hong kong

HK Great Outdoors map

Submitted by DocMartin on 17 July 2005 - 7:43pm

Here's a map with clickable links to info on some of the best places in wild Hong Kong, which were featured in Hong Kong's Great Outdoors (copies no longer available). For six places, there are short itineraries; for the rest you'll find links to articles on this site and elsewhere on the web.

hong kong great outdoors map

By moving the mouse around on this map, you should find you links to pages with text from the printed map, as well as links to further information. There's further help with navigation via menus on the right.

History of Hong Kong fauna 1841-1941: Information needed.

Submitted by Richard Muirhead on 23 July 2009 - 12:43pm

I wonder if anyone can help? I am investigating reports relating to the history of Hong Kong wildlife in old English language newspapers and books between 1841 and 1941 with Jon Downes of the Centre for Fortean Zoology based in Devon, U.K. We have been looking through issues of the South China Morning Post,for example from about 1910 onwards and The Hong Kong Kong Naturalist since the early 1990s onwards and hope to publish our research in the form of a book on Hong Kong`s fauna by the end of 2012.

HKU Climate Workshop

Submitted by DocMartin on 11 December 2006 - 11:51am

Back from Day 2 (of 2) of the workshop at the University of Hong Kong - and, for me, a marked improvement on yesterday afternoon, when I thought we mostly got lost in the models.

Some good info today; inc on actual impacts - such as on ecosystems; also guff from the past, and info on changing climate in Hong Kong.

Wong Nai Chung Gap Trail

Submitted by Martin Williams on 15 November 2006 - 4:55am

The Wong Nai Chung Gap Trail opened around mid-2006, and is Hong Kong's first - and so far only - battlefield trail. It starts just opposite the entrance to Parkview, loops along and down a hillside to pass an old anti-aircraft battery and a couple of pillboxes, then drops to the gap itself, ending at a former bunker complex.

There are boards with info and wartime photos, telling of the brief but intense fighting here, as Japanese forces overran Hong Kong's defences. The bunker at the end of the trail was hidden by soil and vegetation, but has been recently excavated, helping make this a short but fascinating trail.

Northeast NT Tour

Submitted by DocMartin on 23 October 2006 - 2:57pm

Recently joined a relatively new tour organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board - the Northeast New Territories Island Hopping Tour: a boat ride through Tolo Harbour, to Double Haven, and back via Tap Mun. Includes some otherwise hard to reach places, and at HK$150 seemed a good deal (special - introductory - price in late 2006; regular price now HK$380. Seems that, ideally, should be a visitor to HK to join this; but what the heck...).

We met tour guide and other participants at HK University East Rail station, then walked down to nearby pier to catch the boat - a small ferry with air-con below, an open upper deck.

Guide gave commentary, over tannoy system. Turned out she had encyclopedic knowledge of the area, which was good; but there was barely a millisecond without commentary - so tough to know when to listen in for more interesting stuff, rather than tons of trivia.

Cleaning Indoor Air

Submitted by DocMartin on 22 October 2006 - 10:32am

With hideous smog (aka "haze") currently prevailing in Hong Kong, just done some reading around on Internet re possible ways to clean the air, somewhat, indoors.

Prompted partly by reading info such as: 'According to an article in "Heart," the journal of the British Cardiac Society: "Epidemiology has clearly shown a link between increases in particulate air pollution and deaths and admissions caused by heart failure, myocardial infarction [heart attack] and arrhythmia."', from a CNN item, which I posted to thread on forum here: Hong Kong Suffers Chronic Air Pollution.

It seems there may be two ways to reduce indoor pollution: using filters/purifiers (machines), and using houseplants (which can act as natural filters/purifiers).

Hong Kong Pathfinder improved

Submitted by DocMartin on 16 October 2005 - 5:54am

Top news for hiking buffs - and a shameless plug by me, for my HK Pathfinder guide. Here's a press release I drafted:

Asia 2000 announces the publication of the eighth edition of one of Hong Kong’s most successful guidebooks: Hong Kong Pathfinder: 24 day-walks in Hong Kong.

“We believe this is the best-selling [English language] Hong Kong hiking guide ever,” says Asia 2000 director Mike Morrow. “It was first published in 1995, yet remains popular because it covers routes to suit all hikers – whether they want to stroll short, easy trails, or tackle more challenging itineraries. We’ve kept it up-to-date, by revising information on transport and trails, as well as expanding route descriptions, and adding new places and new walks."

Lamma Island

Submitted by DocMartin on 27 April 2005 - 2:48am

Lying just west of Hong Kong Island, Lamma Island (南丫島) has a reputation as a hippie haven. This image is perhaps outdated, but Lamma does offer a great contrast to the city, and its six thousand or so residents include a fair proportion who have come in search of an alternative lifestyle: maybe focusing on arts and crafts, or wanting to live somewhere rural whllst commuting to a city office.

Over 80 percent of Lamma folk inhabit the north of the island, especially in and around the largest village, Yung Shue Wan. With no cars or trucks on the island (apart from in the giant power station complex, that is!), this is a pleasant place to wander around - even the "Main Street" is just a footpath, leading from the ferry pier and past waterfront shops and restaurants.

Though the south of the island offers Lamma's best hiking, there is a pleasant, easy walk from Yung Shue Wan in the northwest, south to the village of Sok Kwu Wan on the central east coast. As there are ferries serving both places, you can readily catch a ferry to one of these villages, walk to the other, then return to the city. Here are some photos and notes from places en route (YSW to SKW).

Hiking in HK

Submitted by DocMartin on 17 November 2004 - 7:41pm

If you know Hong Kong only as a metropolis of concrete canyons and neon signs, the notion of hiking here might seem as ludicrous as clubbing at the North Pole or skiing in the Sahara. And yet, Hong Kong is a marvellous place for hiking.

Hong Kong's setting is the key to this: the city lies in a territory that's around three-quarters countryside, with rugged hills, islands and islets. Chunks of land are protected in country parks and special areas, and there are superbly maintained trails, ranging from gentle family walks to tough, long-distance hiking trails.

Tai Mo Shan

Submitted by DocMartin on 16 August 2004 - 1:57pm

ViewfromTaiMoShan,atdusk Hong Kong's highest mountain, Tai Mo Shan (大帽山), dominates the central New Territories north of Kowloon. Its name means "Big Hat Mountain" or "Big Misty Mountain", after the low cloud and mist that often swirls around the summit. Though just 957 metres high, it deserves to be called a mountain, not a hill - as it's such an imposing presence in the landscape.

Though seasoned hikers once liked to accompany newbies to the summit, then enjoy the sight of them tumbling into a concealed hollow, Tai Mo Shan is no longer a major peak to climb, as there's a service road to a communications facility and other paraphernalia perched on top. But this service road is closed to most vehicles, and makes for pleasant strolling on the upper reaches of Tai Mo Shan - especially on a clear day when Hong Kong's summer heat is on, and the temperature here can be just a tad cooler.