Hotels near Dragon's Back

The Dragon's Back trail is Section 8 of the Hong Kong Trail, and it earns its reputation inside the first ten minutes. From the To Tei Wan trailhead on Shek O Road the path climbs steadily onto the ridge, then runs along an undulating spine with Tai Tam Bay on one side, Shek O and Big Wave Bay on the other, and the South China Sea filling the horizon.

Shek O Peak, the high point, tops out at 284 m. Walking the ridge and dropping down to Big Wave Bay makes a 7.6 km point-to-point with roughly 490 m of cumulative ascent, taking 2.5 to 3 hours at a steady pace. Cutting out at Tai Tam Gap shortens it to 4.9 km and about 1.5 hours. Difficulty: easy to moderate, on a paved and stone-step path the whole way, with no scrambling.

The catch is popularity. A Sunday morning puts several hundred people on a ridge that is two metres wide in places, so the photographs everyone comes for take patience.

Pro Tip: Stay on bus 9 past To Tei Wan to Shek O village for breakfast, then walk back along Shek O Road and start the ridge around 8am. You will have it nearly to yourself, and you can finish with a swim at Big Wave Bay before catching bus 9 back to Shau Kei Wan.