This pink dolphin ecotour story is told by Alice Minnock, a Year 4 student working on her writing during Hong Kong school closures.
This is the story of our pink dolphin tour. I went with my sister Rosie and my mum. It was exciting, fun and cool! I would recommend this tour to other families because it was a really enjoyable experience and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
All aboard!
We waited to board the tour boat at Tung Chung Pier; it’s the same pier where you get the ferry to Tai O. A crew member was waiting for us at the pier. Before boarding the boat, he gave us a briefing about the ecotour and an information sheet so we could learn more about pink dolphins. Once everyone had arrived at the pier, the boat came to the wharf and we boarded.
The journey to pink dolphin territory
As we sailed out of Tung Chung, we saw the huge Macau-Zhuhai Bridge. There were men fishing on the stilts of the bridge and we went to sit on the upper deck to get a better view. We sailed right along the runway and noticed how busy the airport is. The water is definitely an interesting way to see the airport. We watched a lot of planes taking off – they were so noisy!
Pink dolphin territory
After the airport, we passed the entrance to Tai O (the Hong Kong seaside village on stilts) and kept sailing for a little while longer. It took about 45 minutes to get to the pink dolphins’ habitat. They live right on the border of Hong Kong and mainland China. We circled the water in their area for a bit, with everyone on the boat looking out for them. Before long, we saw a dolphin playing and splashing in the water!
I went down to the lower deck with my sister and my mum so we could get a closer look. The dolphin swam closer and played under the boat, ducking from side to side. Next, we spotted two more pink dolphins who were playing together further away from the boat. They were jumping out of the water and catching fish. We watched for a while longer and managed to get some great photos and videos.
Heading home
After a while, it was time to head back to Tung Chung. On the way home we saw kayakers in the water with all different colours of kayaks – it was really cool! We also saw a dragon boat team practicing in the waters below the cable car to the Big Buddha.
Hong Kong Dolphin Watch
If you are interested in spotting and supporting Hong Kong’s pink dolphins, book an ecotour with Hong Kong Dolphin Watch via this link: hkdolphinwatch.com
Cost: Adults HK$420; children (ages 3-11) HK$210
Pick up: You can join the tour at TST (via a bus transfer) or meet at the Tung Chung Pier (about a 10- to 15-minute stroll from Tung Chung station)
Book: Call 2984 1414 or email booking@hkdolphinwatch.com
For more things to do in Hong Kong, visit our Things To Do section or check out these stories:
Adventure guide to HK’s outlying islands
Best Sunday brunches in Hong Kong
Top things to do in Hong Kong
