Enrolment will be closed two weeks before the course starts. We recommend submitting your enrolment at least one month before the course starts, if not more!

If your first choice course is full, you will hear from our team to help you to decide to either join the waiting list for that course, or sign up for another course of your choice.

Course fees cover the instructors overseeing the safety, well-being and facilitation of learning, as well as food, rations, camping gear and safety equipment.

However, insurance is not included. You can prepare extra insurance at your own cost or join our Group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme. 

You will need to provide your own outdoor-appropriate clothes, shoes, and toiletries.

Outward Bound does offer financial aid, based on need, motivation, and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Financial aid typically averages between 40% and 80% of the course tuition.  To apply, make sure to answer “yes” to the question on our enrolment form (under the payment section) that asks if you would like to be considered for financial aid. Outward Bound will send you a financial aid application, and we will notify you of the award offer having received and reviewed your completed paperwork. The enrolment fee is fully refundable if you apply for financial aid and you do not receive the award necessary for your course.

Yes! Certain courses are eligible for CEF. Participant applying for the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) should submit their application directly to the office of the CEF before starting course. For details, please visit the CEF website or contact the CEF enquiry hotline at +852 3142 2277.

Firstly, make sure you really want to cancel your spot- our courses fill quickly and you will lose your spot right away!

If you need to change your enrolment, please email info@outwardbound.org.hk right away.

We want everyone to have the opportunity to participate in an Outward Bound course, so we make every reasonable effort to accommodate medical needs. However, your safety is our biggest priority, and if we feel a course might put your health at risk, your application may be rejected.

It is critical that you are open and transparent about your medical needs on the Enrolment Form so that we can ensure we can meet your needs. We have a detailed medical screening process so that we can ensure we can meet your needs and keep you safe. Our staff are experienced at handling a variety of different needs on course.

Should there be any concern for any medical condition shown in the personal medical history record, Outward Bound Hong Kong will contact you to gather more information, or to request medical clearance from a registered Doctor prior to joining a course. 

It is rare that an application is rejected because of medical screening, but if this happens, your $800 deposit is fully refundable.

You are more than welcome to travel to and from your course with items such as cell phones, iPods, tablets and laptops. However, once you arrive we will ask you to lock your valuables in a safe. Outward Bound courses provide a valuable break from everyday life, and leaving your phone behind is part of that magic!

Cameras are welcome on course as long as they are not part of a smart phone. 

Lots of Outward Bound students are non-swimmers, and that's completely fine! Every participant must wear Outward Bound approved life jackets during water activities. Each participant must complete a ‘water confidence’ test before any water activities are completed. This is an opportunity for the participant to get used to the buoyancy a flotation device provides and feel at ease floating in the water. It also allows instructors to take note of participants confidence in the water. 

Participants' extra personal belongings will be secured in a locker on site. Valuables will be locked in a safe. At the beginning of course, instructors work individually with participants to help them decide what essential items should be kept for course and what should stay in the luggage.

Outward Bound staff are held to high international safety standards, and are trained, re-trained, and tested regularly. Our equipment and our course designs are held to the same high standards! OBHK meets or exceeds all safety standards set out by the Association for Experiential Education.

There is an element of risk inherent in every part of our lives, and completing challenging outdoor activities is no different. However, with our rigorous training, high staff:participant ratios, quality equipment, risk management systems and external accreditation, we manage risk effectively

We take risk-management very seriously and as a result are proud of our record. We cannot eliminate risk - it is essential for effective learning to take place - but we have everything in place to ensure it is effectively managed.

Outward Bound instructors are full-time coaches, safety monitors, first-aid providers, teachers, and mentors. Our staff come from Hong Kong and all over the world, and they are hired as much for their people skills as for their technical skills.

Our instructors have undergone rigorous internal training to ensure that they meet our required level of competency. They also receive internal and external certifications in first aid, lifesaving, navigation, risk management, and various technical skill

Hygiene is critical to the safety and success of a course! Whether it's a swim in the creek, doing dishes in a bucket, or a hand-wash from a water-bottle, instructors will ensure that all participants are maintaining high hygiene. It just might not look like what it does at home- don't expect laundry facilities or a luxurious bath!

At base, Outward Bound is equipped with washrooms and running water.

On camping journeys, we follow a set of Leave No Trace principles, and will use self-made ‘cat-hole’ toilets in the wilderness areas. Don't worry, instructors will teach you how!

Our instructors are trained to assess the severity of medical conditions and injuries. Most often it is a minor injury and the participant can continue the course with instructor care. If a participant is deemed to require further medical attention, Outward Bound Hong Kong will make the necessary arrangements while maintaining contact with parents or guardians. 

Wherever possible, we work to return the participant to course.

Outward Bound provide food suitable for every participant on course. We also provide nutritional and healthy orientated dietary foods to ensure each participant has a healthy diet, given the physicality of programmes. The menu is designed by a professional nutritionist to ensure participants received appropriate calories and the nutrients that they require.

All prescription medications must be approved by Outward Bound  prior to the course start. On courses for participants under 18 who have written consent by parents or guardians, instructors will oversee the medication use. Please bring enough prescription medications in clearly marked  containers for the duration of the course. It is important that we know what medication is on course, so please provide full information - we have extensive experience of working with all kinds of needs - the most important thing is that we know about them!

You can still participate fully in a course even if you have your period-  at Outward Bound there are many female operational staff.

Outward Bound staff will be sensitive and professional if you need help managing your period on course. Staff can help you be prepared for water activities, and let you know how to maintain good hygiene even in the wilderness.

Instructors will carry extra sanitary napkins and tampons just in case you run out, but in generally, you should always plan to be prepared with your own supplies, even if you don't expect to get your period on course.

Don’t worry, we take certain precautions to protect ourselves from the heat, like staying in the shade during the hottest part of the day, wearing long sleeves to protect from the sun, taking frequent dips, and drinking lots of water.  

Why long sleeves when it's hot? When we’re outside in the sun all day, sun is an even bigger risk than heat. Getting too much sun overheats your body even more than long sleeves do. Take it from the pros- our instructors, who spend all day outside, every day of the year!

There are many wild animals in Hong Kong- like wild boars, porcupines, deer, civets, and more- but you don’t need to be afraid of any of them. Wild animals are way more afraid of you then you are of them, and tend to keep their distance. In fact, you would be extremely lucky to see any of these creatures! If you treat these animals with respect and allow them to keep their distance, they won’t bother you. 

There are also several species of snakes in Hong Kong, and some of them are venomous. Like the mammals, snakes are shy and are unlikely to approach you- they only bite if they feel threatened. Snake bites are extremely rare, and your instructor will keep a careful eye out and tell you what to avoid. 

The most common wild creature to see are insects! The best way to protect from insects is long sleeves and long pants.

Any outdoor activity is impacted by the weather. During bad weather, courses will adapt programme design and activities, which may include pausing some water activities, or in extreme cases, remaining indoors. In most cases, it is safer for students to shelter in place than to send them home when road conditions may be dangerous.