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Macau or Macao is a city on the south coast of China.
Officially it’s called the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. It may make it sound like it’s a big place, when in fact it’s just a regular size city with less than a million inhabitants. Can you go hiking in Macau? Yes, you can.
Even though this place is very small. Even tiny.
Macau consists of a Macau Peninsula and and an island called Taipa. You can walk across the peninsula twice a day. It’s that small. But there are two fitness trails. And then there are a couple of hiking trails on Taipa.
Table of Contents
1. Where to Go Hiking in Macau
Macau views from Guia Hill
Where to go hiking in a city which looks like this?
In a place even smaller than Hong Kong and Singapore.
In a city where you are surrounded by high-rise buildings.
Turns out there are a few options.
The longest one will take you only around an hour to finish.
1. Guia Hill Hike – Macau
Starting point: Rampa do Reservatório.
You can also start from Tv. do Tunel, while taking a path less popular.
Situated in Macau Peninsula this hike offers very cool views of Macau. Featured photo of this article was taken from the top of the hill.
If you are looking for what to do in Macau for 1 day, you can easily do this hike as well. Because of how accessible it is and how close to everything it is. Hong Kong to Macau ferry stops only a short walk away from this hill. Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal is right next to the hill.
2. Mong Há Hill Trail – Macau
Starting point: Follow Avenida do Coronel Mesquita street to Rampa do Forte de Mong Há.
Views from the top (from the fort) are similar as good as from Guia Hill.
Similar like Guia Hill it’s a place widely used by locals for exercising.
3. Hiking on Taipa Island
Taipa island is the part of Macau, where Macau airport and many of the most popular casinos are located.
The island is divided into two main parts: Taipa and Coloane Village.
There are 3 popular hiking trails – The Coloane Trail, Small Taipa 2000 Circuit and Grand Taipa Hiking Trail.
The Coloane Trail is the longest hiking trail in Macau. It’s a beautiful walk which will take you around an hour and a half to finish the whole of it. Maybe even more if you are taking it slowly. It starts from Macao Giant Panda Pavilion.
Small Taipa 2000 Circuit is a short hiking trail opened in 2000. It starts from Estrada de Sete Tanques.
Grand Taipa Hiking Trail is a medium length trail on Taipa. Not only it offers very cool views of the island, but it also takes you all the way to the highest point of Taipa island. The trail starts from Rampa do Observatório.
2. How to Get to Macau From Hong Kong
Cotai Jet Hong Kong to Macau ferry
Macau and Hong Kong are located right next to each other.
Since 2018 it’s possible to travel by a bus from Hong Kong to Macau. Because China has built a bridge between the two.
If you are looking for the fastest and most convenient mode of transportation – there is also a helicopter service from Hong Kong to Macau. A flight takes only 15 minutes, and costs around 4,500 HKD.
Most of people travel from Hong Kong to Macau by ferry.
It’s fast. The journey takes only around an hour. You never have to wait for too long. There are ferries running 24 hours a day. It’s cheap. A single, one-way ticket costs around 200 HKD. It’s convenient. In Hong Kong you can travel both to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, and Hong Kong airport.
Most of people travel from Hong Kong to Macau by ferry.
Is it your last day of the trip? And you are going on Macau day trip from Hong Kong?
If you want, you can return directly to the airport. There is no need to go to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island. You can even check in your bags for the flight, while you are still in Macau.
3. Where to Stay in Macau
A view of Macau from Guia Hill
CHEAP HOTEL in Macau – Grand Harbour Hotel
A decent budget hotel in a mostly local neighbourhood.
Macau is a small place. So even though this hotel isn’t centrally located, it’s still very close to everything you most probably will be interested to visit. I’ve stayed there myself. One time when it wasn’t possible to get a taxi, I walked from the hotel to Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, from where I was taking a ferry from Macau to Hong Kong. It took me less than an hour.
There is free Wi-Fi available in all rooms. Not all cheap hotels in Macau offer it.
Overall it’s a great value for the money.
Double room starts at 540 HKD. Check prices and availability.
If you’ll be also in Hong Kong, see our Hong Kong hiking guides:
- The Dragon’s Back Trail;
- The Lion’s Rock Hike;
- The Lantau Peak Hike (+Big Buddha);
- The Cheung Chau Hike.
Have you been to Macau? Did you go to Guia Hill?
Book Your Trip Like a PRO
1. Book Your Flight. Find cheap flights using Kiwi.com, Momondo.com. Or subscribe to Dollar Flight Club, if you don’t want to be searching for the flights yourself. Kiwi currently is my first choice.
2. Book Your Accommodation. Booking.com, Agoda.com and Airbnb. I use Booking and Agoda at least a dozen times a year, and Airbnb – when looking for a long-term stay. My best tip is to ALWAYS compare the price. Sometimes the same hotel is cheaper on Booking.com, other times – on Agoda. Always compare the price!
3. Buy Your Travel Insurance. Ekta and SafetyWings are two companies I can recommend. Ekta offers some extra benefits, that will be important for those doing some higher risk activities (make sure to choose the right plan!), while SafetyWings is better for digital nomads. SafetyWings is also very affordable.
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