While Hong Kong is famous for its high-rise buildings and cityscapes, there are also plenty of accessible hiking trails ranging from easy family trails to high peaks - all with great views at the end.
Here’s a quick guide to some of Hong Kong’s most picturesque hiking trails:
Hong Kong Island: Casual Walks
These are more suitable trails for those who would prefer a more relaxed experience.
Dragon’s Back is one of Hong Kong Island’s most popular trails due to its easy difficulty and amazing scenery. The name stems from the shape of the trail, resembling the back of a dragon and takes around three hours to complete. It can be easily accessed from the city by taking a bus or minibus from Shau Kei Wan and getting off at around Shek O.
Cape D’Aguilar may not be a proper hike but is a good choice for a nice day trip. Similarly to Dragon’s Back, it can be accessed by public transportation from Shau Kei Wan. This two-hour trail provides you with beautiful views of the coast and ends at a marine reserve next to one of Hong Kong’s most popular rock formations.
Hong Kong Island: Harder Trails
If you don’t mind going up a couple of hundred steps for a great panorama of the city, this one’s for you!
Mount Butler is one of the most famous peaks on Hong Kong Island and understandably so! The scenic view at the top is worth every step up and while this trail is a little longer, you will get a beautiful sight of Tai Tam Reservoir on the way up. To start, you can take a bus to Braemar Hill to reach the beginning of the trail and begin your 8km journey up.
High West is an easily accessible trail from Kennedy Town and takes around 3 and a half hours to finish. This hike is a lot harder than the others but gives you a stunning 360-degree view of Victoria Harbour at the top, allowing you to see various Hong Kong landmarks, mountains and other islands.
Kowloon and the New Territories
Lion Rock is one of Hong Kong’s most famous peaks for its astonishing scenery and interesting shape, as the rock itself is easy to spot from miles away. This hike consists of quite a bit of stairs but is moderately easy and can be done by beginners. The whole trail can be done in 2 hours, starting from Wong Tai Sin and is a total of 6 km for a round-trip.
Duckling Hill is a shorter hike that intersects with other longer trails in Kowloon. It is approximately 3.7 kilometres and takes one hour to complete. It is extremely accessible from Hang Hau and offers a stunning spectacle of the bay.
Tate’s Cairn is quite a challenging climb with a rather steep incline, but the end makes it all worth it with a breathtaking scene of the New Territories, Kowloon and even Hong Kong Island in the distance.
Reminders
While these trails are quite beginner-friendly and can be done by anyone, be sure to properly prepare for everything to maximise your fun and have the best experience.
Hong Kong can be quite hot in the summer, so be sure to pick a day that’s suitable for hiking, preferably a little cloudy.
Wear a mask! Though it’s one of the safer COVID activities, it’s still important to be well-protected and stay safe.
Beware of cliffs! These are quite common in the more popular viewing spots.
Familiarise yourself with the trail beforehand as there may not be many signs on the trail.
Wear suitable clothing as it can get quite windy at the peak.
Bring your phone in case you get lost
References:
Writing: Rin Kimura
Editing: Tisya Gupta
Graphics: Pihu Agarwal
Commentaires