Quite some people have asked me how they could start enjoying the type of adventures shown on this web. Here a short compendium of everything explained.

Our usual fun is a bit hardcore for the “average Joe/Jane”. Quite often more than it looks in the pics. If you haven’t done so yet, you should first check the difficulty grading that I link in every post. To make it simple, the higher the difficulty mark the higher the chances of having a serious accident if you are not physically, mentally, and gear-wise ready. People have died in several of the routes written about.

When I came to Hong Kong I was quite muscular and cardio fit (10km 38min running, >3kph swim, several long multi-day hikes conquered). Nevertheless, I wouldn’t invite my young me to do the things we do now. I was lacking scrambling/climbing experience, I had shitty gear, and even if I had big wave swim and surf experience I had never really been in those near rocky shorelines nor had been walking on wet slippery rocks much.

I learned slowly (years) trying more and more difficult routes. As written in the aforementioned link the recommended progression would be: start with easy hikes (here you have tons from number one English hiking web in HK), then bushwalking, add some easy streams, later rock scrambling, basic climbing, finally coasteering. After specific training or/and with experienced people canyoning.

I have written specific posts with everything I would explain to a beginner to that specific activity (including recommended routes for them) here: stream hiking, coasteering, caving, open water swimming, maps. Actually, you have a full Preparations section with everything to know prior and post your outings. Gear maintenance, how to train to be ready for your adventures, first aid for example.

Having a group of friends with similar skills and interests that would like to enjoy your journey would be perfect. If not, there are tons of groups in Hong Kong that you could join. Eye Opener Hiking group or Hong Kong Hiking Meetup are good for beginners. They will request you to join several really easy routes before they allow you to get into more technical ones. In general, though, their hikes are easy for our standards. 4+ out of 5 for them (cause surface: scrambling, coastal walks, etc; not distance) tend to be classified Easy here. They sometimes do adventurous routes with their top-skilled hikers.

If you want to try trail running, you have several communities to join. I have run with HKTrailRunners & Fast and Hard Hikes in Hong Kong. The pic above was a really fun day with the former, under heavy rain when every path became a stream. For more information check Facebook groups.

For improving your open water swimming skills. OWSHK-Open Water Swimmers Hong Kong has meetups every weekend. They have groups of very different levels. It was fun to be part of them. Thanks to the group I ended up joining solo the Clean Half 15km open water race long ago.

If you want to speed up the process you can join guided routes or specific courses. Expert personnel could safely take you to interesting routes and explain to you, live, the basics. you could contact Roland, aka HKOutsider. He has been building for a while a big community of outdoor and environment enthusiasts. Frequently we go out together. Actually, my canyoning pic above is from him and he is our most photogenic cliff jumper.

If you want to learn all the climbing basics, how to use ropes, even canyoning and coasteering, I would suggest you contact Ben Wo (WildernessExplorersHK, previously HK Outdoor adventures for amateurs). I have not only hiked with Ben but we have even been coastal cleaning hand in hand. He setting up the ropes in the second pic.

By the way, help us maintain our natural little treasures at their best. Definitely, do not drop/throw rubbish around. Avoid single-use plastic bottles. Don’t use soap in the streams/sea. Minimize any other chemicals. For example by using long sleeves, caps, and others vs tons of sunscreen. If you are using it on your face or else, let it be absorbed by your skin before jumping into the water. Try to pick up some random trash (plastic bottles, bags, etc) left by others. It will make a significant difference if we all do it, even if it is just a few items each time.

On my own, in general, I bring only tested friends or someone who a reliable friend can vouch for. I used to do a couple of “beginner’s routes” per year to test safely those who had been contacting me through different channels. Although lately (2021) I do not need it, HKOutsiders being the main initial filter. Part of its leader team comes with me regularly and they recommend people to join us. Mostly after they have shown me records of their previous outings, gear and others. I have had several bad experiences with people that had a too high opinion of their abilities: bad shoes, slow, unskilled, or just high testosterone-driven guys prone to accidents. And to avoid answering in private conversations this again: nope, you having finished a Spartan Race or a triathlon does not give me any clue if you are suitable or not for our outings. The top team with whom I do the difficult routes if you want to compare yourself, for reference. In easier outings I go with other friends, quite some being almost as skillful. Happy to be able to do long or difficult routes fast and safe.

Can I be hired to help you? Your answer in the A-Team’s intro. I am kinda expensive (mostly to be donated), I need to be interested in the project/routes and available. Difficult but not impossible.

Children

Several people have contacted me asking for routes suitable for kids. The very same principles explained before apply for both the parents and children separately. You need to be really comfortable yourself in streams before you could take your kids with you. They need to build their confidence in their skills and gear slowly too. How old should the kid be? I have seen all ages. From a toddler on a specially designed backpack shouting to his dad to go faster trail running, to over 5 years old fully geared (helmet, life jacket, grippy shoes) up the streams. Young teenagers complaining about the difficulty of a relatively easy route.

My niece loved Lo Fu stream.

I have seen kids enjoying lower sections of Ma Dai, Shek Lung Chai, even Wong Lung Hang.

Just be extra cautious initially and explain clearly everything to them.

Aforementioned WildernessExplorersHK provide also guided activities for kids and full families.

Dogs

I have had similar requests regarding dogs and I have experience with friends bringing theirs to easier routes. Assess your dog and let it get comfortable scrambling. Each one will be different. Definitely, you will not be able to bring it if the route requires climbing heights higher than, let’s say, 2 meters. Or you will need to figure out how to pull it up. There are official guidelines by the Government that are summarized by you need to be able to control your dog any time.

So that it doesn’t scare, approach or chase other hikers or, important, wild animals. Are you able to control it not peeing and pooing in streams? Same as humans, it should be avoided…

Consider also that they tend to overheat a lot faster than humans. So you might need to reduce the length of your outings, avoid overexposed paths, hotter months, etc.

Best seasons for each activity

Hot and humid summer days are for shaded stream hikes. Cooler months, time for caving, more exposed dry paths, or coasteering if with wetsuits. Without, spring and autumn are more suitable, as soon as the water is above 20°C and starts to be warmer or not windy outside.  Beware of too exposed to sun routes in the summertime, even coasteering long with seawater temperatures above 27°C can be dangerous or, at least, not fun. The best seawater quality usually is in springtime, in the dry season before the first heavy rains. East swell tends to be bigger from September onwards. So most exposed routes facing East with no land protection (Wang Chau, East Dam, Po Toi for example) might be easier in springtime.