Sunset Peak hikers stranded by long queues at Pak Kung Au bus stop
Long queues at Pak Kung Au bus stop over the weekend left hikers stranded after visiting Sunset Peak during Lantau's silver grass season. A mainland tourist shared an alternative route, walking three kilometres to a less crowded stop, and advised that ride-hailing is unavailable in rural areas.
Long queues formed at the Pak Kung Au bus stop over the weekend as crowds of hikers headed down from Sunset Peak at the height of Lantau Island's silver grass season, according to the Standard.
Footage circulating on social media showed lines stretching for more than 100 metres during the evening peak, with large numbers of visitors waiting for buses toward Tung Chung. Crowding was also reported along the hiking route and at popular photo spots, prompting complaints from both local and mainland Chinese visitors about lengthy waits throughout the trip.
One mainland tourist who reached the foot of the mountain at around 7pm on Sunday shared an alternative route to avoid the queue at Pak Kung Au. Following advice from police officers at the scene, the tourist and companions walked about three kilometres downhill along a paved road to the Tung Chung Au Management Station, where they boarded routes 11 and 23.
The tourist recommended that other visitors consider walking to the next available bus stop rather than remaining in the queue at Pak Kung Au, saying the detour could save time during busy periods. The tourist also reminded mainland visitors that online ride-hailing services are generally not available in rural parts of Lantau.