After spending nearly my whole summer traveling around Asia parts of China, Hong Kong, and Japan, Hong Kong was definitely my favorite. The real dealbreaker was that in Hong Kong you could both enjoy the city life and escape to the stunning nature anytime. Even though the island is relatively small, there is always somewhere new to explore every turn of the corner.
While there is so much to do, one of my favorite activities was hiking. The landscape was simply amazing and different to anything I was used to, so in this post I am going to focus on the hikes.
Dragon’s Back
View of the Dragon's Back
Yes, you might have heard about this hike if you’ve been meaning to travel to HK and have been researching up places to go. This hike is pretty popular among both locals and travelers, and I guess there’s a reason for that.
As a solo traveler, this was the perfect first hike for me as transportation was not confusing, and it wasn’t completely off the beaten path where I was able to meet some travelers. The hike to the view of the dragon’s back was not too long– around half an hour with some stairs that may get you a little tired :') You can make your way up the rocks and explore around for more views ( there are some kind of paths) and turn around or continue the trail towards Shek O beach. I definitely wished I could have visited a beach in Hong Kong, so if you have the time, you should check it out.
Garden Hill
Garden Hill
Located in Sham Shui Po, this hike offered an amazing view for only 15 minutes of stairs. This was a perfect location for seeing the city ( especially at sunset/night as someone who doesn’t prefer hiking hours in the dark). A 10ish minute walk from the MTR station before you reach the set of stairs, garden hill is great place for a date night, chill time with friends, or picnic.
Cape d’Aguilar
Starting out riding the citybus in the same direction Dragon’s Back, but once you get off you are going the opposite way. This hike is pretty easy, a fun walk passing through the green jungly nature, some village dogs sleeping on the road, and some caves, you end up at the ocean coast. As someone from the States, the different kind of ocean landscape was amazing. We spent quite some time just exploring the coast and climbing the epic orange rock formations.
Cool rock formations at Cape D'Aguilar
Sunset Peak.
Wow. probably one of my most memorable hikes, and challenging. Located on the Lantau island, this hike has never-ending stairs for you to climb up and little shade. The entire hike was basically stairs, stairs and more stairs. But it is well worth it, as you enter an overwhelmingly beautiful 360 degree view where vast peaks and incredible beauty surrounds you.
Lion Peak
iPhone photo :'( but still looks amazing
Views, let me emphasize. Views. You get an epic view of the entire city, while surrounded behind you with nature. The sense of triumph and accomplishment you get after hours of stairs, getting drenched in sweat, and eaten by mosquitoes, makes everything worth it.
So that wraps up some of my favorite hikes in Hong Kong. There are so many trails, and I absolutely want to go back and conquer them all! Also, I used hikehongkong.blogspot.com every time to find new hiking trails, and directions on how to get there. Not sponsored, but this website was genuinely so helpful in laying out step by step how to get to the trail and back. :')