Wild Hong Kong – Get out of the city for an adventure!

Don’t Go, Chasing Waterfalls…

Getting ‘Wild’ in Hong Kong can mean a lot of different things. You’ve got the crazy night out in LKF, the splurge in the top hotel spas, the boozy brunches and the happy hours. But when I say ‘Let’s get wild’ in Hong Kong, I mean something completely different. I mean getting out of the city, away from the skyscrapers and into nature – chasing waterfalls, hiking up mountains and opening your eyes to the most beautiful side of Hong Kong – the side less discovered. So come and get wild with me, or more precisely, Wild Hong Kong, who can show you what’s right outside your doorstep.

For those of us that love hiking in Hong Kong, it’s not hard to grab your water bottle and head up to The Peak any time of day or night – but we’re all pretty bored of that, right? Then there’s the rest of us that promise each other ‘we will hike this weekend, 100%’ and then by the time you clamber in on a Friday night (or morning!), you have to decided otherwise. I’m a bit of both. I need someone to motivate me, even though I always have the intention of doing a new hike every weekend.

Read more about Waterfall Hikes in Hong Kong here. 

That’s where Rory came in from Wild Hong Kong. I stumbled across his website after typing in ‘best hikes in Hong Kong’ on one of those days I was fully intending to explore at the weekend. Raised here in Sai Kung with education in Scotland, and a few years between New Zealand and Brisbane, Rory has set up a business based on his passion: the great outdoors. Now, this guy knows the hills of Hong Kong like the back of his hand; kind of like a real life Mowgli from Jungle Book! Wild Hong Kong helps tourists, locals and expats alike discover parts of Hong Kong that may not be as obvious. He offers guided tours pretty much anywhere in HK, from Dragon’s Back to secretive spots with natural infinity pools, SUP boarding, cycling and pretty much anything that involves outdoor fun!

So I grabbed three of my girlfriends, told him we were up for an adventure, and left the rest to him.

We were off to the Yellow Dragon waterfalls (while looking at each other with no clue where/what that was). After laughing and joking with Rory about the contrasts of Hong Kong, the expat life and the general hilarities of life in a big city, we suddenly found ourselves at the start of the trail in Lantau. And when I say trail I mean a collection of vertical boulders. “You said you wanted an adventure“, Rory laughed!

And that we did, so we started to climb. Away from the city, away from the pollution, away from the crowds. It felt like we were the only five people in Hong Kong, which is pretty remarkable in a city of 7 million.

Let’s rewind though – why do you even need a guide? Quite simply:

A) We would never have known this place even existed without Rory
B) Even if we did, we would have no idea how to get there
C) We spent the whole time hiking up waterfalls through rocks and into trees. We needed someone that knew what the hell they were doing, because we definitely didn’t!

Overall the hike took around five hours (including the walk to and back from the trail). Now, this wasn’t an easy hike – it wasn’t hard, just more challenging. Yet the rewards outweigh any of those ‘oh I just want to give up’ moments. We spent most of the time proclaiming this was the most beautiful place we had ever seen in Hong Kong, and how we would never have had this opportunity if we hadn’t come along with Wild Hong Kong.

Read more about hiking in Hong Kong here. 

It’s funny how hiking with friends can make you feel. At first you worry if you’ll be able to keep up, then you realise that you’re all in it together, and after, you feel a sense of achievement. Not only did you discover new things, you also created new memories. Rory made that all happen for us, he led us the right way, made sure we were happy and safe and pointed out the best photo spots. This freed up our thoughts (aka we didn’t have to think at all!) and left us laughing at and with each other at our attempts to tame the Yellow Dragon falls.

We like to think we can take on the Hong Kong hikes alone, and yes, maybe we can. But now we’ve found Wild Hong Kong, we would rather go along with them. You can save time on looking up directions, avoid getting lost and you’ll know that you’re in safe hands, which will allow you to push your limits that bit further.

Next on our list… Scuba diving, paragliding or paint-balling? Go out there and explore!

www.wildhongkong.com

Prices: Guided tours start from $500 and can be customised to fit your needs. Email [email protected] for booking enquiries.