Tap Mun

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Tap Mun (Chinese: 塔門) or Grass Island is an island of Hong Kong, located in the northeastern part of the territory, north of the Sai Kung Peninsula. Area: 1.69 km².

View from a Tap Mun hilltop, a campsite can be seen atop the distant hill

Administratively, it is part of Tai Po district.

There are about 100 people living on the island. There is one seafood restaurant and a number of small tea restaurants on the island, many of which are well known for 'ice-less' ice-cold milk tea and boiled squid dishes.

Some fishermen of Tap Mun make a living by selling their sun-dried catch. Sun-dried fish and shrimp are popular amongst local tourists.

Dirt path on the edge of a Tap Mun cliff

The hilltop of Tap Mun is a popular camping site, renowned for the contrast in temperature and wind conditions between day and night. Temperatures drop and winds soar during the nighttime but die down as the day approaches, when the dawn marks the beginning of a temperature rise. It is also well-known for providing panoramic views of the surrounding seas, and so provides a brief escape away from the busy city life.

The very gentle slopes of the hilltops are a favourite amongst campers, although there is the danger of the bordering cliffs. Adventurous campers enjoy precarious hikes along the dirt paths very close the cliff edges.

However, hygiene-conscious campers tend to stay away from Tap Mun as the island is home to cattle, resulting in hilltops dotted with many piles of faeces.

1 Sights
2 Transportation
3 Trivia
4 See also

Tap Mon.
Layered Rock.
The island has a temple dedicated to Kwun Yum.
Ngau See Dong, the grave site of a resident buffalo. The skeletal remains of the decomposed buffalo was a spooky sight as it was situated right next to a frequently walked stone path. Although now removed by local officials, the site can still be identified as an unnatural depression into the border of surrounding shrubs.

Tap Mun can be reached by ferry or kai-to from Wong Shek Pier in Sai Kung and Ma Liu Shui Pier near Chinese University, Tai Po.

Megan McCormick visited Grass Island when she made her visit to Hong Kong for Pilot Guide.