Hong Kong Campsites

Leave No Trace: 7 Rules for Sustainable Camping in Hong Kong

Safety 6 min read

Protect Hong Kong's precious country parks for future generations. Follow these 7 Leave No Trace principles—and be aware of the $3,000 littering fine.

Protecting 40% of Hong Kong's Land

Hong Kong's 24 country parks cover nearly 40% of the total land area of the Special Administrative Region—an extraordinary proportion for one of the world's most densely populated cities. These parks protect forested hillsides, rugged coastlines, ancient villages, and some of Asia's most spectacular hiking terrain. Every year, millions of people visit Hong Kong's country parks to hike, picnic, camp, and simply breathe.

That heavy footfall takes a toll. Litter-strewn campsites, trampled vegetation, and illegally lit hillside fires are real problems—as are the consequences for the wildlife and ecosystems that depend on these protected areas remaining intact.

Leave No Trace (LNT) is an internationally recognised set of seven principles designed to minimise the environmental and social impact of outdoor recreation. In the context of Hong Kong's country parks, these principles are not just good practice—some of them are backed by law, with fines to match.

Principle 1: Plan Ahead and Prepare

Good LNT practice begins before you leave home.

  • Check the AFCD website (www.afcd.gov.hk) for campsite rules, current closures, and any seasonal restrictions
  • Download the AFCD's country park maps for your intended destination; do not rely solely on phone GPS
  • Monitor the weather using the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) app; understand the Rainstorm Warning (Amber/Red/Black) and Typhoon Signal systems. If Typhoon Signal 3 or above is hoisted, leave the campsite immediately
  • Know your group's physical limits and plan a route that everyone can complete safely
  • Pack out your waste by bringing adequate rubbish bags from home—do not assume there will be bins at the campsite
  • Carry only what you need to avoid over-packing and to reduce the footprint of your visit

Preparation prevents improvisation. Improvisation in the outdoors—building a fire where one is not permitted, washing in a stream because you forgot biodegradable soap—is how LNT principles get broken.

Principle 2: Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

Use designated campsites only. The AFCD designates specific areas within country parks for camping precisely so that the impact of tents, foot traffic, and BBQ fires is concentrated in places that can absorb it.

  • Never pitch a tent outside a designated campsite without specific AFCD authorisation—doing so can damage fragile vegetation and soil
  • Stay on marked trails while hiking; cutting across switchbacks or through vegetation widens trails, causes erosion, and destroys plant life
  • In the campsite, use existing cleared areas for tents; do not extend the campsite footprint by clearing new vegetation
  • Keep tent pegs in the ground rather than tying guy ropes to trees, which can damage bark
  • If the campsite is full, do not pitch overflow tents on the surrounding hillside—find a different site or return another day

Heavily used country parks—particularly popular Sai Kung sites—show visible vegetation damage caused by off-trail activity. Each visitor who sticks to the path makes a small but real difference.

Principle 3: Dispose of Waste Properly

This is the most visible and legally enforced LNT principle in Hong Kong.

The HK$3,000 Littering Fine

Under the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness Offences) Ordinance, littering in Hong Kong—including in country parks—carries a fixed penalty fine of HK$3,000. This fine can be issued on the spot by country park wardens or Environmental Protection Department (EPD) officers without a court hearing.

Rules for Waste Disposal

  • Pack it in, pack it out. Every piece of rubbish you bring into the country park—food wrappers, beer cans, skewers, foil, plastic bags, cigarette butts—must come out with you in a sealed rubbish bag
  • Use the BBQ pits provided for all cooking fires; deposit cold ash in the designated bins at the campsite where available, or pack it out
  • Do not bury food waste—this attracts wild boars and other scavengers, and organic material is slower to decompose in Hong Kong's humid, anaerobic soils than many people assume
  • Washing up: Use biodegradable soap only, and wash dishes at least 60 metres from any stream, lake, or the sea. Scatter the grey water over a wide area of soil rather than tipping it all in one spot

Human Waste

All AFCD campsites with toilet facilities have designated toilet blocks. Use them.

If you are in a truly remote area with no toilet facilities:

  • Dig a cat hole at least 15 cm deep and at least 60 metres from any water source, trail, or campsite
  • Cover and disguise the cat hole when finished
  • Pack out used toilet paper in a sealed bag—do not bury it, as it does not decompose quickly in HK's conditions

Principle 4: Leave What You Find

Hong Kong's country parks and marine parks are protected areas. Removing natural or cultural objects from these areas is illegal under the Country Parks Ordinance and, in some cases, the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.

  • Do not remove rocks, shells, coral, plants, or wildlife—not even as small souvenirs
  • The Bronze Age rock carving at Tung Lung Chau is a Grade I Historic Monument. Do not touch its surface, take rubbings, climb on it, or attempt to inscribe or alter it in any way
  • Do not pick wildflowers; Hong Kong has several protected plant species
  • Leave the campsite as you found it (or better): fill in any holes you dug, remove any windbreaks or structures you built, and scatter any leaf litter you disturbed

This principle also applies to cultural objects you may find at historic sites within country parks. If you discover an artefact, note its location and report it to the AFCD or the Antiquities and Monuments Office.

Principle 5: Minimise Campfire Impacts

Open fires outside designated BBQ areas are illegal in Hong Kong.

Under the Forests and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96), lighting a fire in or near country parks without a permit is a criminal offence carrying a fine of up to HK$25,000 and potential imprisonment. This law exists because hillside fires—often started by illegal campfires or discarded BBQ charcoal—cause devastating damage to Hong Kong's vegetation and wildlife.

Rules for Campfire and BBQ Safety

  • Use designated concrete BBQ pits only—they are provided at nearly all AFCD campsites for exactly this purpose
  • Never build a fire on the ground outside the pit, even in an area that looks sandy or barren
  • Start the fire safely: use firelighters or crumpled newspaper; never use lighter fluid, petrol, or alcohol as accelerants—these cause flare-ups that can instantly get out of control
  • Build a proper charcoal pyramid and allow 20–30 minutes for the coals to reach a white-grey temperature before placing food over them
  • Never leave the fire unattended—a sudden gust of wind can scatter sparks
  • Extinguish the fire completely before going to sleep or leaving the campsite: pour water over the coals and stir until all heat is gone and no smoke remains. Cold ashes only

If you notice an uncontrolled fire in a country park, call 999 immediately.

Principle 6: Respect Wildlife

Hong Kong's country parks are home to a remarkable diversity of wildlife, including numerous protected species. Human behaviour—particularly the feeding of wild animals—is one of the most damaging things campers can do.

Wild Boars (野豬)

Wild boars are increasingly common in country parks and have become habituated to human presence at popular campsites where people have fed them. Habituated boars can be aggressive, especially mothers with young.

  • Never feed wild boars—feeding is illegal under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance and contributes to dangerous habituation
  • Store all food in sealed containers or hang food bags from a rope between trees at night
  • If you encounter a boar, make noise to alert it to your presence and back away slowly; do not run or make sudden movements

Macaques (獼猴)

Long-tailed macaques are present in some country parks, particularly near Lion Rock and other periurban areas.

  • Do not make direct eye contact with macaques—they interpret this as a challenge
  • Do not show food openly near macaque territory
  • Report aggressive animals to AFCD via the 1823 hotline

Snakes

Hong Kong has approximately 50 species of snake, of which several are highly venomous, including the King Cobra (眼鏡王蛇), Many-banded Krait (金腳帶), and the White-lipped Pit Viper (竹葉青). Most snakes are non-venomous and will avoid humans if given the chance.

  • Give snakes space and never attempt to handle them
  • Watch where you place your hands and feet on rocky trails
  • If bitten, immobilise the affected limb, stay calm, and call 999 immediately

General Wildlife Principles

  • Do not attempt to approach, photograph at close range, or disturb nesting birds
  • Remove all food scraps from the campsite to avoid attracting animals overnight
  • If you find an injured animal, call AFCD at 1823—do not attempt to treat it yourself

Principle 7: Be Considerate of Other Visitors

A campsite is a shared space. The noise you make, the light you project, and the space you occupy all affect the experience of other campers.

  • Keep noise to a minimum after 10pm—voices, music, and laughter carry far in still night air, and other campers may be sleeping
  • Use headlamp red-light mode in the evening to avoid blinding other campers and to preserve the dark-sky environment
  • Do not use portable Bluetooth speakers at high volume—the natural soundscape of the country park (wind, water, insects, birds) is part of the experience
  • Respect shared spaces: keep your tent footprint reasonable and do not monopolise BBQ pits during busy periods
  • Leave gates, barriers, and access roads as you find them

Key Contacts

  • Emergency services (police, fire, ambulance): 999
  • AFCD hotline (wildlife, campsite queries, country park wardens): 1823
  • Environmental Protection Department (EPD) hotline: 2838 3111
  • Antiquities and Monuments Office: 2208 4488

Hong Kong's country parks are a shared inheritance—a green sanctuary carved out of one of the world's most intensely urbanised territories. Every camper who follows Leave No Trace principles plays a small but genuine role in ensuring that these wild places remain wild, beautiful, and accessible for everyone who comes after.