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‘s Included
Local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
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.
Options
Dark Side of Hong Kong - Kowloon Caged Homes Walking Tour
Reviews
354 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Heart-breaking but a must-have experience
Teodora R,
Sep 21, 2025
- Viator
5.00Eye-opening experience. We went with our 16 year old and we all agreed that it was a hard visit but very much worth it. Thanks Grace for the enriching tour.
This is also reality in Hong Kong.
Esther L,
Sep 20, 2025
- Viator
5.00An interesting tour which showed us a completely different side of life in Hong Kong. Instead of all the luxury, this is also reality in this huge city. Our tour guide Simeone Lo showed us the 'dark' side of living and working in Hong Kong and answered all our questions. Thank you!
The Hong Kong cafe homes tour
Girish R,
Sep 17, 2025
- Viator
5.00A fantastic tour that shows a Hong Kong that is usually not visible to tourists. At no point could it be called poverty tourism, it was reality tourism at its best. An eye opener, with a great guide called 'Wind', (I kid you not, thats what she's called, but then Chinese names are flexible!) Its the kind of tour I will take my children to give a perspective of life without being preachy.
Excellent guide but content below expectations
Ana R,
Sep 15, 2025
- Viator
3.00Our guide Summer was amazing - friendly, knowledgeable, engaging and very passionate. It was valuable to learn about the issues HK residents are facing. However, in my opinion, the tour was lacking in content. For example, the only subdivided flat we visited was a staged display unit, not a real one, and the rest was just walking around the neighbourhood and trying some tea (which felt like a time filler). I understand it’s tricky to visit the real homes, but I believe more has to be shown on this tour.
Informative
wendyg,
Sep 15, 2025
- Viator
4.00A really good overview of the housing situation and options in HK. While it was an extremely hot day the bulk of the stops were in air conditioning making this tolerable.
Related Experiences
Operated by Hong Kong Free Tours