Here’s info on an outdoor week I led for a group from a local school.
This was aimed at giving schoolchildren experience of broad range of places in wilder parts of Hong Kong, spanning variety of places such as wetlands, woodland, hills, ravines, and coastlines. We aimed to see a mix of local wildlife, with "star" species such as black-faced spoonbill and Chinese white dolphin; also visiting traditional villages.
Day 1: Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden
Walked lower areas, seeing rescued animals inc black kites, wild boar, leopard cats, barking deer. Also, rode minibus to higher areas, visiting hilltops with marvellous scenery, as well as the Butterfly Garden.
A good introduction to wilder parts of Hong Kong, including some of our wildlife.
Day 2: Mai Po Marshes
Visited Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve. Walked trails past fishponds and shrimp ponds, seeing wide variety of birds, especially waterbirds such as egrets, herons, globally endangered black-faced spoonbills. (Also, we were lucky to have a superb Imperial eagle just in front of a hide, eating its prey.) Also walked out along the boardwalk through dense mangroves, to see mudflats with fiddler crabs and mudskippers.
Day 3: Cheung Chau
Walked a coastal trail in the southeast, around a small cove and a granite headland to a "hidden" beach. Also hired cycles and pedal cars, to tour the village area and the northwest coast of the island.
Day 4: Northeast New Territories
A minibus tour; headed east from Tai Po Market. Halted by Plover Cove Reservoir, and walked trail through wooded ravine to see the Bride’s Pool and Mirror Pool waterfalls. Visited Luk Keng, one of our finest remaining traditional villages. Walked along a footpath from Wu Kau Tang, to a deserted hamlet where we looked into houses that still have old furniture, photos and pictures on the walls; took another, short trail, to the rocky stream above Mirror Pool waterfall.
Day 5: Dolphinwatch tour
We joined a tour with Hong Kong Dolphinwatch – the best way of seeing one of Hong Kong’s flagship species, the Chinese white dolphin. Enjoyed excellent encounters with dolphins in waters east of the airport.
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