Hong Kong's bites happen on the hiking trails. The city streets are light.

Are there mosquitoes in Hong Kong? Yes, and they mostly live in the green half of the territory. City streets in Central and Kowloon tend to see few bites, while country park trails, hillsides and the outlying islands are where people get bitten. There's no malaria. In late 2025 Hong Kong had its first locally caught chikungunya, spillover from Guangdong's record outbreak, and dengue stays mostly imported.

Chikungunya in 2025, dengue in 2026

Guangdong's 2025 chikungunya outbreak centered on Foshan, where the World Health Organization counted 10,032 of the province's 16,452 local cases by late September. Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection reported the territory's first locally acquired case on October 26 in Wong Tai Sin, and by early December there were about 10. Five were linked to the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, which were closed for mosquito control, the South China Morning Post reported. Macau had 8 local and 24 imported cases by mid-October, Portuguese press reported, and its Health Bureau rated the risk of transmission very high.

2026 has been calmer. Hong Kong's two chikungunya cases through July were both imported. Dengue stays mostly imported too, with 59 cases in 2025, none caught locally, and 27 by the end of July 2026, including 2 local cases, in Tai Po in April and Sham Shui Po in June. On October 9 the Centre for Health Protection said the rainy season hadn't ended and the weather still favored mosquito breeding. If your trip adds Foshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Zhuhai, check the latest there. Our China briefing covers Guangdong.

Both viruses spread through Aedes mosquitoes, including the Asian tiger mosquito, which bite by day with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon, the hours of a morning hike or a sunset walk. Our daytime bite routine has the full schedule.

Trails, parks and the outlying islands

City sightseeing in Central, Kowloon and Tsim Sha Tsui tends to be light on bites. The local cases of 2025 and 2026 turned up in residential districts, though, so parks and gardens still call for repellent. Most bites come in green areas, on country park trails and hillsides. Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department advises country park visitors to wear light-colored long sleeves and trousers and use insect repellent.

That advice fits Dragon's Back, Lantau Peak, the MacLehose Trail and Sai Kung, and likely the wooded village paths of Lamma and Cheung Chau. Put repellent on at the trailhead, over sunscreen, and reapply on long summer hikes. The CDC's Hong Kong page also lists melioidosis and leptospirosis, which aren't spread by insects, so after heavy rain avoid floodwater and contact with soil or muddy water, and keep open cuts bandaged.

When to go

Bites follow Hong Kong's heat and rain. About June to October, the hot rainy season, tends to be the worst on trails and in parks, and January to March, the cool, dry months, tends to be the easiest time for a hiking trip. Local mosquito-borne cases have clustered from late spring into early winter, and chikungunya cases were still being confirmed in early December 2025, so December isn't reliably bite-free.

Where you're going

How the city, the trails, the islands and Macau compare.

Heading on to Taiwan? Our Taiwan briefing covers dengue in its south.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from an older TripAdvisor thread and linked so you can read it in full. It isn't dated, and trail bites change a lot with the season.

• Hong Kong (city and hiking areas) · dusk, evenings

  Posters said insect bites are not a major problem in the city, but hikers should carry repellent, especially around dusk. One said you can get bitten at the Peak in the evening, and another used sprays and long clothing and treated bites with Tiger Balm. This is an older thread. TripAdvisor ↗

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Hong Kong or Macau, especially if it comes with a rash or joint pain. Our after-bites guide covers the two weeks after you get home.

Traveler questions