On Hong Kong's 'South Pole', the bare necessities keep tourists coming back

The sparsely populated island of Po Toi attracts a steady stream of weekend visitors despite its lack of toilets, fresh water, electricity and phone reception.

- Magdalene Fung

HONG KONG - A little island at Hong Kong's southernmost point draws hundreds of visitors every weekend, despite being so remote that it has fewer than 10 residents and potable water is delivered there by boat.

Po Toi, sometimes described as Hong Kong's South Pole, is as inhospitable as islands come: It doesn't have its own freshwater or power supply, and has just one main public toilet and one proper restaurant. Transport from the city to the island isn't even available every day.

Yet the 3.7 sq km island - smaller than Singapore's 4.7 sq km Sentosa island - is one of the city's unique attractions, whose tourism potential the government has started to pay more attention to as it seeks to boost its tourist arrivals to pre-pandemic levels.

Po Toi Island exudes a quaint old-world charm, with its peculiar granite formations, ancient rock carvings, abandoned "haunted" mansions, and friendly long-time villagers who once made their living out of fishing, farming or harvesting seaweed there.

The 1977 British spy novel The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carre had a climactic scene set on the island, which in reality is no stranger to crime either - it has in recent years been used to hide illegal immigrants and smuggled goods.

Po Toi's rolling slopes, weather-worn granite surfaces and breathtaking sea views make it a popular spot with hikers and campers.

The teeming biodiversity of its untouched, overgrown environment is also a hit with nature enthusiasts looking out for rare frogs, butterflies and migratory birds like the critically endangered yellow-breasted bunting.

Private junk parties and corporate yacht outings are known to head there as well, with jaded urban folk seeking an "off the grid" experience, or simply to justify their out-of-office messages claiming "no internet access".