book features

1. HKhiking.com philosophy - our basic philosophy is to create hikes that are accessible and easy to follow whilst providing interesting, unique routes. Each of our books contains between 8 and 12 hikes and all books are printed in full colour. We spend a lot of time finding the most original, scenic routes in an area, and most of our hikes contain a combination of the most scenic signposted trails in an area together with the most beautiful unsignposted paths. This interesting variety and mixture of trails is tantamount to our philosophy - we regularly walk all the hikes in our books and are still thoroughly enamoured and fascinated by them all. The Healthy Hikes series of books contain hikes which range from reasonably easy to a full days outing. The Adventurous Hikes series of books are more technically challenging and include a lot of unsignposted paths. As a whole, our 5 books provide an incredible variety of hikes of varying length, scenery and technical difficulty. They provide a well rounded guide to the beauty of Hong Kong's nature.
		2. Informative introduction - the introduction in our books gives a lot of information that is useful before you start hiking. It begins with basic information about the area covered by the book and also describes aspects of hiking particular to Hong Kong, such as public transport and weather. There is then information about the book itself, such as the target audience, an overview of the hikes, difficulty ratings and how to use the cover pages and main text in the book. After this there is a quick section with general hiking hints - small tips to make your hiking more efficient and enjoyable. There then follows a brief section on the dangers and annoyances you may encounter. After all this, you will be perfectly prepared to start hiking in Hong Kong!
		3. Cover page - each hike is preceded by a cover page which gives exhaustive information about the route. It starts with general information such as difficulty rating, length in kilometres, time required at an average speed, map required and any extra skills needed. There then follows information on the starting point and how to get there using public transport or a taxi. This includes the Chinese characters for the starting point itself. There now follows a clear description of how to get to the starting point both in words and easy, quick to read icons. There follows a description of the route itself and also any warnings for things such as technically difficulty sections. After this there is a clear description in both words and icons of how to get back home. Finally, there is a hike cross section graph, so you can visualise your route.
		4. Clear, colourful map - opposite the cover page is a clear, detailed map. This map shows the route clearly and all the main paths or roads which will be encountered during the hike. It has differently coloured gradient lines at intervals of 100m giving an indication of the topography and also shows useful information such as the location of public toilets, bus stops, pagodas and villages. This map should be all you need for the Happy Hikes series of books (although I still recommend you take the appropriate Countryside Series map). For the Adventurous Hikes series of books I always recommend that you take the relevant Countryside Series map and use the map in the book for simple reference. The relevant Countryside Series map needed for each hike is written in the cover page information.
		5. Detailed main text - the main text of our hikes is designed with the sole intention of making sure you do not get lost! The layout of our instructions is truly unique. In the left hand column is the distance in metres (m) between instructions, allowing you to anticipate the next path or junction. Next to this is the instruction itself. Each instruction is given clearly and concisely in bold print, whilst in slightly faded print is even more exhaustive information about the route. For particularly difficult paths, there is a photo of the path itself complete with arrows indicating the direction you should follow. All distances are calculated using a GPS device and are mainly accurate to within 10m. At the bottom of each page is the total distance you have walked during the hike so far, allowing you to chart your progess. We defy you to get lost!!
		6. Appendix - the Appendix gives extra information just in case you need it. This includes an MTR map, simple bus timetables, ferry timetables (if needed), extra information needed to get to public transport - such as how to get to bus stops from MTR stations, and also useful websites, numbers and addresses relevant to hiking in Hong Kong.
7. Beautiful photos - last but by no means least are the beautiful, full colour photos contained within our books. These were all taken on our hikes and are a lovely representation of what you can expect to see whilst hiking in Hong Kong. They are also wonderful to look at and enjoy in their own right. Below are a few examples of what you can expect - these pictures were taken directly from our books. Please click on any image for a larger version.

Please contact us for more information or if you have any questions.