I love HK - Dragon's Back Trail

What's the one thing that you must do while in HK? Eating? Shopping? Ok those too, so what are the 3 things you must do in HK besides eating and shopping? Trekking of course! HK has 4 main trails, namely Maclehose (100km), Wilson (78km), Lantau (70km) and Hong Kong (50km). Each of them is  breath-taking, relatively accessible by public transport and has their easy/difficult sections. The last time I posted on the Wilson Trail Section 7, one of my favourite. Having done parts of Wilson and Maclehose Trails (and flew over parts of Lantau Trail by cable car), I decided to tryout HK Trail this time. 

Stage	Route	Length (km)	Time (hr)	Difficulty
1	The Peak → Pok Fu Lam Reservoir	7.0	2.0
2	Pokfulam Reservoir → Peel Rise	4.5	1.5
3	Peel Rise → Wan Chai Gap	6.5	1.75
4	Wan Chai Gap → Wong Nai Chung Road	7.5	2.0
5	Wong Nai Chung Road → Mount Parker Road	4.0	1.5
6	Mount Parker Road → Tai Tam Road	4.5	1.5
7	Tai Tam Road → To Tei Wan	7.5	2.0
8	To Tei Wan → Tai Long Wan	8.5	2.75

HK Trail proper starts from The Peak all the way to Tai Long Wan. The last section, Section 8, was declared by Time's Magazine as the Best Urban Hike in Asia (22 Nov 2004 Asia issue). It was dubbed Dragon's Back as the trail path connecting Wan Cham Shan (226m) and Shek O Peak (284m). The path undulates between these hill tops, reminiscent of the shape of a dragon's backbone. 


Getting to the start point was easy. Take MTR to Shau Kei Wan on HK Island, then hop onto bus 9 at the bus terminal beside the MTR station. Alight at To Tei Wan - Shek O Rd bus stop (there's a screen at the front of the bus to tell you the next stop). Good idea to take a picture of the journey you will be taking so you know roughly when to alight. Oh you should get your food and water around the bus terminal if you haven't already done so. 

Once alighted you will know where to go, there's a very obvious sign just beside the bus stop. There are also mobile toilets and recycle bins to do your last business. Don't be fooled by the sign (1km, 1 hr). It means 1km/1hr to Shek O peak, but to complete the trail to Tai Long Wan, it's another 7.5km/1.5hrs.

Time check, started exactly at 2pm.

Top: Sign pointing to Dragon's Trail. Left: Map showing the entire section 8 of HK Trail, it's a big loop. Right: First distance post that greeted me. 

The first distance post that greeted me was H085. The last post would be H100, meaning I have 15 posts to clear. Usually the posts are spaced 500m apart, which means I have 7.5km to go. Starting at 2pm, if I want to finish by 5pm to have enough daylight at Tai Long Wan beach, I have 3hrs to complete 7.5km, i.e my pace has to be 2.5km/1hr. Ok can! 

Top left: Selfie before starting trek. Top mid: Start of trail. Bottom left: New Patagonia trail shoes from Chamonix. Right: Stairs! I'm not so good with stairs anymore u know.

Actually what slowed me down in my trek was not the difficulty of the trek itself, but the compulsive need to stop to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Check out this picture taken just 5mins into the trek. It should be Stanley in the background. Thank iPhone 5c for panaromic function!

Breath-taking view of Stanley.

No more picture taking, carry on with the trek. In about an hour of stairs and upslopes I reached the summit. Here's a special video of my iPhone pretending to be a Go Pro.


The view from the peak was simply....cannot describe. That's what the video is for, to illustrate what cannot be described in words.

Top: Panoramic view of Shek O. Bottom left: Sign board at Shek O Peak. Bottom right: Selfie! 

Took a picture of a beautiful bay from Shek O Peak. Unsure where it was, I took a bearing of the bay, it was 30deg. Upon checking the bearing with google map after I return to the room, yes confirm, that was a Big Wave Bay. Actually it's pretty obvious now, but having a little exploration does add to the fun. 

Picture taken of Big Wave Bay from Shek O Peak.

When you meet people while trekking, it's a good idea to offer some food to them. I gave one of my many packets of roasted pork (bak kwa) to a Chinese boy, and his mother in turn gave me an almond cookie! 

Left: Garlic Roasted Pork. Right: Almond cookie. 

Speaking of food and water, please do not leave your trash behind. Sick. 

Plastic bottle. Doesn't belong. 

The trek up to the summit had been fun with beautiful scenery, but I took an hour to complete....1km?? That's way below my targeted 2.5km/hr. Hopefully the trek downhill will be much faster. 3pm, start to make my way down from the summit. 

The way down had not much scenery to boast, but the quietness of the place, except for a few fellow trekkers along the way, and the cool weather makes the trek enjoyable. Not to mention it was mostly downslope, easy trek. Many plants line up along both sides of the trail, here's a couple of the more colourful ones. Too bad I didn't come across the barking deer, it would have been a highlight! 

It was at this point whereby I realised I have food and water, I have comms (hp) but no first aid kit, except for a few band aids. Ok I can only get abrasions, not allowed to sprain my ankle! 

Distance marker 93, ie 4km of trekking. Time 3:24pm, less than 1.5hr of trekking. Very on time. Another 3.5km I should be done, should finish before 5pm. 

There's only 1 possibility of getting lost on this trail, and that's after marker 96. The single trail opens into 2 trails, turn right to continue towards Big Wave Bay or go straight towards....I don't know. So please follow the sign and turn right. There's a big picnic site just before the junction so you will not miss it.

Top left: picnic site before the junction. Bottom left: Sign that points to Big Wave Bay. Right: Steps leading down to Big Wave Bay. 

 Soon after turning right down the steps, you will pass by marker 97 and very soon.... marker 100, which means congratulations, you have completed HK Trail Section 8!! If you have started from Victoria's Peak, well done you have completed the entire HK Trail 50km!

Time 4:12pm, slightly less than 2hrs 15mins.

Top left: Last marker of HK Trail. Top right: Photo taken by a fellow trekker. Bottom: Summary of HK Trail Section 8. 

 The fun doesn't end at the end of the trail. Here's where you can explore the Big Wave Bay! I didn't read much about this place so it's really fun to explore. Walking into this quiet town is like walking into a small town of HK in the 60s. Not many people, nothing seems to be happening, nobody is in a rush....maybe it's winter. Again, very different from the typical HK of Mongkok and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Top left: Glimpse of the waves from the end of HK Trail. Top right: Little quiet town between HK Trail and Big Wave Bay. Bottom right: Tiny, inconspicuous entrance to Big Wave Bay. Bottom left: Small shops line up the street. 

One particular shop caught my attention, Tong Kee Store. It's a little cafe that sells food and beverage, and rents out surf boards of every kind. Also has wetsuits and swim wear. Basically all you need for Big Wave Bay. And the staff is friendly too. 

Top: Tong Kee Store front. Bottom left: Signboard with info on board rental. Bottom right: Surfboards for rent. 

 The sand on Big Wave Bay Beach is really fine, the waves were big, temperature was a cool of 16 deg....oh there's also a lifeguard tower! Wouldn't mind being a part-time lifeguard here.

Top: View of Big Wave Bay Beach. Bottom left: Lifeguard post. Bottom right: Nice cool temperature.

Here's a video of the surfing waves of Big Wave Bay, be sure to check out the local surfing boys. 

Click here for Video: Big Wave Bay Surfing Waves 

I heard there's an ancient rock carving at the other end of the beach, so decided to check it out. The rock carvings were first reported by a police officer in 1970, the design shows a very dynamic geometric and animal patterns. The similarity of the designs on pottery and vessels of the Bronze Age suggests these carvings were made about 3000 years ago. Like most other carvings, this is situated on a headland embracing the beautiful bay, suggesting that the early inhabitants who created these carvings depended on the sea for their livelihood. The carvings might have been intended to propitiate the power of the sea and to protect its sea-faring trade. 

Top left: Info regarding the rock carvings. Top right: Shelter housing the carvings. Mid right: Sign showing the way. Bottom: Ancient rock carving, it looks clearer on photo than with naked eye. 

 Here's also where you can take in the entire majesty of the bay.

Big Wave Bay at sunset. 

Coming to the end of the day, treat yourself to a nice coffee at Tong Kee Store. Opt for the outdoor seating, the weather is nice and so is the view. 

Ask the friendly staff for directions to the bus stop, about 5mins walk away. From the bus stop take bus 9 back to Shau Kei Wan MTR Station. Chances are the red minibus will arrive before bus 9, which brings you to Shau Kei Wan as well (last destination so there's no need to tell driver to stop). Please note that minibuses do not accept Octopus card, only cash. Flat fee regardless of where you alight, the bus driver will give you change if you do not have exact, but might have to wait for change if he doesn't have enough. 

If you're wondering what happened to the plastic bottle at Shek O Peak, I had it reincarnated. You can do it too next time you're on a trek, pack it into your bag, stuff other rubbish (e.g. plastic wrappers) into it so it becomes your mini rubbish bin. Flatten the bottle so it takes less space in your bag. After trekking, dump the bottle into a recycle bin, removing the other rubbish inside if they're not recyclable.