Hiking in Hong Kong offers a unique blend of natural beauty and urban landscape, and one author has captured this essence in a stunning coffee-table book titled "Iconic Hikes Hong Kong." With a passion for hiking and a desire to share the hidden gems of the region, Alica Sing embarked on a journey to curate the most noteworthy trails.
In this interview, we ask Alicia about her motivations, creative process, and insights behind this remarkable project.
1. What motivated you to focus specifically on Hong Kong's hiking trails for this book?
I’ve been hiking since I was a teenager, and growing up I always confused one with another - was that the one with the view of the islands? Is that the one with a lot of stairs? I think Hong Kong has an incredible hiking scene, and first, I found we didn’t have many things to celebrate that - in terms of souvenirs and postcards. And then, I found that we didn't have a lot of visual designs that communicated what one would expect on a specific hike. When we think of “Causeway Bay” I think of “Times Square” or “Fashion Walk”. When I think of “Wan Chai” I personally think of Hong Kong style milk teas. But how about “Lantau Peak”? How about “Dragon’s Back”? For people who hike sometimes but not often, there’s nothing that says “hey! We have this incredible thing on this hike, come check it out!” So when I thought of that, I immediately knew I wanted to create a design-led coffee-table book that gave each of our most “Iconic” hikes a visual identity.
2. Can you share the story behind the vintage-style posters featured in the book?
When I was ideating what Iconic Hikes Hong Kong would be, I had someone give me feedback that it could be a futuristic art style that leveraged that style of 'AI ART'. But I was adamant: I found it important to assign a visual identity to each of the trails. I wanted the design to be clear, I wanted the colours to communicate how it feels to be there. I wanted it to be a tool of the experience one would have moving to Hong Kong. So I hope when readers look at the posters, they are immediately able to distinguish and have a sense of what sort of place they’re being introduced to.
3. How did you go about researching and selecting the 26 hikes included in "Iconic Hikes Hong Kong"?
I originally had a list of 50, and in the end, I settled with 26 as it’s just enough to last you a year! (1 hike every two weekends). Essentially, it is a love letter to our Hong Kong trails: As someone who grew up hiking, it came to me quite naturally which hikes would showcase the diverse nature of Hong Kong’s trails. I felt like I was in charge of giving someone - a tourist, someone new to Hong Kong, or even someone who’s been in Hong Kong for a long time and wants to explore more - a quick taste of why people love this city. And so, when you flip through the book, there might be some hikes you haven’t heard of or are lesser-known, but they’re there because they’re important in showing we’re not just about the tall mountains, we’re also about the coastal walks, the waterfalls, the lazy-Sunday heritage walks - all available in a small place like Hong Kong.
4. What do you hope readers will feel or experience when they read your book?
Inspired. Or a sense of nostalgia. There’s a reason why people come to or stay in Hong Kong, and a deep part of that is because of our nature. I was intentional in that I didn’t want the writing to be which MTR stop to get off, or which bus to take, or where to turn, because I wanted this to be timeless - that 50 years later, maybe you’ve moved or maybe you don’t hike as much anymore, but you are able to take yourself back to a time when Hong Kong’s nature meant every Saturday morning to you.
5. Are there any hidden gems among the hikes that you think are often overlooked by both locals and tourists?
Absolutely! Ap Lei Pai hike is one of my favourites, but it definitely takes a full day excursion. Why? Because there’s a natural tide pool! (which makes me want to tell everyone and no one at the same time)
6. How did your personal hiking experiences in Hong Kong shape the narratives you included in the book?
Growing up hiking in Hong Kong means I have a lot of memories tied to specific trails. I tried to write the narratives in a way that felt personal rather than instructional, because I wanted readers to feel something rather than just learn something. It is romanticising the hikes we have in Hong Kong, because where else can you have such incredible access to nature - without a car? If you've hiked Dragon's Back before, I hope reading about it brings you back. If you haven't, I hope it makes you want to go.
7. What was the biggest challenge you faced while creating this book?
The only things I’ve ever printed were A4 documents. I don’t have a background in print or publishing, so I had to learn everything from scratch. From which software do I use if I wanted to publish a book, to what is print bleed and why does it matter? I had a strong idea of what it should look like, but how can I make that a reality? That whole journey was a challenge. It took a lot of trial and error, I spoke to a lot of print companies, I even printed out the pages on A3 paper and cut it into the size of the book so that I could see how it would feel before committing to print. So on the technical side of things, it was a big learning curve.
8. Can you describe your creative process when it came to designing the layout and choosing the design elements?
I went through a lot of trial and error for the page layout. Do I want to plan the layout across a double-page? In the end, I decided with the poster on one page and the text on the other. This way, your eyes are led by the visuals of the posters. Because sometimes you don’t want to read paragraphs of text, I felt it was intentional to include a “fun facts” bar at the bottom of the page which tells you “difficulty”, “what to see”, “why this hike”, and “look out for”, which gives a quick summary. The shape of the fun fact bar is inspired by the hiking trail posts you see around! I also quickly realized that I would need to include a map overview of Hong Kong, as people like to choose hikes that they are closest to (first). But yes, a lot of inspiration came from Pinterest and other coffee-table books!
9. How do you think hiking contributes to the overall experience of exploring a city like Hong Kong?
I think that’s what sets us apart from other cities in the world - that within your 3-day or 5-day trip itinerary, you can definitely fit in The Peak’s circle walk, and if you have a bit more time, you can fit in Dragon’s Back. Both hikes are incredibly accessible by public transportation, and unlike other cities, you don’t have to take a 1 hour or 2 hour train or taxi journey to get to nature. That’s quite rare, and generically I have to say for people who haven’t hiked in Hong Kong don’t realize how quickly you can go from a Cha Chaan Teng to a 360 view of nature in just 30 minutes.
10. What advice would you give to someone who is new to hiking in Hong Kong and wants to explore the trails featured in your book?
Start with something manageable - which you can find on our “fun facts” bar! Don't underestimate the humidity, especially in summer; it makes even an "easy" hike feel more demanding than it looks on paper. I thought I got more unfit and then I did The Twins this winter and found that I was perfectly fine - I found out: it is the humidity. Try to go early, but if you’re a true Hong Konger, you’ll be waking up past 12, so bring sunscreen, bring an energy drink or two, and enjoy.
11. If you had to publish a second book, which country and hikes would you focus on that you feel are worth writing about after Hong Kong?
Haha, there are some ideas, but you’ll just have to watch the space! Follow me on @iconichikeshk on Instagram!
12. With summer months upon us, what is your best advice for hiking outdoors whilst ensuring safety?
Bring a lot of water, wear a hat because the sun is relentless, and wear appropriate shoes (I’ve seen people hike in sandals which seems a tad dangerous to me!).
13. What book have you read lately that allows you to escape and relax, much like a hike does?
Let's Talk About If Cats Disappeared From the World by Genki Kawamura - I find it a reflective and calming read. The writing style is relatively simple and straightforward, and it’s an easier read than complicated jargon at the end of a long workday.
Thank you Alicia for taking the time to answer our questions for our Bookazine Readers. You can get a copy of the book in stores and online at
