Meet the adventurer who has scaled every peak and explored every island in Hong Kong

Surrounded by maps, photographs, and a wealth of documents, 45-year-old photographer Simon Wan Chi-Chung is busy planning his next epic adventure across Hong Kong.

This isn’t a quick weekend trip. He’s set his sights on conquering every peak in Hong Kong in a single journey.

And this won’t be his first attempt either. Over the past two decades, he’s tried multiple times to complete this challenge.

Since there’s no official list detailing the exact number of peaks in Hong Kong, Wan has created his own route, drawing on various sources and his personal research into official Hong Kong topographic maps.

Unofficial estimates suggest there are between 121 and 161 peaks towering over 300 meters, spread across more than a dozen mountain ranges. According to Wan’s calculations, there are 148 summits to conquer.

His first attempt to visit them all began in 2003. However, on the ninth day, while atop Needle Hill at 522 meters, he found himself struggling with a sprained ankle—an injury he had sustained earlier in the journey. He called a friend, a doctor, for help.

But despite the medical attention, his condition worsened, and the long days of hiking and camping only intensified the pain in his ankle.

“I was young and overconfident, thinking I could handle everything on my own, but I ended up injuring myself,” Wan admits to Dinogo Travel.

However, a chance encounter with a fellow hiker—an older man he had met earlier that morning—offered him a fresh outlook. As the two reached the summit, they looked out over the vast expanse of rolling hills ahead.

“This ‘Day 9 uncle’ was taken aback when he learned about my goal to climb every peak in Hong Kong,” Wan recalls.

“He handed me his piece of bread, saying, ‘You’ll need this more than I do.’ Then he pulled an orange from his bag and insisted, ‘You need this too.’ It was a simple act of kindness, but it made me stop feeling sorry for myself. I let go of my pride and felt humbled by the mountains.”

With a heavy heart and a swollen ankle, he made the difficult decision to take a break. Wan returned home to recover for three weeks, and then a few weeks later, he went back to complete the final peaks on his list of 148.

It remains one of his most unforgettable encounters and one of the key reasons he’s so passionate about Hong Kong’s natural landscapes.

“In the hills, people are more open to conversation and making connections,” says Wan.

“You don’t get that sense of camaraderie in the city. Nature has a way of making people feel at ease and safe.”

‘Hong Kong is a city tucked away within wilderness,’

Beyond its 148 peaks, Hong Kong is also home to over 100 island clusters, comprising more than 250 individual islands. Wan asserts that he’s one of the few who has visited each one, driven by a lifelong desire to become an adventurer.

“I was researching how to achieve my childhood dream of climbing Mount Everest. But the more I looked into it, the more I realized how commercialized the mountain had become. It turned into just another luxury travel destination, far from the Everest I had imagined as a child,” Wan shares in an interview at his studio, The Photocrafters.

After spending years studying in the UK, Wan came to the realization that he didn’t truly know Hong Kong’s own landscapes.

An idea struck him: “Why not explore every single hill in my own city? And what if I could do it all in one epic journey?”

Armed with a bivvy bag and a film camera, Wan set out on a series of ‘expeditions.’ A decade after his first trek through Hong Kong’s mountains in 2003, he retraced his steps in 2013.

This time, however, he was working with a tighter schedule, so he focused only on peaks that were at least 300 meters high.

Covering 26 to 30 kilometers daily—about 11 to 12 hours of trekking—Wan conquered 134 peaks in 19 days, camping in various parts of Hong Kong as he went.

He named the works from these journeys ‘Post Urbanisation.’

In 2015, he embarked on a journey to 107 uninhabited island clusters, traveling by canoe over 11 days. “These were the ‘hills’ I hadn’t yet climbed,” he reflects.

“These days, you can know almost everything about a place before you even board a plane—whether it’s booking a hotel, browsing photos online, or even reserving a table at a restaurant. But in these trips, I found myself in places I’d never heard of and villages I’d never imagined. Some locations didn’t even have much information online.”

“It turns out, I don’t need to travel to Mount Everest or a foreign land to experience the thrill and joy of exploration and adventure,” Wan says.

Wan effortlessly names mountains and islands that are largely unknown to most Hong Kong residents as he recounts stories from his adventures.

He recalls learning about the history of Ap Chau, a remote island in northeastern Hong Kong, when a determined retired villager gave him an impromptu tour after finding him asleep by the pier one morning.

He also visited the memorial for Quentin Roosevelt II, Theodore Roosevelt’s grandson, on Basalt Island. Roosevelt tragically died in a plane crash there in 1948. It’s a part of Hong Kong’s history that isn’t widely covered in textbooks.

“It might be a well-known saying, but Hong Kong’s nature is unique in how accessible it is,” says Wan. “No matter where you are, a hill is always within reach. There’s no need for elaborate plans or taking time off work—you can just head out during lunch.”

"People often say Hong Kong has vast wilderness, but I believe it’s the other way around – Hong Kong is a city that’s hidden within the wilderness,"

Wan also has plenty of tips for those eager to start exploring Hong Kong’s untamed spaces.

"Whether you’re an avid waterfall climber or just a casual walker, there’s a trail for everyone," he says with enthusiasm. "Most of the hiking paths are well-maintained with signs and facilities along the way – it really is accessible to all."

For hiking newcomers, he recommends the High West trail.

Located just a short distance from the iconic Victoria Peak (or The Peak), it offers a quick immersion in Hong Kong’s natural beauty while being right next to the bustling city center.

On the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, Lion Rock Hill offers “an unparalleled view of Kowloon,” with trails that cater to hikers of all levels.

"Sai Kung is beautiful, but Yan Chau Tong Marine Park (within Plover Cove Country Park) is even more breathtaking," says Wan. "It’s peaceful and far less crowded. If you're not into kayaking, a kaito (local speed boat) can take you to the area from Ma Liu Shui."

Nature as an emotional sanctuary

For Wan, capturing the natural beauty of Hong Kong is not merely a photographic task—it’s also a means to channel his emotions.

During a painful divorce in 2011, he recalls hiking up a different mountain each day he couldn’t be with his two-year-old son.

"I’d snap a photo in the direction where he was," Wan says. "Maybe at that exact moment, he’d look my way. And in that instant, we’d be looking at each other. I have one copy of the journey at the Heritage Museum and another here for my son, so he knows I never gave up on him."

For both his 2013 trek around Hong Kong and his 2015 island-hopping adventure, Wan used a Holga – a simple, Hong Kong-made film camera with limited features.

"I knew the Holga wouldn’t produce perfect shots before I set out," Wan explains.

"But I wanted the camera to symbolize me. Just like the camera, I would keep going, remaining true to myself as an artist. Yet, I also recognized that I couldn’t control everything around me, so I had to learn to let go."

Wan plans to embark on his next Hong Kong hill expedition this summer.

"I can’t stand Hong Kong’s summers – the humidity, the heat, and the constant typhoons. But I want to make this journey as challenging and unforgettable as possible, so I’ll truly remember just how unique Hong Kong’s summer can be," says Wan.

"Some people turn to alcohol to cope with their emotions. I seek the mountains, whether I’m up or down. To me, it’s the same. I love my home, I love this land, and that’s why I’m so committed to this project. I feel I could spend my entire life doing this, if I’m able to," says Wan.