Places and Trails across Hong Kong

Utilise urban parks equitably, mitigate Hong Kong’s climate hazards now

Utilise urban parks equitably, mitigate Hong Kong’s climate hazards now

Hong Kong will face more intense heat, flood, storm surges and biodiversity depletion under climate change. Healing Parks, an advocacy group, says that urban parks can help to mitigate these hazards – but current park design guidelines fail to consider climate resilience. If the government remains inactive, it would harm…

Wang Chau, Basalt Island and Bluff Island

Wang Chau, Basalt Island and Bluff Island

The Ung Kong group of islands is a cluster of three islands – Wang Chau, Basalt Island and Bluff Island, lying off the southeast tip of the Sai Kung Peninsula.             They’re made of the same tuff that occurs from the southeastern peninsula to the Ninepin Group, and developed in the…

Explore Places and Trails articles

Activities in Hong Kong outdoors

Taking Hong Kong landscape photos come rain or shine

Taking Hong Kong landscape photos come rain or shine

Even if you don’t travel outside Hong Kong, your photos have to be much the same, week after week, day after day after day. Shooting from the same spot, it’s possible to take highly contrasting photos, such as by heading out at different times of day, and making…

Cycling From Tai Po Market to Tai Mei Tuk on Rented Bikes

Cycling From Tai Po Market to Tai Mei Tuk on Rented Bikes

One of the best ways of getting some outdoor exercise is to get on a bicycle, and ride away some of those coronavirus claustrophobia blues. Hong Kong hardly abounds with good routes for relaxing cycling, but there is an especially fine one in the northeast New Territories, from…

More articles on Activities in HK’s Outdoors

Hong Kong’s Wonderful Wildlife

Tired and perhaps injured Red-footed Booby rescued on Cheung Chau

Tired and perhaps injured Red-footed Booby rescued on Cheung Chau

I had a whatsapp message from Nick Florent this afternoon, a bird on the beach, on Cheung Chau; there was a photo too – a red-footed booby! This seabird is rare in Hong Kong, and even then seen pretty much only over waters well south of Hong Kong…

Jezebel butterflies seem super abundant in Hong Kong during early 2024

Jezebel butterflies seem super abundant in Hong Kong during early 2024

I’ve seen various social media posts and even a couple of media articles about large numbers of Red-base Jezebels Delias pasithoe in Hong Kong recently. It seems people especially notice them during cold spells, when many of these butterflies are grounded by the chill, maybe dying – though…

Hong Kong wildlife articles

Weather including tropical cyclones

Tropical Cyclone Ma-on Headed for Hong Kong

Tropical Cyclone Ma-on Headed for Hong Kong

25 August 2022 (evening) update: Ma-on took a track somewhat south and west of earlier forecasts; passed within 200km of Hong as a severe tropical storm early this morning. So, “no biggie”. Quite dry while it passed Hong Kong too, with intermittent showers; though still some heavy rain…

Severe Typhoon Mangkhut highlights perils of massive reclamation by Lantau

Severe Typhoon Mangkhut highlights perils of massive reclamation by Lantau

Typhoon Mangkhut helped show “storm surge” is a threat to modern cities, not just something for the history books. On 7 September, the Post published an opinion piece by me (“What Kansai airport flooding can teach Hong Kong about the perils of reclamation amid climate change”), saying the disaster…

Wild weather info

Hong Kong conservation

Build San Tin Technopole on Solid Ground and Create a Wetland Park that Reduces Floods in nw Hong Kong and Shenzhen

Build San Tin Technopole on Solid Ground and Create a Wetland Park that Reduces Floods in nw Hong Kong and Shenzhen

One of the best arguments for protecting the San Tin fish ponds area – rather than destroying a large area to build the San Tin Technopole – should be mitigating flooding risk, including in downtown Shenzhen, which is also on the Shenzhen River floodplain. Yes, the Shenzhen River…

Comment on Environmental Impact Assessment on San Tin Technopole Project that will Destroy a Substantial Area of Deep Bay Fish Ponds

Comment on Environmental Impact Assessment on San Tin Technopole Project that will Destroy a Substantial Area of Deep Bay Fish Ponds

The period for commenting on the EIA for Agreement No. CE 20/2021 (CE) First Phase Development of the New Territories North – San Tin / Lok Ma Chau Development Node – Investigation – to give it the official name – ends tomorrow, 2 March 2024 as I post. I’ve commented:…

Renewal for Shalotung, Hong Kong’s conservation battlefield

Renewal for Shalotung, Hong Kong’s conservation battlefield

Though Shalotung is less than 4km from the hustle and bustle of Tai Po Market – around the same distance as Central to Causeway, should a kite care to fly direct – it seems a remote place, hidden away in the hills. The only road to it is…

Hong Kong conservation articles

Where do you want to explore in wild Hong Kong?

HK Outdoors photo galleries