Hong Kong got its milestone 25th country park on Friday, with the establishment of Robin’s Nest Country Park. The 530-hectare park at Sha Tau Kok in the Northeastern New Territories part of the city covers a series of mountain ridges stretching from the Shenzhen Wutong Mountain Scenic Area to the north and Pat Sin Leng Country Park to the south.
According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, which oversees all of the territory’s country parks, Robin’s Nest natural habitats include “secondary woodland, shrubland and upland grassland, [and is] is rich in biodiversity with many species of high conservation value, such as red azalea, incense tree, Chinese grassbird and Chinese pipistrelle.”
One of the biggest attractions in the park is the Lin Ma Hang Lead Mine, which will be turned into an open museum that the public can visit by the end of 2024. Once the mine is open, visitors can learn more about the galena mining history involving the site, as well as bat ecology. There are currently only two hiking trails that are open to the public — Robin’s Nest Country Trail and Lin Ma Hang Country Trail — and it takes 4-5 hours to walk along both. Authorities are working on building a wider hiking trail network in the park, along with picnic sites and viewing points.
Earlier this year, the Hong Kong government opened the Frontier Closed Area of Sha Tau Kok to tourists. Visitors who wish to go to the restricted area must apply for one-day permits using an online platform. Non-residents now have unrestricted access to most areas of the town — such as the largest remaining Guangzhou-style arcade complex in Hong Kong and the longest pier in the territory. The only part of the area that is off-limits to tourists is Chung Ying Street, which is shared between Hong Kong and Mainland China.
Image credits: GovHK
