The past few weekends we have made it a point to go and explore all that Hong Kong has to offer. Surprisingly, Hong Kong is full of hiking trails and we decided to check one out after church. Trails are of all different levels and you can hike just a section if you want. We decided on section 6, only about 4.5 km called Mount Parker Road to Tai Tam Road, of the 50 km Hong Kong trail. We packed lunches and were on our way. From my calculations the hike should have been an easy two and a half hour hike while stopping to eat lunch. Well that 4.5km turned into 7.5km when we had to hike uphill for 3 km to get to the actual starting point.
Just getting started on Mount Parker Road
Just as we were getting started they had an educational center in what looks like an old colonial home
This was pretty cool, it is one of those mosaic pictures with lots of little pictures making one bigger picture, but you could only see the scene when you took a picture with your camera
A view of the Hong Kong housing situation. This is how close people live here.
Still smiling even though my calves were burning by this point because I didn't know we would be walking uphill for 3km, but at least it was all paved
The actual starting point for what was thought to be a leisurely hike and it was all downhill or level ground from here
Tons of butterflies and Justin snapped this sweet photo- straight out of National Geographic!
Finally on the trail and it feels like we are out in nature. Crazy to think that all these trails exist in such a big city
Towards the end of the hike we walked past the huge Tai Tam reservoir
The trail actually had us walk right on top of the reservoir's dam
As we were walking across the dam we noticed all these fish swimming underneath us
Another view of the dam
A great day for a hike!
Near the end
Despite taking a lot longer than we thought (4 hours instead of 2) we really enjoyed getting out and seeing some nature. I am not an avid hiker, but I would love to do some more hikes while I am here. It was beautiful weather with the sun shining and lots of people hitting the trails. Make sure to pack a lunch, some snacks and plenty of water.
For anyone coming to Hong Kong I have included some great resources for hiking around here. The first is awesome for planning a hike as it gives you a map and what to expect. The second is the HK Tourism Board and they are actually doing free guided hikes from now until Dec. 9th. Last is a link to some of Hong Kong's best hikes. Happy trail blazing!
