How coasteering around ‘incredible’ Lantau Island in Hong Kong reveals its biodiversity and natural beauty, and evidence of smuggling
- When two Hong Kong residents decided to go coasteering – climbing and swimming – around Lantau Island’s coast, its biodiversity and geology fascinated them
- The pair saw wildlife including butterflies, jellyfish, and crabs, stunning rock formations – and evidence of nefarious human activity
White-throated kingfishers, fireworms and lion’s mane jellyfish are creatures that might seem exotic to Hong Kong city dwellers.
Yet all three, and many more wondrous animals and plants, can be found in the city’s backyard, on Lantau Island – called by some the “green jewel” of Hong Kong.
For Charmian Woodhouse and Cathy Cole, two long-term Lantau residents, the island and its biodiversity have always been a source of adventure and curiosity.
So, as friends who were already experienced open-water swimmers and trail runners, Woodhouse and Cole in 2021 challenged themselves to circumnavigate Lantau Island, travelling along its shoreline.
“We just said, hey, what if we tried to swim and run – we really had no concept of what it would entail,” says Cole, an independent strategy consultant who was born in Hong Kong to American parents and grew up in Taiwan.
“We were curious about exploring parts of Lantau that were very remote and inaccessible by trail,” adds Woodhouse, a private music teacher originally from South Africa. “Hong Kong is just an incredible place for adventure sports.
