Suicide Cliff is arguably the most photogenic and dangerous hike in Hong Kong. The name “suicide” cliff is spooky but in actual fact this is not a cliff where people commit suicide. It’s named as such because the climb can be dangerous, and if you are not careful, you could drop from the cliff.
Situated in Ma On Shan Country Park, Suicide Cliff is located just beneath the Kowloon Peak. At 602 m, Kowloon Peak is the tallest mountain in Kowloon, and is crossed by both Wilson Trail and the famous MacLehose Trail.
How to get there
There are two ways to do this hike: the first will take you over Fei Ngo Shan with a 360-degree view as you approach Suicide Cliff, and the second will take you straight to Suicide Cliff. The latter is quite short and goes directly to the cliff.
Route 1 – from City One
Take the Tuen Ma line (formerly the Ma On Shan line) to City One Station (Exit D).
Head to the Shing Mun River and take a right on Siu Lek Yuen Road.
Follow the road for about 30 minutes until you reach Fa Sam Hang.The start of the trail is at Ming Kei Fa Yuen.
Route 2 – From Choi Hung:
Take the Kwun Tong line to Choi Hung Station (Exit C1).
Take minibus 1A to Sai Kung or 11 to Hang Hau. Alight at Good Hope School.
Continue up Clear Water Bay Road for 10 minutes. Keep left and continue up Fei Ngo Shan Road.
Take the first left for Fei Ha Road for the start of the Suicide Cliff trail.
Steep Initial Ascent
As Suicide Cliff is our main target, we choose Route 2, the direct yet moderate difficulty route.
The hike starts with a steep incline up the mountain for around an hour before reaching the summit.
At certain part which is very steep, rope is available for assistance. Anyway, with a good pair of hiking shoes, it’s fine to walk up slowly even without this rope.
Hiking in Hong Kong’s city area is a very different experience than hiking in the Europe’s alps region.
In Europe, all we can see around the trail is the rugged tall mountains. In Hong Kong, all we can see around the trail is the high rise concrete buildings.
As we climbed higher, the path slowly turns to the angle where we can see the world famous Victory Harbour in a full picture.
Although I had seen this harbour view for a hundreds times, it remains fantastic to me !
About 1 km width between Tsim Tsai Tsui and Central, and 9 km long, Victoria Harbour is one the most popular tourist attractions in the world ! Besides, the harbour is a natural channel between Hong Kong Island and the Hong Kong mainland
Approaching Submit
As we continue the steep climb, wind gets very strong occasionally. We need to be extra careful so as not to lost our balance.
With over 7.5 million people of various nationalities in a 1,104-square-kilometre territory, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. The living space for average people is so small, yet so so expensive, that can be described by one word : pathetic !
It’s not particular difficult to sway from the normal path to where this 2 young men were standing at, yet it’s dangerous, especially without any precautions !
To us, safety always come first.
The lack of barriers means one slip could prove fatal. We will not want to risk our life like this !
A small plateau before reaching suicide cliff.
Under normal condition, a spectacular view like this will draw a massive crowds. But due to the difficulty level, it has naturally screen out the very old and the very young. Thus, we didn’t get to see many people up here.
After a short break, we continued our climb to the peak.
Suicide Rock
Finally reaching the highlight of this trail – Suicide Cliff, where a huge piece of rock is jolting out of the mountain face.
Suicide Cliff is a dangerous climb where a slip could result in fatality.
Many unfortunate accidents have taken place around this spot over the years. In fact, just 3 days after our hike, a female hiker died after falling 20 metres down a steep slope dubbed “suicide cliff”.
Definitely a superb spot for photographing.
Standing at the edge is like an ant in relation to the expansive panoramic views of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. It’s an incredible act that human can build those skyscraper which is thousands times taller than their own’s height.
After World War II and the Communist’s victory in the Chinese Civil War, many people who fled to Hong Kong from Mainland China lived in squatters in Kowloon, where the Lion Rock is clearly visible.
The lives of the era, during which Hong Kong was rebuilt from poverty was depicted by TV series and its theme song “Below the Lion Rock”, is considered to represent the spirit of the Hong Kong, aka “Lion Rock Spirit”.
Climbing to Kowloon Peak
After spending enough time at the suicide cliff, we started to make our way up to Kowloon Peak before going down by taking the path which is easy and not steep.
Walking down is fairly easy, less steep too. Instead of taking the same route for descending, I will recommend this route which is not dangerous at all.
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