Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Gardens

I have been wanting to go to Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Gardens with the kids, but I have been waiting for it to cool off.  Jan and Don really enjoy being in nature, so we thought it would be a great place to go with them.  According to their website, "Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) spreads over 148 hectares of land and is located on the northern slopes and foothills of Hong Kong's highest mountain - Tai Mo Shan. Its deep-set valley has streams, woodlands and vegetable terraces - together with conservation and education facilities."

KFBG has a lower section with a greenhouse, vegetarian restaurant, farm shop, and lots of different animals.  It is an eclectic mix because most are rescue animals from throughout Hong Kong.  There are pigs, boars, big and small turtles, Chinese dragon lizards, and bats. 

pigs

The Chinese dragon really wanted to see us

There is a shuttle bus that will take you to the northern slopes.  You can also spend 1.5-2 hours hiking up, we decided to spend the approximately $1 each to ride the bus.   The shuttle had 5 different stops and you could could get on and off as much as you liked.  The different stops led to Chinese pagodas and gardens as well as trails that had great views. 

We could see our subdivision from the hills

 

hiking part of the Sky Trail

The last stop had an area with rescue owls and chickens.  They sell the chicken eggs in their store and presumably use them in their restaurant.  (They have several omelets on the menu.)  It also had a beautiful path with waterfalls.  We didn't get to that area until almost closing time and definitely want to spend more time there next time. 

Tom and the kids at the top of the waterfall