Victoria Peak
I made it to the top of Victoria Peak twice during my stay in Hong Kong, neither time on the tram. The view is pretty iconic of Hong Kong: from the top you can see all of Victoria Harbor, Central, and Kowloon. The spot is understandably very popular with a full mall at the top and massive lines for the tram at the bottom.
My first time hiking up, I started at Central with a friend. The climb was hard. The route was the shortest but also the steepest. After about 90 minutes and some intense sweating, we made it to the top and were tricked into paying the fee to go to the observation deck at the top of the mall.
We decided to head down an alternate route towards HKU, but missed a right turn and hit a dead end. We figured we just needed to keep heading down and we’d eventually make it to where we wanted to go. It took some bushwhacking and hiking in the pouring rain but we made it back to a main road near the Pok Fu Lam reservoir much much later than expected.
My second attempt at Victoria Peak was much more successful. On one of my last days in Hong Kong, a group of us headed out before dawn to catch a view of the city at sunrise. I always fear for my life during night hikes and it was actually freezing in December but it was all so worth it. We came up from Pok Fu Lam Road by a gas station (PetroChina) which brought us to Hatton Road and then to Lugard Road. It was very special to watch the city wake up and slowly switch off all the lights.
Dragon’s Back & Big Wave Bay
Dragon’s Back is a fairly easy hike on the eastern part of Hong Kong Island. There isn’t a whole lot of steep elevation gain and you can reach an awesome viewpoint in almost no time. But fair warning, there is absolutely no shade cover so it gets hot and dry real quick. Pack more water than you think you’ll need.
Following the trail down connects you to Big Wave Bay, which is known for surfing!! There weren’t many waves when I visited but the little town there was so beachy and cute. Cantonese aside it felt like finishing the hike in Greece. There are buses that run from the beach so we didn’t even have to hike out!
Repulse Bay
There are a few different beaches on the south side of the island. They’re all accessible by bus (!!) from Kennedy Town or you can squish four people into a cab and pay less that $5 USD one way. I liked Repulse Bay because the surrounding area was more built up with shops and restaurants. The giant rafts in the water were also perfect for lounging around and sun bathing.
Deep Water Bay
I never had a proper beach day at Deep Water Bay, but it has the same ocean view as Repulse Bay. The beach is smaller and there’s less around in the way of food but it’s still pretty ideal!
