The four best sights in Hong Kong’s below-the-radar geopark and how to visit them
Rock formations created by volcanic explosions 140 million years ago created one of Hong Kong's greatest natural attractions, yet hardly any tourists see it and not that many Hongkongers either. Here's how to make the most of it
Around 140 million years ago, the area that became Hong Kong was dominated by an immense volcano. Perhaps dinosaurs roamed forests on its slopes, but if so none left any remains – for, in a dramatic finale to the volcanic activity that created most Hong Kong rocks, the supervolcano collapsed, with a succession of explosive eruptions blasting incandescent ash across the landscape.
The ash fused and began cooling to form layers of rock up to 400 metres thick. As it contracted, joints spread in a honeycomb pattern, creating arrays of hexagonal rock columns. These are like the renowned columns of Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, and Devil’s Tower in Wyoming in the United States – but individual columns are larger, and they occupy a far greater area.
Today, the hexagonally jointed tuff, as it’s properly known, is the key formation in the Hong Kong Global Geopark, which comprises eight areas in eastern Hong Kong. Though parts are challenging to tour independently, there are places you can head to admire the rocks and stunning scenery.
Rock walls forged in fire: eastern High Island Reservoir
This is surely the most spectacular part of the Geopark you can visit without taking a boat. The reservoir – Hong Kong’s largest – occupies a former channel that separated High Island from the eastern Sai Kung Peninsula, and was created by building two tall dams across gaps to the west and east of the island.