard stand ancient camellia trees, one of which is 600 years old. The main hall, with bronze lattices, beams, and statues, houses two magical swords used by Daoist warriors. Fragrant with camellias, the gardens here serve as popular picnic spots. Visitors can either take a bus or hire a bike to reach the base of the hill, from where it’s an easy hike uphill to the temple.

Situated on the hill behind Jin Dian is another Daoist shrine with a tower that houses a 12,700-kg bronze bell. Dating to 1432, it was retrieved from Kunming’s demolished southern gates.

Lake Dian & the Western Hills

The 40-km long Lake Dian (Dian Chi), just south of Kunming, is lined with fishing villages and is very pretty, especially along its hilly western and flat eastern shores. Plying the waters of the elongated lake are fanchuan, traditional junks with bamboo masts and square canvas sails, used for fishing. Daguan Pavilion on the north shore has good views of the area, while a few miles south is Haigeng Park with green willows and eucalyptuses.

The most rewarding way to see the lake is from the Western Hills, about 16 km southwest of Kunming. The undulating contours of the “Sleeping Beauty Hills” are said to resemble a reclining woman with tresses flowing into the lake. The path leading to the summit holds a treasury of temples. Visitors can either climb up or take a minibus. The first temple, 2 km from the entrance, is Huating Si. Designed originally as a country retreat for Gao Zhishen, who ruled Kunming in the 11th century, it has been rebuilt several times. The attractive gardens, dotted with stupas and ponds, contain interesting figures, including the four fierce-looking Guardians of the Directions, the gilded, blue-haired Buddhas, and a set of 500 arhat.

From Huating Si, a steep, winding road leads deep into the forest for 2 km to Taihua Si, established by Xuan Jian, a wandering Chan (Zen) Buddhist monk in 1306, and dedicated to Guanyin, the Goddess of Compassion. It is well known for its garden of camellias and magnolias, and excellent views. Another 20-minute walk up the hill leads to Sanqing Si, a complex of temples, halls, and pavilions, which formerly served as a summer palace for a 14thcentury Mongolian prince. It was converted to a Daoist shrine in the 18th century.

Just half a mile away is the Dragon Gate Grotto, a set of chambers, steps, and tunnels excavated from the mountain. The mammoth construction task, which involved swinging from ropes and hacking at the rock with chisels, was begun by the late 18th century monk Wu Laiqing, and took 70 years to complete. Worth exploring along the way are niches with several fantastic statues, including those of Guanyin and the Gods of Study and Virtue. A cable car runs from near Sanqing Si to the summit at Grand Dragon Gate, a balcony perched at 2,500 m, from where there are fine views over Lake Dian.

One of China’s most scenic reserves, Jiuzhai Gou (Nine Stockades Gully) covers 620 sq km of mountain valleys dotted with Tibetan villages. Beneath the snow-capped mountains, the valley floors are strung with almost 100 extraordinarily blue lakes, said to be the broken slivers of the Tibetan goddess Semo’s mirror. Broad waterfalls, heavily encrusted with lime deposits, connect many of the lakes. Aside from herds of yaks, birds are the most evident wildlife, including rare mandarin ducks; a panda sighting is unlikely.

Panda Breeding Center

This research base set up in 1987 has bred and raised over 27 giant panda cubs, scoring well over the usual captive survival rate. While so far this has been for the benefit of zoos, the center’s main aim is to start returning pandas to the wild. One of the best places to see pandas in China, they can be seen chewing arrow bamboo or sleeping.

Qingyang Gong

Founded in the ninth century, Qingyang is Chengdu’s main Daoist temple. Its name, meaning Green Goat, refers to the obscure final words of Daoism’s mythical founder, Laozi, that those who understood his teachings could find him at the Green Goat market. The most distinctive building is the 1882 Bagua Pavilion, whose stone pillars carved with 81 Loongs enclose a life-sized statue of Laozi riding his buffalo. Inside the Three Purities Hall, three massive bearded statues representing the deities Original Nature, Virtue, and Wisdom, loom over two bronze statues of what are supposedly goats, although the right-hand animal has tiger paws, a unicorn’s horn, a snake’s tail, and other attributes of animals in the Chinese zodiac. Around the back of the next hall, crowds line up to touch one of the three auspicious characters painted on a wall, and thus receives good fortune.

Baoguang Temple

A place of worship since the Han dynasty, Baoguang Temple owes its current name and reputation to the Tang emperor Xizong, who took refuge here in AD 881, during a rebellion. He called the temple Baoguang, or Shining Treasure, after he saw a light underneath a wooden pagoda in the temple, which was supposedly emanating from the buried holy relics. The pagoda, which he ordered to be rebuilt in stone, still stands as the 13-story, 30-m high Sheli Tower, just inside the entrance. Its top, however, broke off during an earthquake. The temple has well tended gardens planted with ginkgos, besides a dozen or more halls filled with holy relics, including a room dedicated to the Tsongkhapa sect of Tibetan lamaism, and a stone stele carved with Buddha images from AD 540. Baoguang Temple’s biggest draw is its Qing-era Luohan Hall, where 518 brightly painted, life-sized sculptures of Buddhist saints are joined by 59 Buddhas and Bodhidarma - the Indian founder of Zen Buddhism - along with a huge phoenix statue. Among the statues are the emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, with their distinctive beards, boots, and capes. Also within the compound is a little restaurant offering vegetarian fare.

Sanxingdui Museum

In the 1980s archeologists began excavating at Sanxingdui, where farmers had been finding ancient pieces since 1929. They unexpectedly uncovered traces of an ancient city, over 3,000 years old, tentatively believed to have been the capital of the Ba-Shu culture. Numerous sacrificial pits were found containing an extraordinary trove of bronze, gold, and jade artifacts. Key pieces in the museum include a 2-m high bronze figure with huge, coiled hands, a giant “spirit tree” hung with mystical animals, and several leering, 1-m wide masks whose eyes protrude on stalks. Also on display are smaller, finely detailed pieces, along with accounts of the excavations. Highly individual in style, though evoking the contemporary Shang bronzes of eastern China, the Sanxingdui artifacts reveal a very high degree of craftsmanship. The finds perhaps challenge the popular theory that China evolved from a single culture living by the Yellow River.

Salt has been mined in Sichuan for at least 2,500 years, and for much of that time Zigong has been at the center of its production, luring traders from all over China. Brine is drawn from artesian wells beneath the city, along with natural gas used in the evaporation process. Chinese well-drilling techniques, mainly the use of bamboo cables and heavy iron drill-bits, were borrowed by the West during the 1850s, and later adapted for mining oil reserves. Until the 1960s, Zigong was full of bamboo pipelines and 100-m high wooden derricks. Even today one can visit some of these older mines and vintage architecture built to display the salt-merchants’ wealth.

The Zigong Salt Museum was built in 1736 as the Xiqing Guildhall, a meeting place for salt merchants from Shaanxi province. This lavish building features elaborate flying eaves, and a gilded, wood-carved interior based around a large galleried atrium, where plays were once performed. Exhibits cover the entire history of salt mining, from Han dynasty illustrations, to huge metal drill-bits and cutaways showing the drilling process. Other contemporary buildings of interest are two teahouses with charming antique interiors, where locals sit and chat. The most attractive of these is the 19th century Wangye Miao, a smaller version of the Xiqing Guildhall, which perches castle-like on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Fuxi Jiang on Binjiang Lu. The other is a former City Storekeepers’ Guildhall on Zhonghua Road, whose carved entranceway opens into a sloping, flagstone courtyard surrounded by private wood paneled booths.

The Xinhai Well, just east of the center, was easily the deepest in the world when drilling reached a depth of 1,001 m in 1835, producing a daily output of 14 cubic m of brine and 8,500 cubic m of natural gas. The 18-m high timber derrick, bamboo pipes, cables, and buffalo-powered winches used in the drilling and retrieving processes are on show, along with gas powered evaporation pans used to refine salt, which is still produced and packed on site. Zigong’s other forms of subterranean wealth are its fossils, found at a major Jurassic site in the northeastern suburb of Dashanpu, that has now been roofed over as a Dinosaur Museum. In 1985, extensive excavations were carried out with British assistance, unearthing hundreds of skeletons, including the stegosaur-like Gigantspinosaurus Sichuanensis, and the 9-m long, carnivorous Yangchuanosaurus and Hepingensis. Assembled skeletons are displayed in the main hall, along with partially excavated remains in the original diggings.

The enormous 71-m high Great Buddha (Dafo) is carved into the red sandstone face of Lingyun Hill overlooking the treacherous confluence of the Min, Dadu, and Qingyi rivers below. In AD 713 a monk, Haitong, decided to safeguard passing boats by creating a protective icon in the cliffs - though he was also practical enough to realize that the resultant rubble would fill in the shoals. By the time Great Buddha was completed, other temples had been built around it and on the adjacent Wuyou Hill, and today a network of paths links this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Before the 20th century, rugged mountains would have virtually isolated Sichuan from eastern China if it hadn’t been for the 650 km stretch of the Yangzi linking Chongqing with Yichang in Hubei Province. The journey was a perilous one, the river tearing through the sheer-sided Three Gorges. Today, with the shoals cleared, the journey makes a popular cruise through spectacular scenery, with regular stops at famous sights. The landscape has been irrevocably changed by the filling of the Three Gorges Dam, gradually making the cruise even more leisurely and extending the cruising season.

The Three Gorges, though the river is no longer the vicious torrent described by countless travelers, the steep walls and tight channels of Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, and Xiling Gorge still present an awesome spectacle.

The Three Gorges Dam has raised water levels upstream by up to 175 m; even now the water is rising, making each cruise unique. Millions of people had been relocated, several cities have been rebuilt above the new waterline. The new reservoir is so large that the impression of being on a river will remain, as will the key elements of history and scenery.

Chaotian Men

Chaotian Men (Gate Facing Heaven) is Chongqing’s wharf district right at the tip of the peninsula, where cruise boats line the muddy banks, readying themselves for their journey into Eastern China. A viewing platform overlooking the river junction was built in 2000, and offers splendid views on a windy day, though often visibility is impaired by the fogs.

Luohan Si

This Ming-era temple is famed for its hall crowded with luohan (those freed from the cycle of rebirth). The Indian Buddhist pantheon has just 18 luohan, but the Chinese have added hundreds of their own, including Buddhist figures, folk heroes, and even Daoists. The hall has 524 life-sized statues; some sit serenely, while others have grotesque faces. The most easily identifiable figure is Ji Gong, a comic peasant hero near the exit.

Hongyan Cun

This group of whitewashed buildings was the base of the Nationalist-Communist “United Front” government during World War II. Among the prominent people based here were the Communist leader Zhou Enlai and his wife, Deng Yingchao. Chairman Mao briefly visited Hongyan Cun (Red Crag Village) after Japan surrendered in 1945, to attend the US-sponsored talks with the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai Shek. The buildings now house a collection of sparsely-captioned wartime photographs. More appealing is the hilly parkland surrounding the site.

Ciqi Kou

Founded 1,700 years ago on the banks of Jialing Jiang, Ciqi Kou (Porcelain Port) was a famous porcelain production center during the Ming era, and is something of a museum piece. Its riverfront lanes, preserved in their original flagstone state, are flanked by old timber, adobe, and split-stone buildings with carved stonework, latticed windows, and gray-tiled roofs. Teahouses are the city’s main feature, and there are about 100 to choose from. A couple of the more traditional ones overlook the river and occasionally host opera performances. Porcelain isn’t made here any more, but Ciqi Kou has become the haunt of painters in both modern and traditional styles.

Ruins of St. Paul

All that is left of this once grand cathedral, built by the Jesuits and perched precariously atop a steep flight of steps, is its magnificent, crumbling facade. Its most outstanding features are the ornate figures on the facade, comprising a “sermon in stone” that records some of the main events from the Christian scriptures.

In the 18th century, Macau also expelled the Jesuits, and the building was converted into barracks until it was destroyed by a fire in 1835. Only extensive structural work in the 1990s stopped the facade from crumbling. The attached museum houses paintings, sculptures, and relics from Macau’s churches.

Maritime Museum

Small-scale but interesting exhibits make this museum worth a visit for insights into Macau’s maritime past upon which its wealth was built. Displays include models of Chinese junks, Portuguese ships and fishing boats, a mock Hakka village, a Loong boat, and a small aquarium. There are also motorized junk rides around the harbor.

Fisherman Wharf

As themed complexes go, this is one of the newest, largest, and most technicolor in the region. It occupies a total of 92,900 sq m at the outer harbor. The complex is built on newly reclaimed land and is divided into three areas. Dynasty Wharf, built in Tang-dynasty style, is a massive food mall. At East Meets West, an artificial volcano erupts in pyrotechnic display at night, while inside are thrilling rides in mine carts (think Indiana Jones). The adjacent Children’s Fort is specifically for families. To see replicas of different areas of the world with themed restaurants and shops, go to Legend Wharf. It also has a marina for luxury yachts.

The bustling heart of Hong Kong is broken in two and divided by Victoria Harbor. Its key sights, cultural attractions, shopping, and eating spots are found along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, and at, or close to, Kowloon’s southern tip. Between Kowloon and the border with the rest of China lie the New Territories, with their rugged mountains and most of Hong Kong’s modern, high-rise dormitory towns. The other major islands - Lamma, Cheung Chau, and Lantau - are west of Hong Kong Island, and beyond these is Macau. A passport is necessary to leave or arrive in both Macau and Hong Kong, as they are still administered as autonomous regions of China.

Central

The sleek, corporate cathedrals of local banks and businesses tower over the ever-teeming streets of Hong Kong’s financial and administrative epicenter. Central is easily explored on foot, allowing visitors a close view of some of the most interesting buildings, especially in Statue Square.

The elegant Neo-Classical Legislative Building is surmounted by the blindfolded figure of Themis, the Greek goddess of justice. Completed in 1911, it originally served as Hong Kong’s Supreme Court and today houses the Legislative Council, the legislative arm of the region’s government.

Beyond the Legislative Building, the municipal-style architecture of the square’s center is rather disappointing. However, not all the structures lack imagination. The modernistic, but feng shui-friendly girders of the HSBC (Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation) Headquarters loom over the square. Be sure to take the escalators up to its impressive lobby, and rub the paws of the regal-looking lions outside for luck. The stark spike of the Bank of China headquarters rises behind the HSBC Headquarters.

Northwest of Statue Square near the Star Ferry Terminal is Hong Kong’s tallest building and currently the world’s third tallest high-rise, the 88-story, 415 m Two International Finance Centre (IFC). The IFC Mall at the tower’s base is one of Hong Kong’s largest malls, adding to Central’s several upmarket shopping malls, such as The Landmark. There are plans to build a tower even taller than IFC across the water in Kowloon.

Hong Kong’s history is now showcased during the winter holiday season in a sound and light show, where the Victoria Harbor skyline is lit with festive lights that create giant pictures on the buildings.

Wan Chai

Made famous in Richard Mason’s 1957 novel The World of Suzy Wong, Wan Chai’s colorful 1950s and 60s red light district has given way to new development, fancy bars, restaurants, and hotels. The Wan Chai MTR is a good starting point for a walking tour. A trip down Lockhart Road, just around the corner from the MTR, reveals the area’s few remaining ties with its past in the form of a handful of go-go bars.

A five-minute walk north of the MTR across Gloucester Road is Central Plaza, at one time the tallest, and still one of Hong Kong’s grandest skyscrapers. There are splendid views from the 46th floor. Facing Central Plaza across Harbor Road is the HK$4.8 billion Convention & Exhibition Centre. The sweeping lines of the extension at its northern end are intended to create the impression of a bird taking flight. The glass walls offer fine harbor views, and outside are a large promenade and a pleasant sitting area.

Causeway Bay

Some giant department stores, such as Sogo and Mitsukoshi, and the ever-present crowds of shoppers is the first view of Causeway Bay when emerging from the MTR. East of the MTR sprawls Victoria Park, Hong Kong’s largest public park and a serene place to swim, play tennis, or practice Tai Ji Quan. Close to the harbor, also known as the typhoon shelter, is the Noonday Gun, fired daily since the 1840s and retained as a charity fund-raising event. The enclosure housing the gun opens for half an hour after noon, where a small plaque explains the origins of the tradition, celebrated in Noel Coward’s song “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.”

Most of the land that Causeway Bay stands on is reclaimed. The old shoreline used to skirt the temple to Tin Hau.

Victoria Peak

Cooling sea breezes, shaded woodland walks and spectacular views of the city, harbor and outlying islands make the Peak an unmistakable Hong Kong experience. The Peak has been the place to live in the city. Governors and rich merchants built houses here in the mid-1800s to escape the worst of the summer heat and humidity. When the Peak Tram (actually a funicular railway) was built in 1888, the trip was slashed from an hour’s slog to a pleasant, if alarmingly steep, 10-minute ride.

Wong Tai Sin Temple

The temple at Wong Tai Sin is one of Hong Kong’s largest, busiest, and most interesting places of worship. The complex contains altars and shrines to Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist deities. It is primarily dedicated to the god Wong Tai Sin, a shepherd reputed to have performed healing miracles. Beside the main temple are fortune tellers, some of whom can reveal your fortune for a hefty fee in English, mostly through palm and face reading. Some worshipers try to divine what lies in store for them by shaking small canisters of bamboo sticks, until one emerges from the stack. Each is marked with a numeral and a corresponding meaning. Also used are bui or “Buddha’s lips,” two pieces of wood shaped like orange-segments. A question is asked, the bui are thrown, and the “lips” answer yes or no, depending on which way they land.

Ocean Park

With the arrival of a mega competitor in the shape of Lantau Island’s Disneyland, Ocean Park, Hong Kong’s first amusement park, has fought back with new attractions. It is much better than it ever was, although it will be hard pressed to compete with the might of Disney. There is plenty to do for young and children alike, and it’s easy to spend a day exploring the seven themed areas of this pleasant complex. The Lowland Gardens area is one of the most enjoyable sections, with a butterfly house, and, the theme park’s pride, two giant pandas, An An and Jia Jia. A scenic cable car skirts the edge of Deepwater Bay, dropping passengers in Marine Land. Here, a large and impressive aquarium captivates visitors with close-up views of schools of fish and an underwater tunnel through a tank of sharks. Bird Paradise has over 1,000 birds in its aviaries, including flocks of flamingos. Numerous thrilling rides are found throughout the grounds, with Kids World supplying tamer rides for youngsters.

Deep Water & Repulse Bays

Several good beaches line these two scenic bays. Deep Water Bay is a pretty spot favored by the wealthy, with many luxurious houses. The long stretch of beach lined by cypress-like trees is reminiscent of the French Riviera. Up-market apartment blocks, inhabited by Hong Kong’s business elite, surround the long, well-tended beach at Repulse Bay. The beach is a popular summer destination and gets very crowded in season and on weekends. The pricey Verandah Restaurant - the only surviving section of the stately Repulse Bay Hotel, which was torn down in the 1980s - is a good place for a drink or afternoon tea. Just behind the Verandah is a supermarket for picnic supplies, and a few cafes.