Road less travelled: three Hong Kong walking trails to take on for hiking season

Three less travelled walking trails in Hong Kong have emerged as top picks this hiking season for those seeking fresh air and greenery away from the city’s concrete jungles.

In its 10th annual edition of great outdoors campaigns, the Hong Kong Tourism Board highlighted the 7.5km trek between Lau Shui Heung and Fung Yuen in Tai Po; the High Junk Peak country trail in Clear Water Bay; and a 14km trail on Ngong Ping – between Nei Lak Shan country trail, Wisdom Path and Shek Pik Reservoir – on Lantau Island.

Board general manager Mason Hung Chung-hing said the city was unique in that hiking gems were readily accessible, with restaurants usually located not far from either end of such trails.

“Hong Kong’s geography allows hikers to see the sea and mountains in one go on a walk, which is hard to find elsewhere,” Hung said. “Many tourists like to come to the city for hikes because they can treat themselves at restaurants at the end of the walks.”

Hong Kong is surrounded by a web of walking trails spanning the New Territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, with three-quarters of Hong Kong’s land mass composed of countryside.

Hung said Japanese, Korean and mainland Chinese visitors were more familiar with famous trails such as Dragon’s Back on Shek O and those in Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung, as well as on Lamma Island.

He said the three recently recommended paths were among 13 for walking and cycling that the board had pinpointed this season as a key part of a HK$4 million campaign starting on Monday to further showcase Hong Kong’s natural beauty.

The trails are suitable for a range of trekkers, from beginners to advanced hikers.

Lau Shui Heung and Fung Yuen are butterfly and dragonfly havens while a longer attraction, the 100km MacLehose Trail, covers a Unesco geopark in Sai Kung.

One of the longest trails is Ngong Ping, which boasts sights of the airport and the newly opened Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the world’s longest sea crossing.

Those in Ngong Ping can also take in the famous 34-metre bronze Buddha statue, modelled after the Buddha Vairocana of the Longmen Caves and the Buddha Shakyamuni image in the Dunhuang Grottoes.

Architect and photographer Tugo Cheng, also a National Geographic international photo contest winner in 2015, said Ngong Ping, Dragon’s Back and Tai Mo Shan were prime locations for taking pictures.

“I once hiked at Sunset Peak of Lantau with a lot of photo equipment,” he said. “The lesson is – travel as light as you can.”

The board partnered with National Geographic and Cheng for the campaign.