Ngong Ping campsite in Ma On Shan was left in a state of disarray over the weekend after a local hiker discovered piles of food packaging, plastic bags, and utensils strewn across the grassland.
In a post shared on the social media platform Threads on Saturday (Nov 22), the hiker recounted how his overnight trip to enjoy the sunset turned into what he described as a foul, litter-filled nightmare.
He said the area was clean when he set up camp in the evening, but the atmosphere changed when a noisy group arrived for a meal, speaking a mix of Cantonese and Mandarin.
Throughout the night, he heard shouting, which he believed was an attempt to scare away wild boars attracted by leftover food and trash.
When he woke up the next morning to pack up, he found the campsite blanketed in rubbish and foul odors, including instant noodle containers, wet wipes, and chicken wings.
The prevalence of simplified Chinese characters on the packaging led him to suspect the group were mainland tourists.
Despite his frustration, the hiker cleaned up the mess himself, packing all the waste and carrying it down the mountain.
“Leave no trace in the mountain — that’s the most basic rule,” he wrote, lamenting that he never had the chance to confront those responsible.
The incident sparked strong reactions online, with many commenters praising the hiker’s behavior and criticizing the litterbugs’ selfishness.
“It’s not their place — why would they care? They played and just left others to clean up their mess,” one commenter wrote.
Others pointed to the ongoing issue of wild boars in the area, stressing the need to store food properly and dispose of waste responsibly to keep wildlife away and maintain the cleanliness and safety of the country parks.
