When people think of Hong Kong, they often piece together an image of tall skyscrapers, hoards of people taking over sidewalks, and little greenery. While some of this may be true in certain parts of the city (no one wants to be walking around in Central during lunchtime!), there is a whole other side to Hong Kong that many people don’t know about. If you’re a fan of spending the day conquering a hiking trail, discovering the local geology of a place, or hoping on a boat to explore lesser-known parts of an area, then Hong Kong should definitely be at the top of your list.
Discover Hong Kong is offering three outdoor package tours that will guide you on a fantastic eco-journey filled with picture-perfect views, rich history, and unique experiences. Each of these hassle-free guided hiking tours by locals include a professionally qualified geo-tour guide that will teach you about the history and tell you plenty of stories about everything you’ll see along the way.
Lai Chi Wo Hiking Tour
Photo from the Hong Kong Tourism Board
Over 400 years ago Lai Chi Wo was one of the most prosperous villages in the New Territories. Located within Plover Cove Country Park, this Hakka village is located along the coastline and is mainly populated by its older original inhabitants. You’ll begin the hike at Tai Po Market MTR Station where a bus will take you to Wu Kau Tang. Follow the guide as they tell you interesting Feng Sui stories and take you to Sam A Tsuen where you’ll get to stop and have lunch. From there, you’ll make your way to Lai Chi Wo to explore that area. To wrap up this tour, a scenic boat ride will take you to Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier, which is right beside University MTR Station.
Start time: 10:00 am
Length of tour: Around 8 hours
Starting/Ending point: Tai Po Market MTR Station/University MTR Station
Price: HK$1000 including lunch
Book your tour here.
Geopark Hiking Tour
Photo from the Hong Kong Tourism Board
Another great option is the Geopark Hiking tour that will take you along the beautiful coastline in Sai Kung. This area has plenty of natural geological landforms and rock formations caused by volcanic activity, waves, and weathering from 140 million years ago. This guided tour will take you through the impressive hexagonal columnar joints, a boat ride to see the natural tombolo on Sharp Island, and an inland water dam at High Island Reservoir. Amidst all of these sightseeing locations, you’ll stop for lunch at Sha Kiu/Pak Lap for lunch.
Start time: 8:30 am
Length of tour: Around 8 hours
Starting/Ending point: Central
Price: HK$1000 including lunch
Book your tour here.
Geopark Boat Tour: Sai Kung Islands
Photo from the Hong Kong Tourism Board
With the longest coastline and most outlying islands in Hong Kong, Sai Kung is best explored by boat. This tour will take you through the areas unique biodiversity including sea stacks, tubular rock columns, sea caves, the volcanic rock columns of High Island, and rhyolite on Sharp Island. While you’ll see most of the sights on the boat, you’ll have a chance to get off and explore Sharp Island at the end of the tour.
Start time: 9:00 am or 2:00 pm
Length of tour: Around 3 hours
Starting/Ending point: Sai Kung Pier
Price: HK$975
Book your tour here.
This post was written in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
Tessa Faure
May 31, 2018 at 9:33 amThese are super super pricey. Have you done any to comment whether they are worth it?
At least the one starts in central, but to pay $1,000 for hiking and still have to get to and from Tai Po doesn’t seem worth it.
thisgirlabroad
May 31, 2018 at 10:39 amYeah, I agree they’re not cheap but they’re also geared towards tourists traveling here who would likely have no idea about hiking in HK. Plus, some of them (ie the boat tour) would be difficult to organise yourself I imagine.
To compare, these tours are similar prices to other city and food tours offered in HK (I recently went on a 4 hour night tour of Kowloon that was HK$800), so while it may seem expensive to us since we live here, most tourists likely wouldn’t see it that way.
MB
June 2, 2018 at 8:16 pmI love your blog…..so many things to do on my next trip to HK.
Last time I visited HK I did a food tour to Tai Po. It was pretty expensive but very worth the cost. I would never have discovered Tai Po otherwise.
I also tried to get to the beaches of Sai Kung on my own but got lost! So a good point joining a tour.
Keep up the good work!
thisgirlabroad
June 2, 2018 at 8:29 pmThanks so much! 🙂
Ah, I’d actually be quite interested in doing a food tour.
Ha, yes – Sai Kung can be quite tricky (and long!) to get to and from!