Mount High West is located on the western side of Hong Kong island between Victoria Peak and Mount Davis. The spectacular trail is a relatively short hike from Victoria Peak but with incredible views over Hong Kong city. This trail will pass through at least 3 viewpoints where the iconic city scenery of densely packed high rise are revealed. If you have only one day in Hong Kong, then the hike is the one to choose. There is no other hiking trail in the world where a mountain-top trail is so close to mega high rise city.
There are many ways to reach High West Submit. You could start the hike from Kennedy Town, Hong Kong passing through Morning Trail (or Lung Fu Shan Fitness Trail) before making the final ascent to Mount High West. This trail may be tough for some as it involves an hour and half of steep climbing(~ 2,000 steps). As I planned to enjoy the Sunset at Mount High West and descend in the dark, I chose the easiest way to reach the summit.
My planned route starts from Peak Galleria and within 50 mins I should reach High West summit at 494m. Despite the short hiking time, the trail has steep incline and a hefty amount of stairs to climb.
The Peak Galleria is an extremely popular tourist hotspot and that means it is very well connected with various bus system, taxis and also the Peak Tram. Word of caution, if you intend to take the iconic Peak Tram, be prepared to be wait an hour or more on the weekends.
Now lets get on with the hike. After you came out from the Peak Galleria, make your way to the main entrance of The Peak Tower, and look for Lugard Road signage on left hand side. This is where Victoria Peak Loop trail starts and also where our trail starts.
This Victoria Peak Loop hiking trail follows alongside the mountains edge on a comfortable paved trail. There are lot of photo opportunities along this section overlooking Hong Kong if it is a clear day. You can also find lots of signage along this trail describing the plants, trees and wildlife found in the area.
In a short 10 mins of comfortable hike, you will be presented with the sweeping views of the iconic Hong Kong’s Metropolis. Hiking generally means nature, trees, animals, rocks, stream….but not in Hong Kong. When I first set my eyes on this view, my jaw really drops. Its really hard to imagine a mountain-top trail that is so close to mega high rise city.
When the weather is good, you could almost see the whole of North Hong Kong Island, Lamma Island, Lantau Island (where Disneyland and Airport are located) and also Kowloon. The view is even better in the evening with the yellowish light on the building. We planned to visit this viewpoint twice; once in the late evening and then when it’s all dark, for the night view.
The video above above shows our brief stroll along the Victoria Peak Loop Trail. We are lucky to encounter only small crowd on that day due to the COVID situation.
After 20 mins of following Victoria Peak Loop Trail, you will come across the the High West Picnic Area. This is a great place for you to have a quick rest or even a picnic before continuing on the final climb up to the Mount High West summit.
To get to the Mount High West Trail, walk past the exercise equipment until you reach the set of stairs going down. Follow the stone path towards a large open area with some benches and a view of Mount High West. Towards the left of this area, you’ll see a set of stairs (~550 steps) which will bring you to the Submit of High West in approximately 30 mins.
The view near the submit is really nice especially in sunset. On a clear day, you can see Cyberport and Lamma Island in the south; Hong Kong Island past Kowloon and Tai Mo Shan in the north; and Lantau Island to the west.
The High West submit is quite crowded when we arrived. Most of the crowd there are local Hong Kong resident. We have been “forced” to stay indoor for a long time now. With the relaxation on social distancing rules, Hong Kong people comes out in millions!
There is a trail beyond the High West submit. I think it is not an “official” trail as there is a danger signage at the entrance. This trail is worth exploring as it will bring you to even better scenery; and most importantly less crowd. I did not find the trail challenging or dangerous at all. But “danger” is relative; have a look at the video above to decide for yourself weather it is worth exploring.
This a a great spot to watch the sunset. Have to be extra careful here as the cliff is quite steep. Just yesterday, there was an accident in Lion Rock mountain where a hiker has fallen from the cliff. The scenery is perfect for photo taking but make sure you are constantly mindful of the danger while you are clicking away.
The sun is going down. The scenery to me is way better now than when the sun is up. More colors, more romantic, more mysterious and most importantly less peoople.
Love the intensity of the color.
We stay there for another 30 mins to take in the scenery and of course more photography. If you are planning to watch the sunset here ensure that you bring along torch lights for your way down. I think I could hike down without any lights as Hong Kong is never completely dark. The city lights is on 24 hours. But bring one just in case.
City of Lights…..and Hope
We return to this viewpoint on our way down. Its a completely different scenery when it is dark and city lights are on. With a full moon, this picture is almost perfect.
Night view of the 2 tallest building in Hong Kong
If you only have one day in Hong Kong, spend your time hiking to Mount High West unless the weather is poor. I guarantee you will not regret it.
If you like to have a more inclusive experience of this hike, checkout my other post:
Sunset Hike to Mount High West in VR(coming soon)
Jessy Lee
Kevin
Nicholas Lee
One response
Spectacular!