Nepal has always been in our bucket list, as a hiking destination. There are some many hiking trail to choose from, but in cold December month, the 5 days Mardi Himal trek seems to be the more manageable trek given the time and physical fitness we have.

The flight from Hong Kong to Kathmandu takes only 5 hours, which makes it a not very faraway land. However, the domestic flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara (vice versa) may take a longer time cause flight-delay-due-to-foggy-condition is everyday scenario. We are lucky that our morning flight to Pokhara was only delayed for less than 2 hours. We all reached Pokhara airport at around 1pm, including the porters who joined us there.

We then took a 2-hour car ride to Kande, have a quick lunch at road side eatery, then started our hiking in thrill! According to itinerary, we need to achieve an elevation of around 2000m for our 1st day. For this, we hiked through the Australian Camp, till a small village of Pothana. Everything that exists along the entire trek is simply awesome and memorable. Besides the breathtaking mountains and landscapes, we also get to see the beauty of a much simpler lifestyle and the people who live in it.

On this trek we have approach Raju, the Manager Director of Himalayan Adventure Nepal (https://himalayanadventurenepal.com/), who helped to plan everything on this trek including accommodation, food, transportation, porter, permits and etc. If you do ever come to Nepal, we highly recommend this trekking agency.

Lantau Peak, or Fung Wong Shan (鳳凰山,934m) is the second-highest peak in Hong Kong. The mountain is actually made up of a pair of peaks, one is known as “Fung Shan” (male phoenix mountain) and the other is “Wong Shan” (female phoenix mountain), together they form “Fung Wong Shan”.

Lantau Peak is one of the most popular hiking spots in Hong Kong and can be reached by several different paths. This time we chose the easier trail which is started from Ngong Ping, passing by the big Buddha statue and Wisdom Path (心經簡林).

Before ascending the Lantau Peak, we rendezvous 3 elite hiker friends who climbed all the way from West Dog Teeth Ridge. After a short catch up, we parted way and continue our own path.

We set to meet again at Lo Hon Tower, a big rocky tower near Lantau Peak which is easily recognizable. There is also a cave lying 50m away from the tower, called One-Tree Cave (一樹洞), another IG spot. From there, we descended the steep mountain range together and ended at Shek Mun Kap village at early night time.

Sharp Peak or Nam She Tsim (468m), located inside Sai Kung East Country Park, is the sharpest peak in Hong Kong. Because of the challenging slopes, it has been in our bucket list for quite some time.

We started the hike at Pak Tam Au, walk for an hour along Maclehose Trail Stage 2 up to the top of the pass just after distance marker M040. After some gentle incline, the way up had dramatically turn into very steep. In view of Sharp Peak’s path is well-worn and as it will be skiddy in the dry and slippery when wet, I would recommend to go only in good weather.

The areas surrounding Sharp Peak are simply stunning, and the 360-degree unobstructed views from the summit are among the finest in the land. We also get to see 4 beaches at one time, ie. Tung Wan, Tai Wan, Ham Tin Wan and Sai Wan, well worth all the effort!

There are a few different ways heading down, we choose the loose trails head towards Tai Wan Beach instead. Heading down will require more care than ascending, as there are no stairs at all but eroded gravel path! At certain part, we have to sit down and proceed slowly.

We ended our hike taking some light snacks at a small beach restaurant while waiting for our hired boat to come to pick us. Although pricey, the boat ride has saved us a lengthy walk back to civilization. Furthermore, it had brought us some excitement when the boat sailed up and down the big waves at open sea, in dark.

It has taken us around 8 hours to complete the whole hike. Am glad we have made it with some wonderful friends too, nothing can beat this !

We were inspired by the movie “14 Peaks” in Netflix and thought that perhaps we could do the same here in Hong Kong. So in the coming 14 weeks, we will gather some of our friends and colleagues from the aviation industry in an attempt to do something different. We has been through so many challenges in the last 2 years and we are hoping this would inspire some positivity in our current situation and to show we can come out stronger than before.

Tai Mo Shan hike for me is very interesting for 4 reasons. First, because it is the highest peak in Hong Kong. Second, according to my research Tai Mo Shan is an inactive volcano dating back to the Jurassic period. Third, it houses the Hong Kong Observatory’s weather radar station. And lastly my favourite, because you get to see four beautiful cascading waterfalls on the trail with one at 35M high and is considered the highest waterfall in Hong Kong.

Being the highest peak at 957M above sea level, Tai Mo Shan is the coldest and wettest part in Hong Kong with minus 6 degrees celcius as the lowest temperature recorded in 2016. Some would hike up just to see winter frost. In spring if you are lucky you could witness a sea of clouds at the mountaintop, no wonder it is a photographer’s dream location. In the summer months you’ll be treated with colourful blooms.

There are several ways to do this hike and many options where to start. You may even drive halfway, but where is the fun to that? Our hike started at the Tai Mo Shan Country Park, even this saved us some time of walking up already. The initial climb was a gentle ascent on a paved path then on an uphill road. The moment you’ll see a gigantic sphere from afar, you know that you’re almost there. The hike in my opinion is more impressive than the destination itself. Along the way, you will be mesmerized by the views of the hillside and plains. At the lookout on a clear day you can see as far away as China.

Our hike going down was a different story thou. We went deeper into the forest and took the path that leads to Ng Tung Chai waterfalls. The trail was rocky but easy to navigate. This part of the hike was more exciting. The louder you hear the rush and roar of the waterfalls, the more eager you want to get there. What a treat! I particularly love the 4th waterfall, the Bottom Fall, because it is enclosed in a small area which makes it secluded and more serene. On a hot summer day I would have given in to the temptation to go for a quick dip.

After emerging from the forest there was a nice temple with benches outside. Here you can catch your breath before walking for another 30 minutes to get to the road where you can take a bus back to Tai Po MTR station. For this Tai Mo Shan hike our total elevation gain was 695M and took us 8.5 hours after several photo ops at the waterfalls to complete the 12.2KM trail that we chose.

Thumbnail photo provided by Raynard from his website
https://flyingmonyet.com/tai-mo-shan-to-ng-tung-chai-waterfalls/

We were inspired by the movie “14 Peaks” in Netflix and thought that perhaps we could do the same here in Hong Kong. So in the coming 14 weeks, we will gather some of our friends and colleagues from the aviation industry in an attempt to do something different. We has been through so many challenges in the last 2 years and we are hoping this would inspire some positivity in our current situation and to show we can come out stronger than before.

We were inspired by the movie “14 Peaks” in Netflix and thought that perhaps we could do the same here in Hong Kong. So in the coming 14 weeks, we will gather some of our friends and colleagues from the aviation industry in an attempt to do something different. We has been through so many challenges in the last 2 years and we are hoping this would inspire some positivity in our current situation and to show we can come out stronger than before.

The Dog Teeth Range in Lantau Island is widely known as the most challenging and dangerous hike in Hong Kong. The are 3 key hiking trail to Kau Nga Ling summit (539m): West Dog Teeth (most challenging trail due to its steep ridge on many section), Middle Dog Teeth and East Dog Teeth. Due to its razor-like ridges and steepness, the Dog Teeth Range is absolutely not for the beginners.

We were inspired by the movie “14 Peaks” in Netflix and thought that perhaps we could do the same here in Hong Kong. So in the coming 14 weeks, we will gather some of our friends and colleagues from the aviation industry in an attempt to do something different. We has been through so many challenges in the last 2 years and we are hoping this would inspire some positivity in our current situation and to show we can come out stronger than before.

If you are in search for new challenges and adventures, why not try extreme hiking at Kau Nga Ling? Dubbed as the hardest hike and one of the 5 most extreme hiking trails in Hong Kong. Kau Nga Ling literally means Dog’s Teeth Ridge because of it’s razor-sharp rugged peaks resembling a dog’s teeth. Dog’s Teeth Ridge is made up of three ridgelines, the Middle Dog Teeth Range, East Dog Teeth Range and West Dog Teeth Range, the latter being the hardest and more popular to those thrill seekers.

All three are for advanced hikers only with good level of fitness and not for the faint-hearted as you would need to walk on steep and narrow path at times. As the hike involves a lot of scrambling and walking on loose gravel, proper hiking shoes is essential and gloves will be helpful too. One has to be mentally prepared for the challenge. Focus and concentration are vital on each step you take especially when scrambling up the rocks. There is no room for mistake because loosing your balance can be fatal. But don’t let it and the vertigo-inducing height intimidate you.

The breathtaking views of the sea and mountain range awaits you at the summit and it’s more than enough reward for all the challenges you have to overcome to get there. An overwhelming sense of euphoria will engulf you when you stand there and look back at the path that you have just conquered.

On our particular hike, we chose to climb Middle Dog’s Teeth and down East Dog’s Teeth to end at Shui Hau Village. Some would choose to continue on to Lantau Peak to further push their limits while others prefer to end at the nearby Ngong Ping Village for more gentle descend. Our chosen path took us 6 hours to complete and our total elevation gain was 539M.

We gathered at Tung Chung and took the bus No.11 to Shek Pik Reservoir. From there we walk back towards the direction where the bus came from until the trail entrance. It was a long shaded steep stairways right away then a more even trail.

A red warning sign to our right marks the beginning of the Middle Dog’s Teeth Ridge. Continuing on with the climb, we emerged from the forest and was immediately rewarded with a picturesque view of the Shek Pik Reservoir where we started. Now the trail is completely exposed and as we climbed higher the view becomes even more spectacular. We got a glimpse of the Big Buddha, the treacherous West Dog Teeth Ridge was on our left and the East Dog Teeth Ridge on our right.

Getting to our first peak entails scrambling and sometimes the gap between rocks are too wide. It was nice to be able to get a few minutes rest here, taking more photos, looking back at the ridge that we hiked up and just taking in the gorgeous views.

Then we decided to go farther to the next peak which involves even tougher scrambling. Here we have an amazing view of Lantau Peak towering far above us. If you continue with the hike from this peak you will reach the meeting point of all three ridges.

Sticking to our plan we went back down to take East Dog’s Teeth Ridge to Shui Hau Village to end the hike.
If you think that the challenging part is over, you are mistaken. Going on a steep downhill slope of scree is even tougher. The loose gravel made it too slippery to even attempt to walk so we decided to sit and go down on all fours. It put more strain on our bodies as we struggle in this position. The only consolation to this is that we were surrounded with amazing view of the undulating ridges.

At the end of this chalk-white trail it became manageable to walk while grabbing on to any tree trunks, branches or even bushes to help stabilize ourselves because it was still ridiculously slippery. Then we came to a huge boulder but easy to climb over and from there we could already see Shui Hau Village. Descending down to just another forest with a proper trail this time, we emerged at South Lantau Road. That marks the end of our hike and we took the bus
back to Tung Chung.

With a few gentle slips here and there on our way down, minor scratches, weak knees and sore bodies we all went home with a smile on our faces, jubilant and exhilarated.

The Dog Teeth Range in Lantau Island is widely known as the most challenging and dangerous hike in Hong Kong. The are 3 key hiking trail to Kau Nga Ling summit (539m): West Dog Teeth (most challenging trail due to its steep ridge on many section), Middle Dog Teeth and East Dog Teeth. The video captures of ascent from Middle Dog Teeth to Kau Nga Ling and the famous ridge “Life Line” and then descending down via the East Dog Teeth.

Even though the West Dog Teeth has a more precarious and steep ridge hike, each of the trail has their own challenges. The last climb via Middle Dog Teeth to the Lifeline is heart stopping and descending vis East Dog Teeth is not joke either. Since the East Dog Teeth is not a properly maintained trail, we literally has to sit on our asses on all four for hours to descend the trail. We started our hike from Shek Pik Reservoir and the country trail before turning into the Middle Dog teeth. Once at the Kau Nga Ling summit, we retraced our hike back for 500m and then descend via East Dog teeth. The whole journey took us almost 6 hours to complete with a total elevation gain of roughly 600m.

We were inspired by the movie “14 Peaks” in Netflix and thought that perhaps we could do the same here in Hong Kong. So in the coming 14 weeks, we will gather some of our friends and colleagues from the aviation industry in an attempt to do something different. We has been through so many challenges in the last 2 years and we are hoping this would inspire some positivity in our current situation and to show we can come out stronger than before.

Tai To Yan (566m) is a challenging ridge hike located near the Tai Mo Shan country park. The climb to the summit from the Kadoorie farm is particularly challenging due to its unrelenting continuous incline. The trail however is well maintained with many steps. The highlight is the razor-sharp ridge which gives the name of this summit with awesome views from both sides. On a sunny day, the views of New Territory, Tai Mo Shan peak and Shenzen are aplenty along the trail as well as lots of panoramic viewpoints.

The total elevation gain to reach the summit is 651m and the hike is roughly 2 hours with few stops. At the summit, one could chose to continue the hike all the way to Fanling which may take another 2 hours of gentle decline. As the second half of the hike to Fanling MTR station is not very scenic, and full of never-ending and monotonous descend, we walked back to Kadoorie Farm’s end for our own convenient instead.

The climb is a part of the 14 Peaks in 14 Weeks event started in Jan 18. We were inspired by the movie “14 Peaks” in Netflix and thought that perhaps we could do the same here in Hong Kong. So in the coming 14 weeks, we will gather some of our friends and colleagues from the aviation industry in an attempt to do something different. We has been through so many challenges in the last 2 years and we are hoping this would inspire some positivity in our current situation and to show we can come out stronger than before.

Inspired by the documentary film “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible”, the crew-explorer team aims to takes new height in a hiking journey over 14 weeks.

What inspires you to create this event?

I was inspired by the documentary film “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible” in Netflix. This documentary movie is about a Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his team who were aspired to climb all fourteen 8000m peaks within a record time of7 months. Their courage, perseverance and resilience instill a thought in me that perhaps I could do something similar in Hong Kong to uplift our spirit. So in the coming weeks, I am hoping to gather a team of fellow hikers in an attempt to climb 14 peaks in 14 weeks.

What would you like to achieve from this project?

We have encountered so many challenges in the past 2 years. Yet this pandemic offers us a chance to do something extraordinary and different. With this project I am hoping that this would inspire some positivity in our current situation and to show how team collaboration can enable us to come out stronger than before.

What would be the plan for your upcoming hikes?

In the next 14 weeks, I plan to hike the top 5 highest peaks in Hong Kong, the 5 most challenging hikes and 4 most iconic hikes. We intend to recruit a group of inspired hikers with appropriate experience to tackle the challenges together. We have categorized the 14 Peaks into Expert, Intermediate, and Beginner levels. The team member can choose any combination of the 14 climbs that meet their schedule and experience. As safety is our number 1 priority,we will focus on team effort rather than individual speed. In terms of hiking pace, our slogan is “We are as fast as the slowest member”.

What has been memorable for you so far?

We completed our first hike on 18 December with 10 friends joining. The relief, elation and happy look of my team mate when they successfully reached the summit of our first climb were what made the trip memorable. Some are beginners and not very comfortable with heights. But we made sure that all were supported especially during the steeper sections of the climb. Another happy moment is the food after our climb. As a reward for our accomplishment, we have ordered 14 different dishes to satisfy our cravings.

What are some of the hiking tips you would like to share with the budding hikers?

• Plan well, especially have an understanding of the trail that you will hike on. Other than the direction, it is important to know the elevation gain. Elevation gain is not simply the difference between the highest and lowest points on the trail. For example, a trail could start at 100 meters elevation and end at 100 meters elevation, but crossing few hills along the way. This adds a lot of additional time needed to complete the trail. For beginners, I recommend going with a group of friends who are experienced and always download a custom offline Google Map or Alltrail map in case there is no mobile reception in some areas. I also recommend taking a photo of the trail map on your phone.

• Bring lots of water. If I think 1 litre is enough then I will bring 1.5 litres. This is to prepare for any unexpected situations that may arise during the hike, such as weather changes or getting lost.

• Weather can be unpredictable. You never know when rain or cold temperatures will strike. Prepare well by bringing along a rain jacket in your backpack as well as additional layer of clothing for warmth.

• Invest in a pair of good hiking shoes is a must. Good shoes provide extra traction, ankle and toes support that can really protect you from injury. Over the years of hiking, I have lost count how many times my hiking shoes have saved me from serious injury. You could save on many things but not on hiking shoes.

• Respect your limits. I know that some hikers like to challenge their limits by taking on difficult hikes, but for casual hikers I would advise against it. If you do, leave your itinerary with a friend. Always make sure someone outside of your hiking group knows where you’re going and how long you’ll be gone.