Wet and Wild Adventure in Hong Kong

Located in a north-western pocket of the New Territories, the Hong Kong Wetland Park is an ideal nature escape with the family. Leave the city’s gleaming skyscrapers, hustle and bustle behind as you opt for a walk on the wild side.

Occupying 61 hectares in northern Tin Shui Wai, the marshy Hong Kong Wetland Park provides an engaging introduction to Hong Kong’s nature-rich wetland ecosystems. Admittedly it’s a bit of a schlep (ask The Peninsula concierge to book you a car) but makes for a superb half-day or one-day adventure for all the family. 

Visitors to the Wetland Park can expect to get up close and personal with dragonflies, butterflies and amphibians via one of the centre’s fascinating outdoor tours. The ‘Wildside Walk’ takes you through a mixture of woodland and grassland, while you’ll spot mudskippers, fiddler crabs and snails on the ‘Mangrove Boardwalk’. Quite possibly the most popular attraction is Pui Pui, a resident saltwater crocodile who can be ogled from her own private habitat.

The park’s excellent Visitor Centre is home to five galleries featuring themed exhibitions about wetland biodiversity, civilisation and conservation. If the nippers are biting your ankles due to info-overload, there’s cinema with engaging short films and clips, as well as an indoor adventure play area. 

Make a day trip of it by adding on the Mai Po Nature Reserve, but a short hop away. Backdropped by Shenzhen’s towering skyscrapers, the only way to visit is via a guided tour, which can be booked through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) website. Your nature interpreter will lead you along a trail that takes in shrimp ponds, wildlife habitats bird-watching hides. Although open year-round, the optimal times to visit this restricted wildlife area are spring or autumn when more than 380 different species of migratory birds flock to feed on shrimp and other mangrove life. Just be sure to check the weather ahead of time!

Wetland Park / Wetland Park Road / Tin Shui Wai / New Territories / 10:00am - 5:00pm, Tuesdays closed (except Public Holidays) / +852 3152 2666 / wetlandpark.gov.hk

Mai Po Nature Reserve / Mai Po / Yuen Long / New Territories / +852 2526 1011 / book tours through wwf.org.hk