Favour a breath of fresh air in the countryside? Here are some tips for you to enjoy hiking, mountain biking and camping in a fun and safe way.

You can enjoy the natural scenery, spectacular hilltop view or heritage along your hiking route, or simply have a good time with your family.

How to Plan Your Route
The Hiking Scheme by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) provides information on hiking routes of different themes and difficulties.

• More on the Hiking Scheme
  http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/healthy/hiking/en/index.php

For the more moderate hikers, country parks would be a good start. The following link provides a list of local country parks for you to choose from.

• More on country parks in Hong Kong
  http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_cou/cou_vis_cou.html

How to Maximise the Health Benefits
Hiking is good for your health in many ways, such as strengthening bones and muscles, reducing body fat and the risk of heart disease. It helps to relieve stress too.

To maximise the health benefits of hiking, you may need to pay attention to your techniques and check on your progress. People suffering from chronic disease may need to consult their doctors beforehand.

What You Should Pay Attention
You also need to equip yourself with the necessary hiking kit and take some precautions to ensure your safety.

• Choose a hiking trail suitable for your strength and ability;
• Accompany yourself at least one trained or experienced hiker;
• Do not go hiking when the weather is bad, unstable or too hot;
• Wear clothing that is suitable for the weather, e.g. cotton clothing in summer;
• Bring along enough food and water;
• Carry a detailed map, a compass and a fully-charged mobile phone in case of emergency;
• Apply insect appellant on the clothes and the exposed part of the body to prevent mosquito bites;
• Never go off on your own and avoid hiking in dense woodland or tall underbrush.

The following link takes you to a list of comprehensive guidelines for hikers.

• Safety tips for hikers
  http://www.cheu.gov.hk/eng/info/accident_02.htm

The more adventurous can go biking at the mountain bike trails of certain country parks. However, you are required to have a permit for mountain biking in the designated areas. More details can be obtained on the following links.

• More on mountain biking in country parks
  http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_mou/cou_vis_mou_cod/cou_vis_mou_cod.html
• List of mountain bike trails
  http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_mou/cou_vis_mou_mou/cou_vis_mou_mou.html
• More on how to apply for mountain biking permit
  http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_mou/cou_vis_mou_app/cou_vis_mou_app.html
• Safety equipment for mountain biking
  http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_mou/cou_vis_mou_saf/cou_vis_mou_saf.html

To get in touch with nature, you can go wild camping in the designated campsites, or you can go for a holiday camp when you want to take a few days off the stress of city life.

Where to go wild camping
You can go to one of the campsites provided by the LCSD or other non-governmental organisations. There are also designated areas for camping at country parks. Many of them provide facilities such as barbecue pits, toilets and sports areas.    

• List of campsites in Hong Kong
  http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/camp/en/p_campsite.php

What you should pay attention
Before camping, you should be aware of the safety guidelines and emergency measures for incidents like heat stroke and getting lost. The following link takes you to safety hints for camping in the wilderness.

• Safety tips for campers
  http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_cam/cou_vis_cam_cam/cou_vis_cam_cam_shhcp.html

Holiday camps to choose
The holiday camps managed by the LCSD provide a wide range of facilities such as archery range, ropes course, barbeque area and activity rooms for karaoke and American pool. You can also enjoy a day or two in the holiday flats operated by the private sector and non-governmental organisations. Check them out on the links below.

• Holiday camps managed by the LCSD
  http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/camp/en/index.php
• Search for licensed holiday flats
  http://www.hadla.gov.hk/en/hotels/search_f.html

You should take note of the weather, the air pollution index (API) and relevant advice before your outdoor trip.

• Weather Information for Hiking and Mountaineering
  http://www.weather.gov.hk/sports/wxhiking.shtml
• Check API
  http://www.epd-asg.gov.hk/eindex.php
• Advice to you at different levels of API
  http://www.epd-asg.gov.hk/english/advice/advice.php

You can also call the API Hotline at 2827 8541 if you would like to obtain API information by telephone.

You should also take precautions to protect yourself from mosquito bites, heat stroke, sunburn, etc., which are common in hot weather.

• Summer Health Checklist
  http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/health/diseases/summerhealth.htm

Last but not least, it is important to know the means of communication in a country park, and how to make an emergency call when you encounter difficulties.

• Staying in Touch in Country Parks
  http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/communication/mobilecomm/stayingintouch/index.htm