For the best views of Hong Kong, you’ll have to work for them. Tie your laces and hit the best hiking trail in Hong Kong.
The Lion Rock hike in Hong Kong yields the best views of Hong Kong for those who make an effort to climb it. If you’re thinking of hiking in Hong Kong, make the Lion Rock hike your priority.
Lion Rock Hike Tips
How To Get To The Start Of The Lion Rock Hike Trail
The Lion Rock hike is one of the easiest hikes to get to via public transportation. Take the MTR to either Diamond Hill MTR Station or Won Tai Sin MTR station (Exit B3). From there, you have two options to get to the start of the trail: walk an hour to the start of the trail OR take a 10-minute taxi for approx $22-30 HK.
It is a 1.6-mile walk from both MTR stations, and the taxi ride is about the same. We opted to take the taxi from Diamond Hill MTR as it was a hot day in Hong Kong, and there were so many other things to do in Kowloon that we wanted to do that day.
We just told our taxi driver, “Lion Rock Peak,” and he brought us right to the start of the trail. The driver should drive up Sha Tin Pass Road and stop at the Lion Pavilion. We were nervous that we wouldn’t be able to find a taxi back to the MTR after we had completed the Lion Rock hike. Thankfully, we were wrong. We were able to catch a taxi within 5 minutes.
Related Article: Hong Kong Travel Tips
How Long Is The Lion Rock Hike?
Once you reach the start of the trail, the hike is 1.8km (1.1 miles) to Lion Rock from the east entrance trailhead (the Sha Tin Pass dot on the above map). The other half of the trail from The peak to the Lion Rock Park dot on the map above is just over 1km.
*Note both sides of the trail have similarly named parks “Lion Rock Country Park” on the east and “Lion Rock Community Garden.”
To make sure you end up in the right place, here is the Google Maps:
You can hike to the peak from either direction. One side is slightly shorter and closer to the MTR. If you hike the full trail, the hike is roughly 3km (1.9 miles). The hike will be considerably longer (3.2 miles longer) if you opt to walk to the start of the hike from the MTR station and not take a taxi.
How Long Does The Lion Rock Hike Take?
Most websites estimate the hike will take 5 hours round trip walking from the MTR station. It took us 2.5 hours, and that included us going off the trail and flying our drone for 30 minutes and a decent amount of time at the top of Lion Rock taking pictures from the best view of Hong Kong.
The hike can easily be done from the start of the trail in under 2 hours if you are an athletic person, but if you like to take it easy, we’d estimate 3 hours. It’s worth making time in your Hong Kong itinerary for trust us.
Is The Lion Rock Hike In Hong Kong hard?
We saw people of all ages on the trail to Lion Rock, even some with canes and a few people carrying their dogs as well. It’s a pretty easy hike, the trail is very well-marked and there are several areas to sit and rest for a while. We would suggest wearing tennis/hiking shoes as the trail isn’t all paved. Over half of it is dirt/gravel.
Views From The Top Of Lion Rock
Once you make it to the top of Lion Rock, you’ll be rewarded with the best view of Hong Kong. You’ll feel like you are on top of the world up here. Here are a few of our favorite pictures of Hong Kong from the Lion Rock hike.
Related Article: Things To Do In Kowloon
When Is The Best Time To Hike In Hong Kong?
The Lion Rock Peak hike is very popular with people from Hong Kong and can get very busy on the weekends. This hike is best done on a weekday if you want to have more of the trail to yourself.
Also, make sure to check the weather in Hong Kong and tentatively plan a day to do the hike. The weather in Hong Kong can be unpredictable, so be flexible with your Hong Kong plans.
Related Article: How To Spend The Perfect 3 Days In Hong Kong
You’ll want to make sure you have a nice clear sky day. Otherwise, the views from Lion Rock won’t be that great. On several of our days in Hong Kong, it was very cloudy and rainy. We would have never gotten these pictures on a cloudy day.
One of the Hong Kong travel tips I learned was always to carry an umbrella. You never know when it’s going to rain in Hong Kong.
Try to start the hike early in the morning, preferably before 9 am. The heat won’t be nearly as bad, and there are way fewer people on the trail.
Things To Know Before Hiking
Bring enough WATER. There aren’t any vendors selling water along the hike. We each brought 1.5 liters of water, and it was finished before we finished our hike. If you typically drink a lot of water when hiking, then bring more. It’s better to have extra.
Watch out for MONKEYS. There are monkeys along the trail in the trees. If you have never had an encounter with a monkey, just realize there is no such thing as a nice monkey. Do NOT feed the monkey or try to touch the monkey in any way.
We had our first monkey experience in the Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali, where Hannah ended up having monkeys crawling up her and eventually biting her on the thumb…Just keep walking and ignore the monkeys.
Don’t forget to pack sunscreen. Part of the trail will be shaded, but the closer you get to Lion Rock, the shad will start to disappear.
Lion Rock Hong Kong Facts
Lion Rock stands at 495 meters above Kowloon and is one of the most recognizable natural landmarks in Hong Kong. The rock sits above one of Hong Kong’s major residential areas. It has even been the name of a song and TV series!
Don’t forget your insurance! You never know when you’ll need it. We suggest getting travel insurance with Safety Wing. Which coverage includes medical, trip interruption, lost luggage, and more. Often rates are as low as $12 a week.
Who knew there was such great hiking in Hong Kong?
Other Great Hikes in Hong Kong Worth Checking Out:
- Dragon’s Back
- Lantau Peak at sunrise
- Peak Circle Walk, winds around the highest point on Hong Kong Island
- Wilson Trail
Best Places To Stay In Hong Kong
We spent half our time in Kowloon hotels and the other half in Hong Kong Island hotels. We recommend the following hotels as we personally stayed there:
- Budget Prices: Central Mini Hotel | Booking.com
- Midrange Prices Hotel Jen | Booking.com
- Luxury Hotel: Hotel Pottinger | Booking.com
- Boutique Hotel: The Luxe Manor | Booking.com
Related Article: Hotel Jen Hong Kong
Have you been to Hong Kong and have any Hong Kong hikes to add to the list? We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and we’ll make sure to add them to the list.
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