It all started with the Cebu Pacific seat sale. Me and my friend Mia were just talking about an over the weekend trip in Hong Kong then suddenly, Cebu Pacific announced that they will be having another seat sale and it matches our preferred dates. We then booked a 6-day trip to Hong Kong from June 8 to 14. Since it’s always fun to travel with friends, we invited some of our friends just after we booked these dates.
The Preparation
We booked this trip six months before the actual trip, so we have plenty of time to save up and prepare everything that we need to make this backpacking trip smooth and less of a hassle.
The main person who managed everything for this trip is my friend, Mia. She took care of everything from accommodation, train tickets, tours, etc. She listed down everything that we need and how much it would cost so we can save up and prepare for those. Here’s a list of all the things we bought and arranged prior to the trip itself.
- Accommodation – Php 5,080.00 for 6 nights/person
- Sim Card – Php 400.00 for 7 Days Unlimited 4G Data Connection
- Octopus Card – Php 1,000.00
- Unli MTR Pass W/ RT Airport Transfer – Php 3,200.00
- Disneyland – Php 3,000.00
- Lunch at Disney with Snacks – Php 900.00
- Ocean Park – Php 1,700 with Lunch
- Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car
– Php 1,000.00
- Travel Tax – Php 1,620.00
- Travel Allowance – Php 18,000.00
So every cut-off, we ticked off one of these items since it is easier that way.
Apps and Websites To Check For Cheap And Discounted Rates
- Klook — We used this app for booking Disneyland, Ocean Park, Ngong Pin 360 Cable Car Ride, Sim Cards, and Train Pass. There are a lot of things you can do in HK that is offered in this app. 🙂 Click here to join Klook and get Php 150.00 Credit which you can use for your next adventure.
Klook.com
- Airbnb — If you are traveling with a group, Airbnb is one of the best options to book your accommodation. Get Php 900.00 off to your first booking with Airbnb when you sign up here.
The Devised Itinerary
Mia devised an itinerary that will serve as our travel guide to Hong Kong. The itinerary started at the airport where we will take our flight to HKG.
Day 1 — Flight To Hong Kong
Flight to HKG and re-grouping our team by 9PM. We have different flight schedules so we need to regroup by 9PM since the last person will arrive at around 6 to 7 PM.
Upon arriving to Hong Kong International Airport, we proceed to the booth where we will procure our sim cards and transport cards.
Day 2 — Hong Kong Ocean Park
Day 2 was the official start of our Hong Kong Trip. First stop on our itinerary was the Hong Kong Ocean Park. We woke up at around 5AM the left the hostel by 7 AM. The ticket we booked from Klook includes 1-way transfer from HK Post Office going to the park. We arrived at the meet up place an hour early, which gave us some time to explore the nearby attractions.
While waiting for the bus to arrive, we went to the Avenue of Stars, which is just minutes away from HK Post Office. Here, you can see statue of famous Chinese Actors and a studio setup where you can take photos with your friends.
After 30 mins, we went back to the post office and wait for the bus to Ocean park to arrive. The bus arrive on-time and we lined up going inside the bus. We booked the Ocean Park tour via Klook, and we experience a hassle free transaction with them. The Ocean Park Klook voucher we bought includes unlimited rides at the park and one full meal at any restaurants inside the park.
It will take you one whole day for you to explore the whole park so you better bring extra clothes and water bottles with you. To read more about our Ocean Park adventure, please check a dedicated blog for it here.
Day 3 — The Lantau Peak
On our third day, we had our first ever international hike, summiting the peak of Lantau in Lantau Island traversing to the Tian Tan Buddha in Ngong Ping.
Lantau Peak is the second highest peak of Hong Kong, towering at around 930+ MASL. Good thing about hiking in Hong Kong is that, their trails are open to all enthusiast who wants to experience HK’s outdoors, provided that you will be responsible in everything that you will do along the trails. There’s a little chance that you will be lost going at the trails because there are enough trail signs installed and the trails are visible and established.
We reached the summit at around 2 hours of trekking, then we traversed our way going to Ngong Ping. Ngong Ping 360 is one of the most unique attractions in Hong Kong, it comprises of a world’s top 10 amazing cable car ride and a culturally themed landscaped garden called Ngong Ping Village.
At the end of the Lantau Trail, you passed by the Wisdom Path. Wisdom Path traces a series of 38 wooden steles (upright monuments) containing verses from the centuries-old Heart Sutra — one of the world’s best-known prayers revered by Confucians, Buddhists and Taoists alike. These steles display the Chinese version of the prayer, based on the calligraphy of famous contemporary scholar Professor Jao Tsung-I, and are arranged in a ∞ pattern, which represents infinity.
We then explore the villages of Ngong Ping and make our way back to Tung Chung via the Cable Car ride that we book via Klook. 🙂
Day 4 — The Sunset Peak Traverse / Tai O Village Tour
The day our group was divided into two. Four of us went hiking going to Sunset Peak then traversing two other mountains going to Tung Chung. They the other three went to Tai O village for a tour. Will be posting another article for the Tai O Village Tour for reference. 🙂
Sunset Peak is the third highest peak of Hong Kong, towering at around 860+ MASL. The trail going to the summit is almost similar as the trails of Lantau Peak. Both of them have short point to point distance but with steep assaults going to the summit. It took us 2 hours going to the summit. Since we did this as a traverse, it took us at around 7+ hours for a 15km+ traverse from Pak Kung Au to Tung Chung.
We manged to summit 3 peaks with this hike, the Sunset Peak, the Yi Tung Shan Peak and the Lin Fa Shan Peak. Along the trails, there are 3 other mountains that can be summited, but we’re tired and hungry, so we just passed them by and trekked to the side of those peaks.
Like Lantau Peak, there’s a 0 chance to be lost here. There are trail signs installed and the trails are established. Plus, we are using a GPS tracking app, Strava, to check on the trails we are taking.
Day 5 — Free Day A.K.A. Open Itinerary Day
Our fifth day is a chill one, a rest from the hikes we did with the past two days. We went to The Peak at Central for a chill relax day. No itinerary, just a spontaneous flow of things.
Day 6 — Hong Kong Disneyland
We spent our last day in Hong Kong at the happiest place on Earth, the Disneyland. It was a rainy day, signal number 3 at that time, but we were still high spirited that this day will be okay and we will be able to enjoy our remaining days here in Hong Kong.
We reached the Disneyland at around 10AM, it was still raining, but nothing can stop the inner children inside us to enjoy Disney. After claiming our tickets and voucher at the ticketing area, we rushed and lined up for a photo op with Mickey and Minnie, the stars of the park, and we did not fail.
Few minutes later, the Gods heard our prayer, and the rain stopped, and the park opened the outdoor rides! We knew that it was our day. We were more than happy that the rain stopped. We can’t contain our excitement, we rode every ride at the park, and watch shows that we can see.
We felt like children again, did crazy things and never gave a f***, and just enjoy every moment at the park.
After an exhilarating day of amusement, we wrapped up our Disney adventure with the colorful Light Parade of the Disney Characters and a finale of the Magical Fireworks over the Disney Castle.
That was one hell of an adventure that is surely one for the books!
Day 7 — Flight Back To Manila
This was my first every backpacking trip outside the Philippines, and also my first international hike. There so many first times with this trip, and I can’t thank my friends enough for making this possible.
There maybe some misadventures, and little hassle on the side, but that just makes the whole journey worth it.
We will surely miss everything we experienced here in Hong Kong, from the transportation, MTR, mountain trails, and shopping spots, we will surely be back for more.
Also, Mia deserves a spot to this blog for taking care of everything, from budget, accommodation, tour passes, and transportations passes. You surely made this adventure even more memorable. Hope to have you as a travel buddy again for more out of town trips.
