Upturn in hiking in Hong Kong has a downside, as solitude becomes increasingly hard to find

It’s not unusual these days to venture into Hong Kong’s countryside to get away from it all, only to find it teeming with other hikers seeking an escape from city life. Sometimes you even have to queue to start walking on a trail.

Little more than a decade ago, this scenario would have been unthinkable. I’ve been hiking in Hong Kong for 30 years, and have seen a remarkable upturn in the numbers of people heading to the outdoors. I recall wondering why people were seemingly so uninterested in the countryside, and becoming one of perhaps five or so bird photographers in the city, compared to the hundreds there are now.

I walked the Dragon’s Back when the path there was barely known, visited remote Tung Ping Chau when its cafes still had only a handful of tables. And, in my memory at least, there was never the hassle of queuing for buses to get home after outings.

The first major upturn in the number of people heading out to Hong Kong’s countryside happened during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in 2003, when it suddenly became less enticing to mingle with crowds in shopping malls. More recently, I’ve also observed a noticeable increase in visitors to once quiet destinations such as Shui Hau or Yi O on Lantau, after publicity in print and social media.

And getting away from it all may become even harder in future. In an effort to reinvent the region’s image to holidaymakers, the Hong Kong Tourism Board rolled out a “Best of All, It’s in Hong Kong” campaign in 2016, including posters touting its “great outdoors”.