Hong Kong Wetland Park

The Hong Kong Wetland Park is a bizarre combination of nature and museum concrete in a way that only Hong Kong can pull off successfully. Located at Tin Shui Wan, close to the HK Shenzhen border, far away from where most of the tourists visit in HK, and about an hour and a half (!) from where I live in HK, is a large wetland designated by the Hong Kong government to serve as a tourism meets education nature park. To get there, I had to take a bus to Choi Hong, take the MTR, exchange at Prince Edwards MTR station, then again at Mei Fu MTR station, alight at Tin Shui Wai and change to the circular light rail (which I like, BTW) and get off at the Wetland Park entrance. But, it was worth it.

Even tough I sometimes wondered about the obvious human interference in local nature with the modern museum buildings and well constructed pathways, I must say it is all very nicely done, allowing the visitors to get close to nature without obstructing it, making for a terrific spot to stroll around in and take your kids to, if you have any.

Different parts of the wetland have different types of beauty to observe.

Flowers…

Birds…

Mud loving creatures…

and butterflies.

The museum at the entrance also exhibits a few stuffed versions of animals that are said to be living in the area but a bit more difficult to come across during the visit…

The most common creature at the park, though, was the Camerios Hongkongious whose head extends to long lens and who likes to sit down and stare at single focal point for hours.

You got to admire how much the locals spend on their photography. I don’t think I’ve ever seen cameras as impressive as the ones I saw that day at the park.

The park, in case you wondered, did not escape the legendary Hong Kong view of a series of 80+ floors skyscrapers overlooking the park.

To wrap it up, If you’re into panoramas, here are two captures of the park against the HK background.

For more info about the park :

• The Hong Kong Wetland Official Website
• Discover Hong Kong website
• Admission is cheap (15-30HK$), but still – MTR offers the “MTR x Hong Kong Wetland Park Triple Offer” to make it more worth your while if you’re arriving with the MTR
• Bird Watching Festival 2009 from 17 October 2009 – 28 February 201