The fact that surprises people most about Hong Kong is that around 75 per cent of its land area is undeveloped, and about 40 per cent is protected country park — 24 parks and 22 special areas, covering roughly 44,000 hectares.
The city is dense because the land it is allowed to build on is small, not because there is no land.
The consequence is that you can be on a ridge with no buildings in sight forty minutes after leaving Central.
The trails to know
Dragon’s Back — 8.5 kilometres along a ridge on southern Hong Kong Island, sea on both sides, finishing at a beach. Three to four hours. The easiest introduction and the most popular.
Lion Rock — the peak above Kowloon that gives its name to the “Lion Rock spirit”, the phrase Hong Kong uses for its own resilience. A steep climb with the best view down over Kowloon.
Sunset Peak on Lantau — 869 metres, with stone huts on the ridge and, in autumn, hillsides of silvergrass that turn white and catch the light. It is one of the great walks in southern China.
Sai Kung in the eastern New Territories — the MacLehose Trail Stages 1 and 2 run past Tai Long Wan, a set of beaches reachable only on foot or by boat, and among the best in Asia.
Tai Mo Shan, the highest point at 957 metres, which occasionally gets frost.
High Island Reservoir — the East Dam, with hexagonal volcanic columns up to 100 metres high, part of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark.
The long trails
Four, and they are properly waymarked with distance posts every 500 metres.
MacLehose Trail — 100 kilometres, ten stages, across the New Territories. The Oxfam Trailwalker covers the whole thing in teams of four within 48 hours each November and is a serious event.
Wilson Trail — 78 kilometres, north–south, crossing the harbour.
Hong Kong Trail — 50 kilometres across the island.
Lantau Trail — 70 kilometres, a loop.
The heat, which is the real hazard
Hong Kong from April to October is hot and extremely humid, frequently above 30°C with humidity over 80 per cent. Heat exhaustion on the trails is a routine emergency call-out and people die of it most years.
- Start early. By ten in the morning in summer the ridges are punishing.
- Take far more water than you think — two litres minimum for a half-day walk.
- Wear light long sleeves rather than exposing skin; the UV is strong.
- Turn back if you feel unwell. There is little shade on the ridges.
November to March is the season — dry, cool, clear, and the walking is genuinely excellent.
Typhoons and rainstorms
The Hong Kong Observatory issues typhoon signals (1, 3, 8, 9, 10) and rainstorm warnings (amber, red, black).
At signal 8 and above, the city shuts down — transport stops, shops close, and you should be indoors. At red or black rainstorm, hillsides become dangerous and landslides are a genuine risk.
Check the Observatory before any walk. The signals are published constantly and everyone in Hong Kong watches them.
Practicalities
Free. The AFCD publishes maps and there is signage throughout, including distance posts with location codes that emergency services use.
Trails are generally well made — a great deal of it is stone steps rather than earth path, which is harder on the knees than the distance suggests.
Snakes exist, including cobras and kraits. They avoid people; stay on the path and do not put hands into undergrowth.
Mobile coverage is good on most ridges and poor in the valleys.
Getting to the trails
Almost all of it is on public transport, which is unusual.
Dragon’s Back — MTR to Shau Kei Wan, bus 9. Lion Rock — MTR to Wong Tai Sin or Lok Fu and a walk in. Sai Kung — MTR to Diamond Hill or Choi Hung, then bus 92 or 96R. Lantau — MTR to Tung Chung and a bus.
The AFCD publishes route maps, and the Hong Kong Trail, MacLehose, Wilson and Lantau trails all have distance posts every 500 metres with unique codes. Give the code if you need to call for help.
What to take
Water, sun cover, a hat, proper shoes and a phone with charge. Trail food is not available on the ridges.
A paper map or offline map is worth having; coverage drops in the valleys.
The reward at the end
Several of the best walks finish somewhere with food and a bus — Dragon’s Back at Big Wave Bay, the Lamma crossing at Sok Kwu Wan’s seafood restaurants, the Sai Kung stages back into Sai Kung town.
Planning the walk around where you will eat afterwards is entirely the local approach.