Dark Side of Hong Kong - Kowloon Caged Homes Walking Tour
Overview
Available languages
2 hours
Mobile ticket
While Hong Kong is known as a thriving international finance center, visitors are often only shown the bright side of the city, with popular attractions like The Peak, Victoria Harbour, and Big Buddha taking center stage. But what about the 1.5 million people living in poverty, making Hong Kong one of the most unequal places on earth?
Our tour delves into the heart of Hong Kong’s capitalist system, giving you a first-hand look at the grim reality many of its citizens face. You’ll visit a subdivided unit in one of the city’s poorest districts - Sham Shui Po, providing a stark contrast to the economic prosperity that seems so abundant.
Join us on a journey to see Hong Kong in a more realistic light and gain a deeper understanding of the true stories of its people. Sign up now for a thought-provoking and eye-opening tour.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Uncover why Hong Kong is ranked the world's #1 least affordable city and see how a typical 500 sq ft apartment is subdivided into five 100 sq ft units.
Explore how post-war population growth, a low-tax capitalistic economic model, and scarce land supply created a perfect storm for Hong Kong's housing crisis.
What‘s Included
Local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Options
Dark Side of Hong Kong - Kowloon Caged Homes Walking Tour
Reviews
415 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Informative and very interesting
Johanna C,,Jan 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Issac was very engaging happy to provide information and respond to whatever questions were asked. He paced the information well
The other side of Hong Kong... worth experiencing!
DaftDoughnut,,Jan 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An unusual tour, with a good balance of walking & breaks. It highlights some things about Hong Kong you may have not even noticed, showing things that are in plan sight but easily missed. We also got to see some of the living conditions of some of the Hong Kong people live in & gives you an inside to what really happens. We had "Wind" as our tour guide, she was full of knowledge & shared her personal story with us too. Definitely worth doing if you want a more authentic inside & look at the "dark" side to the city & not just its beauty.
A Neighbor Walk
A5032BAjessicak,,Jan 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Stories of old, stories of new. An excellent condense tour where history comes to life and echoes the new face of the district.
A short, eye-opening introduction to one of Hong Kong’s poorest neighbourhoods
Philip1120,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a fascinating and disturbing tour. Its main aim was to expose the failures in the HK housing market and local government intervention and regulation, which have allowed property owners to convert commercial storage space or to subdivide residential units to create unacceptably cramped living conditions for the poorest residents of the city (so-called ‘caged housing’). We got to see inside one unit, which was no bigger than a parking space. Speaking from personal experience as a highly educated young professional, our excellent guide, Summer, explained the stark challenges facing those growing up in such conditions or aspiring to one day live in a decent home, as well as the efforts being made by NGOs to provide valuable support. This is not voyeuristic poverty tourism, but a reality check for those interested in seeing beneath the surface of what appears to be a highly commercialised and successful city. Highly recommended.
Great for curious minds
696egort,,Dec 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Summer gave us a really comprehensive tour on current housing crisis in Hong Kong, answered all our questions (both financial and cultural) and at all points in time it looked like Summer was really passionate and sincere about the guide, maybe even as passionate as telling something to a friend. Everything else was advertised, couple hours length (went a little bit over time because we had too many questions haha). The number of people was very manageable, around 8-10, everyone got to ask things.
Many cities have a gritty...
Rosemary C,,Dec 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Many cities have a gritty side and this tour showed Hong Kong’s. Michael gave us a brief history of how the buildings near Prince Edward station came to be. Great tour.
Insightful and truthful side of HK.
TAN B,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It is very educational and insightful. Strongly recommend this to those who want to have a deeper understanding of the life of a HongKonger
Great tour with Summer
beachesmum14,,Dec 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Really interesting insights from Summer. She shared her personal story as well as the history behind HKs housing crisis. My 12 and 14 year old were very interested. We saw parts of the city we would never have seen as tourists alone. I was worried thst the cage apartment visit would be a violation of privacy. Its a real apartment in a real cage home building but is rented by the tour company with no one living there. You get a very visceral sense of the struggle to survive.
Alice is very genuine and...
Jinglin Z,,Dec 20, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Alice is very genuine and knowledgeable. She gave us a comprehensive tour of the housing situation in Hong Kong. The tour itself is very eye opening to us and helps us to understand Hong Kong better.
Great Tour and Tour Guide With Issac
FarAway62040633125,,Dec 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our Kowloon caged home walking tour was very informative and unforgettable experience, made exceptional by our guide, Issac. With deep empathy and respect, he skillfully guided us through the dense homes sharing not just stark facts, but the human stories behind the cramped cubicles. Issac’s insightful commentary transformed the tour from a simple observation into a hidden layer of Hong Kong’s urban reality.
From HK$250.00
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Operated by Hong Kong Free Tours