I don’t think many people associate hiking with Hong Kong, but my brother spent six months studying there and told me about some truly beautiful hiking trails. So, as soon as I decided to visit Hong Kong, I knew hiking would be high on my list of things to do.
Now that I’ve been to Hong Kong myself, I can totally recommend hiking there if you’re into that kind of thing. It was amazing!
During my week in Hong Kong, I did three different hikes, and it felt incredible to balance the busy city life with some nature. I hiked to Lion Rock, Dragon’s Back, and part of the Lantau Trail to Sunset Peak.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through them, I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Everything I share are recommendations and things I have personally bought.
Lion Rock
Together with my friend Silver and her boyfriend, we took the metro to Wong Tai Sin station, where our hike began. We headed towards Temple Hill Fat Jong and followed Shatin Pass Rd. At some point, we took a left towards Lion Rock, which was clearly signposted. It wasn’t long before we randomly bumped into a local man who ended up becoming our guide for the hike. He told us that he hiked the trail every day and often guided people like us to the top. It was actually really cool to have someone with us who knew the route and all the shortcuts.
The hike to the top was tough but beautiful! Along the way, there were several spots with breathtaking views over the whole of Hong Kong. I had my camera out quite a few times to snap photos. From the top, we stood high above the city, admiring the Hong Kong skyline. Wow, it was incredible! We walked on a mix of stairs and trails. In many places, there were trees that offered some nice shade, which was great because it was super hot.
With help from our guide, we managed to turn the hike into a round trip, ending at Lion Rock baseball field, where we caught the metro back to the city center. It was such an awesome hike, and I’d highly recommend it—super easy to get to from the city.
My watch tracked the route at 8 km, and it took us 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete, including breaks.
Dragon’s Back
One of the days when Silver was at work, I decided to hike Dragon’s Back. I packed my daypack (which, by the way, is the perfect size if you ask me) with snacks and my camera, then took the MTR and a bus to the trailhead at Shek O Rd. The route is on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island, and the name comes from the way the landscape looks—it feels like you’re walking along the spine of a dragon.
Another amazing hike with stunning views of the sea and several of Hong Kong’s many small islands. The trail was incredibly hot, and I think almost half of it was without any shade, so I was sweating like crazy. But in return, it’s a great, shorter hike, which gave me time to explore a bit of Hong Kong Island afterward.
My watch tracked the route at 5 km, and it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete, including several long photo breaks.
Sunset Peak – Lantau Trail
Lantau Island is an awesome place for hiking! There are so many different trails, all part of the Lantau Trail—if you do the whole thing, it’s 70 km in total and takes you around most of the island. We hiked Section 2, where you climb Sunset Peak, which stands at 869 meters.
The views were absolutely stunning, and it didn’t take long after starting the trail for the scenery to really open up. I hiked the route with Silver, her boyfriend, and their friend, which made it such a nice and cozy experience to have company and enjoy the breaks together. If I’d had more time, I would’ve loved to hike more sections of the trail.
My watch tracked the route at 7 km, and it took us about 3 hours and 45 minutes, including breaks and plenty of photo stops.
