Transport Department kaito timetable for TP 17: one loop on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The board shows the two Ma Liu Shui sailings; the island legs are in the notes.
Other kaito routes to Kat O and Ap Chau The same operator runs two more licensed kaito routes with their own fares. TP 20 links Sha Tau Kok with Lai Chi Wo, Ap Chau and Kat O every day except Tuesdays that are not public holidays; anyone travelling to Sha Tau Kok must hold a valid Sha Tau Kok Closed Area Permit. TP 19 leaves Tai Shui Hang (Sha Tin Area 77 Landing) for Lai Chi Wo, Kat O and Ap Chau on Tuesdays only, except public holidays.
Weather and changes The Hong Kong Geopark notes that the kaito information is subject to the operator's announcement. Strong winds, tropical cyclone signals and rainstorm warnings can stop small boats in open water; call Best Sonic on 2555 9269 before setting out.
Map – Ma Liu Shui–Kat O Kaito
| Ticket type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult or child, single (Ma Liu Shui to Kat O incl. Ap Chau, or Kat O to Ma Liu Shui) | HK$45 |
| Dog, single (guide dogs exempt) | HK$45 |
Transport Department fare for route TP 17. Adults and children pay the same HK$45 single, which covers either Ma Liu Shui to Kat O including the trip to Ap Chau, or Kat O back to Ma Liu Shui; a day out and back is two singles. No separate price is published for a short hop between Kat O and Ap Chau. Dogs pay HK$45 a trip, guide dogs excepted. Freight is by negotiation with the operator. All fares in Hong Kong dollars (HKD).
Kat O and Ap Chau, islands in the north-eastern waters of the New Territories, are served from Ma Liu Shui by a licensed kaito that Best Sonic Industrial Limited runs as Transport Department route TP 17. It sails only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Boarding is at Ma Liu Shui New Ferry Pier, which the Hong Kong Geopark says is about 15 minutes on foot from Exit B of MTR University Station. Do not confuse it with Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier, where the Tung Ping Chau kaito starts.
The timetable is one loop rather than a shuttle. There is a single morning boat from Ma Liu Shui to Kat O; the same boat then makes a return hop to Ap Chau around midday and finally leaves Kat O for Ma Liu Shui in the afternoon. The board shows the two Ma Liu Shui sailings, and the notes give the island legs. Only departure times are published, with no arrival times and no journey time from the Transport Department; the Geopark puts the normal boat trip to Ap Chau at about two hours.
Adults and children pay the same HK$45 single. That fare covers Ma Liu Shui to Kat O including the visit to Ap Chau, or Kat O back to Ma Liu Shui, so the full day costs two singles. Nothing is published for a short hop between the two islands on its own. Dogs pay HK$45 a trip unless they are guide dogs. The Geopark lists the operator's number, 2555 9269, for bookings and enquiries.
What you can fit in depends on where you get off. Staying on Kat O gives you the time until the afternoon boat; the Geopark suggests about four hours for the island's heritage trail along Kat O Main Street. Ap Chau, which the Geopark calls the smallest inhabited island in Hong Kong, is reached on the midday hop, and its small story room opens only on Sundays and public holidays. Arrival times are not published, so how long you get ashore on Ap Chau before the boat heads back to Kat O is not known in advance.
Two other Best Sonic routes reach the same islands: TP 20 from Sha Tau Kok, where a Closed Area Permit is needed, and TP 19 from Tai Shui Hang on Tuesdays.
- Be at the pier before departure; on some routes the time shown is when the pier gate closes.
- Check the operator's notices on the day — typhoon signals, strong winds and rainstorm warnings can suspend or change sailings.
- Bicycles, pets and large luggage have their own rules and charges on some routes; check before you travel.