Skip to main content
  • News
    • MTV News
    • Trending News
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Taylor Swift
    • Kim Kardashian
  • Music
    • Music Highlights
    • Music Videos
    • Charts
    • Playlists
    • EMAs
    • MTV PUSH
    • Artists
  • Shows
    • Latest Shows
    • The Charlotte Show
    • Geordie Shore
    • Ex on the Beach
    • Just Tattoo Of Us
    • Teen Mom UK
    • The Royal World
  • Movies
    • Movies Highlights
    • New Movies Coming Soon
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Trailers
    • Moana
  • Travel
    • Videos
  • Style
  • Life
    • Life
    • MTV Breaks
    • Sex
    • WTF
    • SRS
    • Travel
    • Fitness
    • Generation Change
  • Pictures
  • Win
  • MTV Play
  • TV Guide
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Search
  • Pictures
  • Win
  • MTV Play
  • TV Guide
Home
  • News
    • MTV News
    • Trending News
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Taylor Swift
    • Kim Kardashian
  • Music
    • Music Highlights
    • Music Videos
    • Charts
    • Playlists
    • EMAs
    • MTV PUSH
    • Artists
  • Shows
    • Latest Shows
    • The Charlotte Show
    • Geordie Shore
    • Ex on the Beach
    • Just Tattoo Of Us
    • Teen Mom UK
    • The Royal World
  • Movies
    • Movies Highlights
    • New Movies Coming Soon
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Trailers
    • Moana
  • Travel
    • Videos
  • Style
  • Life
    • Life
    • MTV Breaks
    • Sex
    • WTF
    • SRS
    • Travel
    • Fitness
    • Generation Change
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Search

Travel

  • Main
  • Videos
  • Pictures
  • News

Hong Kong: The Greatest Outdoorsy Holiday You’ve Never Thought Of

From kayaking to off-road mountain biking, and some of the best hikes in Asia, Hong Kong has a bunch of outdoor beauty you didn't even know existed...

Matt Risley
  • Share to Facebook
  • Tweet to Twitter
  • Share to Google plus
Monday, March 25, 2019 - 20:33

Hong Kong conjures up many immediate images.

Drool-worthy food, towering skyscrapers (it has the largest number in the world, fact fans), and a bustling cityscape chock full of people, colour and energy.

What you may not instantly think of is world class hikes, a variety of watersports, and beaches that would put Australia to shame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se29GreTu28&feature=youtu.be

Even better, every one of these is easily accessible from the city centre, meaning you can bounce between Michelin-starred local delicacies, kaleidoscopic culture clashes, and zen-inducing back-to-nature realness with ease.

https://instagram.com/p/Bq_wi0YF9lG/

Don’t believe us? Here are five reasons why Hong Kong is the greatest outdoorsy holiday you’ve never even thought of…

Hiking Dragon’s Back is the ultimate city break

It’s weird to start a rave about a mountainous hike with talk of public transport, but here we go.

Getting to and from the city’s most iconic of hikes is bewilderingly easy.

Matt Risley

A simple metro tube journey and short bus ride later, and you can go from the hustle and bustle of Tsim Sha Tsui (read: skyscrapers) to lung-filling greenery in just over an hour.

The hike itself is just as accessible, with a gentle, calf-bolstering stroll upwards to a 360 view of surprising beauty. On one side you’ve Tai Tam Harbour, dotted with boats and gentle sparkling waters, while on the other you’ve cosy coves and ocean that stretches out to nothing until it hits Taiwan.

The view from the pinnacle is Instagram gold, with undulating hills stretching out for as far as the eye can see (hence ‘Dragon’s Back’) in one direction, and the tiny city skyline way out in the other.

As you descend, you’ll mosey through paths of lush vegetation and trickling waterfalls, before finishing at…

Waves for days

Big Wave Beach - a dreamy sandy beach with great surf and appropriately Aussie beach bum vibes.

Matt Risley

Grab a beer, buy a paddleboard, and slap on the sun cream - you can spend hours sunbathing, swimming and eating your day away.

The Dragon’s Back hike was named the Best Urban Hike in Asia by TIME, and with so much versatility on offer, it’s hard to disagree.

Heard to Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park for an off-road adventure

While Hong Kong’s city centre is pretty compact, the surrounding land deemed ‘HK’ is actually pretty blardy huge.

Sai Kung East Country Park takes up a sizeable chunk to the east of the CBD, and offers an array of cycling, hiking, and watersport adventures for those craving a break from the city. It’s known as the city’s ‘garden’ for good reason.

Matt Risley

We were guided around Sai Kung’s East Country Park on a mountain biking session that unveiled a side of the city we hadn’t seen coming. Ocean-flanking trails wound in and around the coastline, past mangroves, cow-filled fields, floating fishing villages, and - best of all - a staggering array of dogs (including, yes, doges-a-gogo).

https://instagram.com/p/Bq4Uyc7FNU0/

We circled back for lunch at a local institution - a tiny, outdoors restaurant serving beer the size of your head, and food freshly made using ancient ovens.

Matt Risley

Inhaling native, delicious food, as the sun beats down on your face is a special experience. Something made even better by…

Kayak your cares away

Yes, you can kayak in Hong Kong - and no, we’re not talking about dodging yachts in Victoria Harbour.

Matt Risley

Sham Chung also boasts azure still waters, and a bevy of undulating green hills around you to calm you tf out. As you paddle around fishing villages and islands, flying fish skip merrily around you, and egrets coast above.

Matt Risley

Squint hard enough and you can spot Tai Po’s incredible, gigantic mega-Guanyin (one of the biggest in Asia) off in the distance.

The city really is watersports galore

Kayaking’s the tip of the thankfully metaphorical iceberg.

From stand-up paddle boarding to windsurfing, wake boarding to snorkelling, scuba diving and more, it’s a water-lover’s paradise.

Matt Risley

Even better, if you cba to leave the city but still want to get your exercise kick, you have the option of…

Virtual Reality exercise

Yes, you read that right.

If the weather’s rubbish (or you really really can’t be bothered to venture out of your hotel for the day), then Hotel Vic on the Harbour boasts an Icarus - a virtual reality flying machine that combines fitness and virtual reality to give you a head-spinning exercise experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMBxuWzfyko&feature=youtu.be

Fly through glowing rings as you struggle to maintain your core, and laugh your butt off as your bum goes vertical as you flail around, trying to maintain control.

Like Hong Kong, it's a dizzying, energising experience - and, if you want it to be, one that is as heart-pumping and fit-friendly as any other.

Latest News

Get To Know - Moonchild Sanelly
Get To Know: Moonchild Sanelly
Get To Know: FLO
Get To Know: FLO
Get To Know - Poppy Ajudha
Get To Know: Poppy Ajudha
Get To Know: Bru-C
Get To Know: Bru-C
Get To Know: Alissic
Get To Know: Alissic
Get To Know: French The Kid
Get To Know: French The Kid
Get To Know: Daisy Brain
Get To Know: Daisy Brain
Get To Know: Dylan
Get To Know: Dylan
Get To Know: Flowerovlove
Get To Know: Flowerovlove
Get To Know: Luude
Get To Know: Luude
Our Music Portfolio Is Changing
Get To Know: Belters Only
Get To Know: Belters Only
Get To Know: CMAT
Get To Know: CMAT
Get To Know: Rêve
Get To Know: Rêve
Get To Know: Lauran Hibberd
Get To Know: Lauran Hibberd
Bad Boy Chiller Crew
Bad Boy Chiller Crew Win MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2022!
MTV’s Catfish UK: Apply Now
The BRIT Awards 2022 Hosted By Mo Gilligan
Win Tickets To The BRIT Awards 2022!
Wet Leg
Wet Leg Found It "So Weird" When People Sang Their Songs
Thomas Headon
Thomas Headon: “If You Vote For Me, I Will Be A Step Closer To Meeting Harry Styles”

More From Travel

Travel
7 Reasons Why Sailing The Med Is Your Next Summer Adventure
Travel
Unique festivals, rainforest hikes and white-sand beaches... St.Kitts is the place to be
Travel
2 Weeks Road Trippin' The Deep American South
Travel
Antigua: 6 Reasons To Book The Caribbean Getaway Of Your Dreams Right Now
Travel
Here’s why Nashville is the undisputed city of music
Travel
The Most Instagrammable Spots In New York City
Travel
The Ultimate Guide To Palawan, Philippines
Travel
The ultimate Italian honeymoon destinations for all you romantics out there
Travel
5 Reasons Why Mykonos Should Be Your Next Relaxing Weekend Getaway
Travel
Coolest Things To Do In Santa Monica
Travel
The Coolest Places To Stay In New York City
Travel
The Most Authentic Things To Do in Jamaica’s Montego Bay

Trending Articles

10 Things Your Heartbroken Friend Needs To Hear
18 Most Naked Of Naked Moments To Have Ever Hit Geordie Shore
21 Types Of People You'll Find In Every Friendship Group
Life
Here's Why Celebs Are Holding Four Fingers Up In Their Selfies
Celebrity
10 Celebrities Who Have Some Seriously Kinky Sex Likes In The Bedroom
20 Of The Most Beautiful Books In The World
Dixie D’Amelio Speaks Out After She And Charli Were Criticised For Being “Rude” To Their Chef
What 15 Of The Most Common Sex Dreams ACTUALLY Mean
How To Navigate Sexist, Racist And Homophobic Conversations With Your Family This Christmas
Charli D’Amelio Breaks Down Over Death Threats As James Charles And Bryce Hall Offer Support
Hailey Bieber Reveals The Genetic Disorder That She’s Being Cruelly Trolled About
Are Gay and Bisexual People Better At Sex?
  • Contact Us
  • Access Services
  • Website Terms
  • Mobile Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • MTV Jobs
  • MTV Press
  • Anti-Slavery
  • Global Tax Policy Statement
Hit us with some keywords!