Transport Department kaito timetable for TP 16. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: one sailing each way. Monday to Friday: subject to demand, no fixed times.
Booking and weekday trips The Hong Kong Geopark gives 2555 9269 (Best Sonic Industrial Limited) for booking and enquiries, and the Transport Department lists the same number with the contact Mr Lam. Neither source says whether weekend sailings must be booked.
Other kaito to Lai Chi Wo Best Sonic also reaches Lai Chi Wo on TP 19, which leaves Sha Tin Area 77 Landing at Tai Shui Hang on Tuesdays only (not on public holidays), HK$80 for the whole trip from there; and on TP 20 from Sha Tau Kok Public Pier (HK$40), which needs a valid Sha Tau Kok Closed Area Permit for travel into Sha Tau Kok. Neither is on this board.
Weather The Geopark stresses that its kaito details are subject to the operator's announcement. Tropical cyclone signals, strong winds and rainstorm warnings can stop sailings; phone 2555 9269 before you leave home.
Map – Ma Liu Shui–Lai Chi Wo Kaito
| Ticket type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult or child, single | HK$45 |
| Dog (guide dogs excepted), single | HK$45 |
Fare from the Transport Department kaito table: HK$45 single for an adult or a child. Dogs other than guide dogs pay HK$45 a single journey. Freight is by negotiation. The table does not say how fares are paid and lists no elderly, $2 Scheme or return fare for this route; ask Best Sonic on 2555 9269. All fares in Hong Kong dollars (HKD).
Lai Chi Wo is a Hakka walled village in the northeast New Territories that the Hong Kong Geopark describes as more than 300 years old. The kaito that serves it from Sha Tin is licensed route TP 16, run by Best Sonic Industrial Limited from Ma Liu Shui New Ferry Pier to the landing steps at Lai Chi Wo. The Transport Department gives the sailing time as about 90 minutes.
Fixed sailings exist only at weekends and on public holidays. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays a boat leaves Ma Liu Shui at 09:00, and the boat back leaves Lai Chi Wo at 15:30. From Monday to Friday the Transport Department lists the service in both directions as subject to demand, with no times, so a weekday trip means phoning the operator on 2555 9269 first. Extra departures may also be added when there are enough passengers. A public holiday that falls on a weekday follows the weekend timetable, and the board on this page switches to it on those dates.
The fare is a flat HK$45 single for adults and children alike. Dogs pay the same HK$45 unless they are guide dogs, and freight is priced by negotiation. The Transport Department's entry lists no elderly fare, no $2 Scheme fare and no return ticket for this route, and it does not say how to pay, so ask when you call.
To reach the pier, the Geopark suggests the MTR East Rail Line to University Station, Exit B, followed by a walk of about 15 minutes. Check that you are at the New Ferry Pier: kaito to other islands also leave from Ma Liu Shui.
At Lai Chi Wo, the Geopark's 1.2 km nature trail loops around the village through a fung shui wood, farmland, a hill stream and a mangrove, and two story rooms set up with the seven villages of the Hing Chun Alliance cover local history. The Geopark notes that weekend stalls in the village sell water and soft drinks, and still advises bringing enough water, food and sun protection.
- 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.