10 minute read
Central Florida Introducing: Natural
Globe hopping 24 / Introducing...
Natural Hong Kong
Paint a different picture of Hong Kong by drawing more attention to its green spaces, beaches and small villages, says Laura Gelder
Shek O iS a pOpular hiking SpOt
best place for... Hiking: Dragon’s Back beacH: Big Wave Bay Wildlife: Hong Kong Wetland Park Waterfalls: Silvermine Waterfall green space: Victoria Park remote island: Tap Mun
reWarding vieWS at SunSet peak
traditiOnal Stilt hOuSeS in tai O village Surf’S up at Big Wave Bay Beach W hen most people think of Hong Kong an urban jungle of soaring skyscrapers and buzzing markets comes to mind. But that’s just the starting point.
Covid-cautious travellers will be reassured by the high-tech anti-coronavirus measures – including disinfecting robots – but they might also be interested to know that 40% of Hong Kong is made up of country parks and nature reserves. Should they want to, they can avoid the crowded concrete cityscapes and venture to the mountains, forests and beaches.
My most vivid memory of Hong Kong is riding the world’s longest outdoor escalator system between Central and the leafy Mid-Levels. I remember thinking that it encapsulated fast-paced urban life as I effortlessly glided past a dizzying array of aromatic restaurants, enticing shops and neon bars. But even those well-trodden escalators in densely-packed Hong Kong Island pass green spaces – oases amidst glinting skyscrapers like Hong Kong Park and the Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
Also on Hong Kong Island, the treesmothered Victoria Peak offers spectacular views of the city and harbour and the Peak Circle Trail winds through bamboo groves, past a reservoir and alongside the Pok FuLam Country Park. The Dragon’s Back Trail combines panoramic views from Shek O Peak and a beach finish at Big Wave Bay.
Laid-back Lantau
Lantau Island is best known for its Big Buddha, which is currently being renovated, and Disneyland. The Buddha is reached via the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, which terminates at the tranquil Ngong Ping Village with its teahouses and traditional architecture. Close by is Wisdom Path, a grassy route winding past 38 giant columns inscribed with Buddhist scriptures, and Po
Discover more about Hong Kong at
sellingtravel.co.uk/articles
mOnkey BuSineSS in Shing mun cOuntry park
Globe hopping Introducing... / 25
cheung pO tSai cave On cheung chau
Lin Monastery with its peaceful garden and vegetarian restaurant.
Tai O village is a glimpse of pre-colonial Hong Kong. The once nomadic Tanka people first built their precarious stilt houses over the tidal flats during the Ming Dynasty. Visitors can sample the hawker snacks, photograph the dried fish swaying in the sea breeze and look for wading birds in the Yim Tin Mangrove Forest.
Many trails traverse Lantau and pass hidden gems like the chilled out surfer beach Pui O, the waterfront seafood restaurants in the sleepy village of Mui Wo, Sunset Peak’s misty vistas and the pretty Silvermine Waterfalls.
Foodie Cheung Chau
Famed for its annual bun festival, Cheung Chau balances traditional fishing villages with hipster hangouts. The island is mostly car-free and flat roads mean bike hire is popular. Cyclists can go in search of its mini Great Wall of China, offering pleasant sea views; Cheung Po Tsai Cave, where pirates once stashed their booty, and sandy beaches like Tung Wen.
The island is a foodie paradise thanks to the seafood restaurants of Pak She Praya Road and Hong Kong institutions like Cheung Chau Bing Sutt selling its desserts of shaved ice, condensed milk and chewy taro balls or Valor Cheung Chau and its instagrammable coffee.
Big Buddha On leafy lantau iSland
Lush Lamma
Another pedestrian-friendly island, Lamma’s most popular trail connects the island’s biggest villages. It starts in Yung Shue Wan, full of cafes and quirky shops, and continues past the pale sands of Hung Shing Yeh Beach; a Tin Hau temple, dedicated to the goddess of the sea and the Kamikaze Cave, where Japanese forces hit their speedboats before using them on suicide missions against the Allies. The trail ends in Sok Kwu Wan, famed for its fresh seafood.
Hong Kong’s territory includes around 250 islands, many of them uninhabited. Lesser known islands such as Po Toi (population now 200 ) with its eerie abandoned villages, Bronze Age rock carvings and pretty lighthouse; Tap Mun (or Grass Island), an old smuggler’s haunt of rolling hills and grazing cows with rocky beaches, and striking Tung Ping Chau with its brightly coloured, fossil-filled rocks.
Mainland Hong Kong
Outdoors enthusiasts who take the famous Star Ferry to Kowloon will be rewarded if they head further out. Beyond the frenetic energy of Nathan Road, Lion Rock offers some of the most spectacular views of the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island on a good day. Just north of here is the ancient walled village of Tsang Tai Uk, a time capsule from the days of pirates.
Closer to mainland China’s Shenzhen, Yuen Long is home to the Hong Kong Wetland Park, teeming with birds and aquatic life. For culture enthusiasts, the Ping Shan Heritage Trail passes ancient ancestral halls with traditional teahouses and openair hawker stalls.
Country parks on mainland Hong Kong include Plover Cove, with its bamboo jungle, waterfalls, atmospheric 400-year-old walled village, mangroves and marshes. South of here, the Sai Kung Peninsula has two country parks with rugged hiking trails.
Book it with... Ramblers Walking
Holidays The 14-night Discover the Real Hong Kong trip focuses on the country’s many hiking trails, including Dragon’s Back and the MacLehose Trail, plus walks on Lantau, Lamma and Cheung Chau. ramblersholidays.co.uk
Trend watching 26 / Six of the best...
Outdoor experiences in Michigan, USA
Michigan is ready to welcome visitors as soon as travel permits, and its two wildest national parks have plenty to offer lovers of the great outdoors
Spot wildlife
National Geographic listed Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park as one of its ‘best in the world’ for nature and wildlife this year, with wolf and moose among the 18 species living there. The remote 850-square-mile area encompasses Isle Royale and the smaller islands surrounding it on Lake Superior. On Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a swimming otter or beaver, a spawning salmon, or a hunting bald eagle are common sightings.
Relax on the beach
Despite it being many miles from the sea, Michigan is home to some beautiful beaches. Isle Royale’s rugged shore has red-sand beaches and rocky coves while Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore boasts miles of pale sand, lapped by clear water. Here, Platte River Point beach is a popular swimming spot due to its warm waters, while quiet Peterson Beach has wide vistas of Empire Bluff’s maple forest.
Unique features
Remote Isle Royale has its own unique ecosystem, shaped by the hazardous waters and channels that surround it. There are many lakes on Isle Royale, but Siskiwit Lake is the most unique as it has its own island: Ryan Island. Meanwhile, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has similarly impressive credentials. Its immense sand dunes are perched on top of the already towering headlands, 400 feet above Lake Michigan.
Go hiking
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore hugs the northeast shore of Lake Michigan and has miles of hiking trails. The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail runs for 22 miles through forests and the Port Oneida area, with its 19th-century farmsteads. There are several rugged hiking trails on Isle Royale, including the 43-mile Greenstone Ridge Trail which follows the spine of the island through forest, past lakes and swampland and up Mount Desor.
Take to the water
With numerous lakes, bays, and islands, Isle Royale National Park provides miles of waterways for experienced kayakers, while guided boat tours offer a chance to venture into open water. In Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore outfitters offer kayak or paddleboard rentals on the Platte and Crystal rivers, where calm waters provide the perfect opportunity to spot birdlife and salmon heading upstream.
Discover a rich history
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is rich in history and its name comes from the stories told by the Anishinaabek Indigenous people. The Manitou Islands were a refuelling stop for steamers and the shore and islands are home to several lighthouses and old logging villages, now ghost towns. Isle Royale also has Native American history along with shipwrecks, lighthouses and old copper mines.
traveluni.com Training, competitions, events
TOP STORIES May/June 2021
TIPTO Roadshow returns
EVENTS
TIPTO has released dates for its four upcoming ‘Face 2 Face with TIPTO’ Roadshows. At each event, agents can meet and network with up to 12 of TIPTO’s supplier members, all of which will provide full product updates, postCovid. To ensure attendee safety, TIPTO has made changes to the format to minimise contact and have chosen venues with this in mind. The 2021 dates and locations are: July 5 - Nottingham; July 6 - Norwich; July 14 - York; July 15 - Newcastle. tipto.co.uk
Training with ITT
TRAINING
THE recently-launched ITT Education and Training Hub brings together travel industry training resources offered by UK colleges and universities. The new platform will assist users in increasing their knowledge of destinations and transport links whilst keeping them abreast of changing Government guidelines.
Initiatives such as the ITT ‘Future You’ for young people entering the industry are also available alongside educational materials.
Travel Uni, featured on the hub, is delighted to have become the training partner of the Institute. Training
Agents get a taste of Attitude
Attitude Hotels Training
ATTITUDE HOTEL'S new online platform will help agents to better understand the Attitude Group and its nine properties in Mauritius, consisting of eight Attitude-branded properties and the standalone Paradise Cove Boutique Hotel.
Users will also get better acquainted with Attitude's brand concepts and understand what makes them stand out from their competitors, with USPs ranging from Attitude's ‘Otentik’ ranging from Attitude's ‘Otentik’ experiences to romantic adultexperiences to romantic adultonly concepts. In addition to the fi ve modules, the portal contains news, image and PDF libraries, webinars and other resources.
Those that complete the course could win a place on one of Attitude's annual VIP fam trips to Mauritius – all expenses paid!
attitudehotelstraining.com. attitudehotelstraining.com.
PARTNER LIST
A-Z of available training
ABTA Abu Dhabi Alaska Anguilla Anchorage Wild Expert Aruba Australia Attitude Hotels Beaches Resorts Cayman Islands Celestyal Cruises Costa Rica Cruise Adviser Elegant Hotels Essential Detail Estonia Fiji Finland Flanders Florida Fort Myers & Sanibel Grenada Hawaii Heritage Resorts Italy Japan Jerusalem Journey Beyond Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts Macao Melia Hotels & Resorts New York City New York State Newmarket Holidays Oman Ontario Outrigger Resorts Outrigger Resorts
PATA
Qatar
SAGA
Saint Lucia
Sandals Resorts Sani & Ikos Sani & Ikos Seychelles Seychelles Singapore Singapore St Kitts St Kitts Thailand Thailand TIPTO TIPTO US Airtours US Airtours Veranda Resorts Veranda Resorts Yas Island Yas Island
