Hiking Hong Kong Discovery Bay to Sunny Bay Hiking Trail

This hike outrivals any other hike in Discovery Bay. It offers every possible view of Discovery Bay and finishes with a great view of Disneyland and Inspiration Lake. Be warned though that this is a very difficult hike especially when taken during the summer months with high temperatures and high humidity.

This trail ranks in at 4 stars for both enjoyment and difficulty. It offers every view possible of Discovery Bay and great views of Disneyland. The hiking trail is very difficult as it passes over several peaks on the way to Sunny Bay.

Below is a full map of the trail as mapped out on Google Maps. Click on it to load at full resolution.

Also below is the topographical map for this hiking trail taken from Google Maps. Again Click on it to enlarge.

Starting from Discovery Bay Bus Terminus, this is the longest possible route that you can take around Discovery Bay. I have added some alternative starting points in the table to the right.

The best starting point for this hike is right from the Plaza at Discovery Bay ferry pier or if you arrive on the bus from Tung Chung (DB01R) or the Airport (DB02R) or Sunny Bay (DB03R).

Proceed from the ferry pier along the water front to the left, up the gentle slope past the busses and cross the road taking the first left into La Vista.

Head straight up the stairs in front of you. At the top of the stairs take a right and head up the road towards the building at the top.

There is a lovely garden/water feature at the top of this hill that is great for relaxation and offers some exceptional views.

Take some time out to have a wander around before heading on if you wish.

Once at the top of the water feature/park area head directly towards the mountain. The hiking path starts right behind the building at the end of La Vista.

You should see a small staircase leading up the hill (about 15 stairs) which then continues up a drain way (covered).

Keep to the right (the left is a short cut but way too steep) and follow to the top. Take a left at the end and continue up the next drain way.

Be careful if it is wet or humid as these grates can get rather slippery when wet or damp.

At the beginning of this steep uphill section a sign has been erected stating that this is not a hiking trail, however there is no reason not to take it as it does lead to a hiking trail.

The beginning of this trail to Sunny Bay is very steep so take your time if you find it difficult. There are five lengths which zig zag up the hill until you reach a tree at the top. Take a look around as you climb this hill as there are many pleasant views between the trees. Keep in mind that this part of the trail is quite easy compared to the rest. This is kind of like a warmup for the rest of the hike.

At the top of this steep section head straight up (there is also a new track that leads off to the left - don't take this one. Continue up and across the rocky section. Where possible verge off to the right and take the trail on the right.

Take a feast on this. You will be walking across the ridge of this mountain. Much pain is ahead...

This part of the trail flanks the golf course. Continue on, while watching out for any stray golf balls (yes there is a sign somewhere warning of this) until you reach the road. Tak a right and head down towards the dam.

At the end of this straight section just before the road veers right, cross the road and head up the trail that leads off next to the yellow warning sign.

Continue up this short section until you get to the concrete section shown in the picture on the left. Follow this raised path until it changes into gravel and then further till you get to the base of the mountain.

Take a deep breath and start climbing! From here on out it is nothing but difficult, difficult, difficult! And the further along you get the harder it becomes as you become more and more tired.

Take your first steps up this trail. At the first intersection you come to which is not that far up, continue straight up the hill. From here on out there is nowhere to go but straight on until you reach a T intersection with another path, where you turn right.

There are some nice views of Discovery Bay from up here. Meanwhile, continue along the hiking trail.

Just up ahead you will come to a fork in the road. You may continue straight ahead if you would like to get a great view of Discovery Bay. If you're not too bothered (as there are many opportunities for great views ahead), then take the path that leads off to the left. We carried on left as the visibility was very poor as we were in a cloud.

You will notice that this part of the trail has been widened. This is some work that is being done by the government to make this trail more accessible to hikers. It begins from the mid-way point of the trail that goes from Tung Chung to Mui Wo. From my best guess this trail widening will continue on to Disneyland. At the moment they have managed to get about halfway there.

Continuing on, you will see glimpses of the airport to the left as well as views of Discovery Bay to the right. Carry on untill you reach a power pole. If you are already exhausted you may decide to go right here and head back to Discovery Bay. If you think you are up for the full challenge and still have enough food and water supply, as well as enough time, then soldier on!

Along the way you will see glimpses of various parts of Discovery Bay. Here is the new hotel that is going up in Siena.

The following image shows the section where you can head back down to Discovery Bay if you think you won't be able to finish the trail or if you are running low on supplies. From this point there is still about 8km to go.

If you feel confident, continue straight up hill.

This is a steep stretch till you reach the top where you will find a communications tower, where you need to veer right. From here all you need to do is follow the top edge of the mountains - yes there are many - until you can see Disneyland. There are several paths which lead off this path along the way, try to stick to the main one which leads straight ahead. As long as you aim to stay along the top edge of the mountains, you should be OK.

There are some great views of Discovery Bay from up here so be sure to keep an eye out to your right.

You can see the trail continue into the distance on this picture below. Do not be mistaken, this trail is very long and very difficult as the valleys between the mountains are rather deep.

There is one part shown in the image to the left, where there is a distinct fork in the hiking trail. Be sure to keep left.

The following section is the most difficult as it is the final valley which is rather steep and then of course followed by the final hill climb which is also very steep. By the time you reach this point, you should see it and express your feelings with a plethora of swear words (just as we did), as you wonder if you will be able to make it or not to the final peak.

Be sure to drink plenty of water and take a rest if needed, as I did many a time as the effects from heatstroke were beginning to show.

Once you reach the top of the trail, the views are quite pleasant. This is a great spot to take a break. We passed out (almost literally) for about 10 mins to catch our breath and find that last bit of energy to make it down the hill.

I put my camera away at this point until reaching the bottom of the hill as I was so exhausted and could not bear to carry it anymore. The next part of the trail is also very slippery so it is best to be prepared for landing on your butt as it may very well happen.

At the last peak, overlooking Disneyland, the path is a little hidden. You should find it slightly towards the left of the Trigonometry station. The path gets rather bushy along here, so if you are wearing shorts and short socks be prepared for many scratches from twigs, prickly plants and dead bushes along the way. Blood is not an uncommon sight. Follow the trail down the hill aiming for the next visible Trig station. From here, stay to the right trail, down through even thicker bushes.

When you reach the trees, look up and brace yourself for the biggest spiders you have ever seen in Hong Kong. I have seen these spiders in several other parts of Lantau. Around the Trappist Monastery they are located high in the treetops, generally out of reach, therefore not a threat. Similar spiders are also seen on the way up Lantau peak, however these do not have yellow bodies or leg joints, they are all black. On the way down Lantau Peak to Tung Chung, they are also visible, generally above head level, but care should still be taken. On this hike, however, they are the biggest I have ever seen and they are low and there are many.

The species is a Giant Golden Orb Weaver which is for the most part not dangerous. It will however give you a warning bite (non venemous) should you disturb it. It has some rather large fangs, and therfore it is quite a painful bite.

You will only see these spiders during the hotter months when the humidity is very high. They are out and in full force, and at full size from July. You will start to see them around February but they will be quite small at that stage.

Their webs are very strong, likened to that of a low guage fishing wire. In fact should you happen to walk through one of their webs, you will probable hear a tearing sound as the web rips apart. They are aptly named Golden Orb Weavers due to the fact that their webs have a golden glow to them when the sunlight shines off them.

Common prey for these spiders are large insects such as dragonflies. On Occasion they may even snare small birds and have them for lunch - this goes to show how strong their webs are! The Giant Golden Orb Weaver devours it's victim by encasing it in it's web, much like a caccoon, all be it while it is still alive. It then pierces its fangs through the caccoon and sucks it's victims dry. Lovely!

The large spider that you see in the center of the web is the female. Somewhere around the outside, you will see a much smaller and puny looking male counterpart.

The first time that I hiked this trail, I almost walked straight through several webs and spiders. Taking a step back and looking up, I was in shock for at least 10 minutes due to the sheer number of them in the trees. I finally decided to go commando and crawl along the ground as the lowest webs were no more than one meter from the ground. I am not very relaxed with spiders and this was very difficult. So I definitely have to say that you must be strong to get to the end of this Trail!

After negotiating the first section of trees and coming up too early, almost taking out yet another web, you should get to what looks like some type of power station. There is a gate here to the right that is hopefully open. It was when I got there both the first time and the second. If not, you can go left, via some more humungous spiders and make a right towards the end which comes back to the same point past the gate.

Past the gate will be a gentle slope leading down to another, hopefully open gate. There are more spiders down this path linking their webs from the trees to the rail down the slope. If the gate is not open you can climb around it.

You will be at the highway leading into Disneyland now. Continue down the slope and cross the road underneath. You will see a huge drainage area down here and the train line into Disneyland should also be visible. Continue to the other side of the road, take a left and follow the path all the way along the highway to the right.

Towards the end of the road, cross the road, still keeping to the right road - be careful for traffic - there are no footpaths here, just road. Follow the overpass, over the railway lines, towards Sunny Bay MTR Station. Be wary of Traffic. This is the same road that the DB03 bus takes to get to Sunny Bay MTR. Follow the road until you get to the bus stop. Take the Train to Tung Chung or to Central here or the Bus DB03R to Discovery Bay.

Alternatively, you may take a left just before crossing the railway tracks, through an open, half broken gate that leads down and around to the right. Follow this road around and up for about 10 minutes (there is no footpath here either), till you get to the bus terminals that go across Tsing Ma bridge.

If you've made it this far, you are a legend. Be prepared for much pain over the coming days as your muscles recover!!