Navigating the Forbidden Waters of Wanshan: First Foreign Kayak Expedition to China's Hidden Islands

In July 2024, Rory from Wild HK and his friend Nilesh embarked on a kayaking expedition to explore the southernmost islands of the Wanshan Archipelago. Although situated immediately south of Hong Kong, belonging to China has made kayaking these Islands hard. “For many, many years, we have yearned to reach this region, a genuinely remote and windswept landscape. The logistics to paddle with yaks out here as a foreigner were quite complex, we are quite probably the first non Mainland Chinese folk to manage this feat without illegally paddling directly from HK.” Despite having the trip cut short by inclement weather, it was still an adventure for the ages. “We will never look at these incredible islands in the same light ever again; whether it be from afar in HK on a clear day, or out of a plane window, their impregnable aura is now vanquished.”