Great Outdoors Hong Kong

Intro Great Outdoors Events Hiking Trails Hiking Tips

When Great Outdoors Hong Kong comes around, it’s time to dust off your hiking boots and put on your backpacks. The annual event allows nature lovers to explore the amazing great outdoors of Hong Kong with a series of guided hiking tours.

These guided hikes and other trails are also made available in a guidebook full of practical information, from transport to elevation charts. You can download the e-guidebook below to find details of the featured hikes of the 2012/13 season, which range from easy to difficult and cover a variety of themes and landscapes. Additionally, be sure to check out all the other great outdoors events on offer in Hong Kong.

Great Outdoors Hong Kong will return with free guided hikes in late 2013. In the meantime, download the guide and enjoy the beautiful wild side of Asia’s world city!

Info

Date:: November 2013 to February 2014 (exact date to be confirmed)

From learning about Hong Kong’s diverse wildlife to hiking to its far-flung and deserted beaches, there are a range of free and paid tours and exhibitions and tours being offered by various groups in the city.

Complimentary Guided Tours and Exhibition

Hong Kong Wetland Park

Ngong Ping Nature Centre Guided Tours

Mai Po Wetland Experience

Prehistoric Story Room

Commercial Guided Tours

Sai Kung Coastal Treasures

Geopark Hiking Tour

Northeast New Territories Geopark Tour

Deserted Beaches Hike

Dragon’s Back Hike

Dolphin Watching Tour

Hong Kong Biking Tour

Read More about Hong Kong Biking Tour

Hong Kong Wetland Park: Bird Watching Festival

Adjacent to Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site, Hong Kong Wetland Park, which has recorded over 230 bird species, is one of the best locations for watching migratory waterfowl in Hong Kong. The Bird Watching Festival 2012 will run from 7 November 2012 until 18 March 2013. The park will organise a series of bird-watching activities, including guided tours, photo collections, workshops and exhibitions. Come to enjoy bird watching with family and friends!

Opening Hours	Closed on Tuesdays (Except public holidays) 10am-5pm (ticket sales till 4pm)
Organiser	Hong Kong Wetland Park
Fee	Free
Admission	Visitors are required to pay a park admission fee Standard: HK$30; Concession (Child/Student/Senior/Person with disabilities and one accompanying carer): HK$15
Transportation	MTR Tin Shui Wai West Rail Station, change to 705 or 706 Light Rail and get off at Wetland Park Station or Tin Sau Station Citybus 967 from Admiralty to Wetland Park Bus 276B from Sheung Shui MTR Station via Lok Ma Chau Interchange bus stop to Wetland Park
Enquiries	+852 3152 2666
Website	www.wetlandpark.com

Hong Kong Wetland Park: Wetland Reserve Guided Tour

Hong Kong Wetland Park includes various wetland habitats such as mangroves, freshwater marshes and mudflats that attract a diversity of wildlife. On this tour, a guide will take visitors around the Wetland Reserve to learn about the ecology of the wetlands, look for birds from nearby bird hides, and take a closer look at the wetland animals, such as fiddler crabs and mudskippers, along the mangrove boardwalk. (Tour themes will vary according to the season.)

Frequency	Every Monday, Wednesday to Friday (Except public holidays)
Time/Duration	2:15pm–3pm (English) 3:30pm–4:15pm (Cantonese)
Organiser	Hong Kong Wetland Park
Language	English / Cantonese
Fee	Free
Admission	Visitors are required to pay a park admission fee Standard: HK$30; Concession (Child/Student/Senior/Person with disabilities and one accompanying carer): HK$15
Transportation	MTR Tin Shui Wai West Rail Station, change to 705 or 706 Light Rail and get off at Wetland Park Station or Tin Sau Station Citybus 967 from Admiralty to Wetland Park Bus 276B from Sheung Shui MTR Station via Lok Ma Chau Interchange bus stop to Wetland Park
Enquiries	+852 3152 2666
Website	www.wetlandpark.com
Remarks	Visitors can enrol 10 minutes before the tour at the Wetland Discovery Centre (Wet Lab). Seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Complimentary Guided Tours & Exhibitions are subject to change without prior notice.

Ngong Ping Nature Centre Guided Tours

With lush scenery and rich cultural and religious landmarks, Lantau Island is a paradise for great outdoors enthusiasts. Join the guided tours offered by Ngong Ping Nature Centre and walk from Ngong Ping Village to Ngong Ping Piazza, pass by the Tea Garden and finish your tour at Wisdom Path. You will have the chance to explore the area’s interesting corners and learn insights about the surrounding countryside.

Frequency	Daily
Time/Duration	10am–4pm (approx. 45 minutes per session)
Organiser	Ngong Ping Nature Centre
Language	English / Cantonese / Mandarin
Fee	Free
Transportation	Take Ngong Ping Cable Car or bus 23 from Tung Chung Town Centre to Ngong Ping
Enquiries	+852 2259 3916
Website	www.natureintouch.gov.hk
Remarks	You can register on site or call for advance booking.

Complimentary Guided Tours & Exhibitions are subject to change without prior notice.

Mai Po Wetland Experience

A nature-lover’s dream, Mai Po Nature Reserve is internationally recognised as an annual staging ground and wintering site for up to 100,000 migratory water birds. The reserve is also home to a wide range of other wetland wildlife. On this tour, you will visit a birdwatching hide, a shrimp pond and boardwalk, and learn more about the entire ecosystem at the Wildlife Education Centre. And you’ll get a personal daily pass to do some exploring of your own after the tour.

Frequency	Every Saturday
Time/Duration	10am–1pm (approx. 3 hours)
Organiser	World Wide Fund-Hong Kong
Language	English / Cantonese / Mandarin
Transportation	MTR Sheung Shui Station or Yuen Long Station then take a green taxi to the Mai Po Nature Reserve Visitor Centre
Enquiries	+852 2471 3480 publicvisit@wwf.org.hk
Remarks	HK$150 admission fee to visit Mai Po Nature Reserve. Advance booking is required.

Complimentary Guided Tours & Exhibitions are subject to change without prior notice.

Prehistoric Story Room

An extension of the Hong Kong Global Geopark of China in the city centre, the Prehistoric Story Room is a fun and informative exhibition of the Earth’s life history. Almost 100 valuable fossils and models are displayed, including a three-metre long Armoured Fish model as well as ammonite and fish fossils discovered in and named after Hong Kong.

Opening Hours	Mondays and Wednesdays to Sundays: 9am–6pm Closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays) and on the first two days of the Chinese New Year
Organiser	Association for Geoconservation, Hong Kong
Admission	Free
Address	Lobby, Bank of China Tower, 1 Garden Road, Hong Kong Island.
Transportation	MTR Central Station Exit J2 and walk for 5 minutes
Enquiries	phsr@rocks.org.hk
Website	www.geopark.gov.hk/phsr

Complimentary Guided Tours & Exhibitions are subject to change without prior notice.

The trails featured in Great Outdoors Hong Kong 2012 treat hikers to Hong Kong’s urban getaways, metropolitan woodlands, geological landscapes and beautiful outlying island scenery. Check them out! Better still try them out and on journeys that take in spectacular cityscapes, remote beaches, rustic villages, serene islands and historical and cultural landmarks, they will lead you away from Hong Kong’s bustling centre, while taking you deeper into its heart.

Dragon's Back Hike

An award-winning urban hiking trail

The Peak to Pok Fu Lam Reservoir

From a forest of skyscrapers into an actual forest of trees

MacLehose Trail Sections 1 & 2

Wonderful landforms, beautiful beaches and the surging Pacific Ocean

Tung Chung to Tai O

Follow a partially-forgotten thoroughfare to an ancient village.

Lamma Island

Easy walking trail with sweeping coastal vistas

Read more about Lamma Island

1.	Before starting your hike, carefully make a plan and familiarise yourself with your route. Gauge whether your fitness level is appropriate for the difficulty level of the route. Amateurs should not go hiking alone or attempt to take any short cuts on their own; instead, they are recommended to go with experienced hikers so as not to get lost or have accidents.
2.	Pay attention to weather conditions. Wear appropriate gear and bring along extra clothing and supplies, such as maps, compasses, hiking sticks, water, food, electric torches, umbrellas, radios, first-aid kits and mobile phones, etc.
3.	Remain alert to changes in the surrounding environment and listen to weather bulletins and news reports in order to take appropriate measures as soon as possible. In the event of bad weather, consider shortening or cancelling all hiking plans.
4.	Bring a hat or parasol to prevent heat stroke. Also pack a raincoat or windbreaker in case it rains.
5.	Pay attention to the signs and terrain along the road to ensure that the route is correct. Always heed warning signs.
6.	Do not pick and eat wild fruit or drink spring water.
7.	Cooking or making fires is only permitted in designated areas. It is against the law to do so elsewhere, and could result in mountain fires.
8.	Avoid standing at a cliff edge or climbing onto rocks to take pictures or view scenery.
9.	The quality of mobile phone coverage varies throughout Hong Kong’s trails. Poor coverage is especially likely to occur in locations such as Tai Long and Ham Tin in eastern Sai Kung, southeastern High Island and the central part of Tai Lam Country Park.
10.	In the event of an emergency, note the number of the nearest distance post (e.g., M001) along your way, and call 112 to connect to 999 Emergency Centre or use the nearest emergency telephone.

For more details on hiking safety, please visit the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department website at www.hkwalkers.net

Useful telephone numbers:
24-hour emergency helpline	999 / 112
Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry	+852 2815 6063
New World First Ferry	+852 2131 8181
Hong Kong Observatory	+852 1878 200
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department hotline	+852 2418 9080

QTS Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme

If you need to buy hiking gear in Hong Kong, look for sports goods and sportswear shops displaying the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme sign that you can trust for superb service with clearly displayed prices and product information. The QTS Scheme is also applicable to other retail shops, restaurants, visitor accommodation and hair salons.