While Victoria Harbour is about Hong Kong's urban development, Tolo Harbour is the green lung of the city. It is one of the very few places to enjoy outdoor activities without seeing skyscrapers. A stroll or leisure cycling during weekends is often more enjoyable without the crowd. The waterfront view is serene and picturesque.

The Tolo Harbour is a large and attractive coastal area with seaside communities as well as long stretches of seaside promenades, city parks and other leisure areas. Notable areas along the harbour include Plover Cove, Tai Po, CUHK University, Science Park and Ma On Shan. Biking and jogging are popular activities around Tolo Harbour and there are plenty of kilometres of seaside track to enjoy these recreational activities. You can also rent boats and kayaks to enjoy time on the water. Just north of the main pebble beach at Ma On Shan there is the HappySky Water Sports Centre. They hire out good quality, safe, topside kayaks. A fun half day activity in Tolo Harbour is to kayak out to some of the small, protected islands in Tolo Harbour like Centre Island and the Ma Shi Chau Special Zone, where you can enjoy seeing rare geological rock structures that date all the way back to the Permian period. There is a nature trail at Ma Shi Chau if you want to walk the grounds. Alternatively just paddle around slowly and enjoy the geological highlights along the way. Quite a few other ways to enjoy time outside around Tolo Harbour including the Plover Cove and Reservoir area east of Tai Po, the Egret Nature area just past Science Park and back up the Shing Mun River (canal) towards Sha Tin as well.