Hiking Hong Kong Tung Chung Loop via Lantau Peak

Great as a day hike, this trip up to Lantau Peak from Tung Chung is great if you want to feel your muscles over the following week. I would highly recommend doing this hike on a clear day - although I am unsure of the views due to the fact that I was hiking in a cloud for the most part, therefore pictures for this hike will be added once I get out there again on a clear day.

This trail scores maximum stars for both difficulty and enjoyment. Taking you up, beneath the Ngong Ping 360 cable cars, the views are equal to that of the cable car views. On a clear day you will see the airport and possibly even Macau. Then there's the Buddha of course, followed by Lantau Peak and Shek Pik Reservoir followed by the many beaches along South Lantau Road. Difficulty also scores 5 stars due to the fact that you will be climbing a total of 1280 metres in height. This is no easy task, especially in the hotter, humid months. Your main challenge however will be hiking on a clear enough day to enjoy everything that this hiking trail has to offer.

UPDATE: I have added these pictures for the beginning of this hike as they are the same as those for the Tung Chung to Tai O trail hike for the beginning section. Other pictures will be added later when I find someone who is willing to exert themselves to such an extent to tackle this hike once again. If you fancy a strenuous hike email me at info@hiking-hong-kong.com so I can update the pictures...

Starting from Tung Chung MTR station, head towards the taxi stand, turn right and follow the road around and past Pizza Hut. Follow the contour of the residential block here where you will find a walking/bicycle track. Follow this track under a bridge and keep to the right.

Head straight and take the next right, through another tunnel which goes under the main road. Turn left and head up out of the tunnel and follow the road.

Walk along this path which is quite long, leading to Yat Tung estate. You can also catch a bus from Tung Chung to Yat Tung estate (the number 38) if you are feeling lazy. In fact Yat Tung estate is only about 15 minutes walk from Tung Chung, and the extra time that it takes to get to and from the bus stop on either side probably amounts to the same time that it takes to walk to Yat Tung estate.

When you get to the overhead walkway, be sure to go up it as it crosses the main raod ahead. Continue straight across. Looking to the right makes for a nice view. Coming down from the walkway, you will pass Yat Tung estate. Evidently the people here use this walkway and adjacent area as a place to hang all their washing. It is chock a block here - there is washing hanging from street poles, strung between them, on bicycle stands, draped across bushes - basically wherever you look.

Continuing along, be sure to keep to the right of the next overhead walkway - you don't want to use this one. A little further along after you have passed Yat Tung estate, after you cross a river, be sure to turn right, exiting this walkway.

Follow this path which continues along the waterway just across from Yat Tung estate.

At the end of this path, keep left just after the little temple area, where you can take a rest if you want.

Follow this path which winds along an elevated walkway through the mangroves. If you keep you eyes peeled along here you should see little jumping fish (with front legs - not sure what they are) as well as lots of little crabs.

At the end of this path, turn right at the signs (below) and then keep left, passing the sports ground.

There are some nice views out to the right along here of the airport and of the Nong Ping 360 Cable Car.

Looking out to the left also offers great views of Lantau Peak before heading on through the trails. On this bridge, cast your eyes downward and look for the fish swimming below. I actually saw a pipefish swimming along here on my last hike along this trail to Tai O.

The path meanders along these elevated walkways through the mangroves where you can see a variety of crabs and other insects along the way. In the picture below you can see the cable car tower at the very top of the hill - this is where we want to go. On this mountain face is a path leading directly up to this first tower.

Cross the bridge and lookout for the Ngong Ping 360 Rescue Trail. This trail is quite steep until you get to the first tower of the Ngong Ping cable car. Head left at the tower and follow the wooden/paved path up the mountain. This path is predominantly uphill, but it is all paved or consisting of wooden decking to serve primarily as a rescue path.

It is quite interesting to note that you are so close to the cable cars at some points that you can actually hear peoples conversations from within them. On this particular day we got to a section where the wind was roaring through and we heard someone scream out "Oh my GOD!!!" as their cable car was swinging in the wind. I have to say that I'd much rather be walking up there than taking Ngong Ping 360.

At the top of the hill we came across a pack of wild dogs. They were all quite young, with five having a rest, snoozing away, while one was keeping watch over the rest. Although they didn't attack us, I'd be careful around any wild dogs in Hong Kong as I have come across angry ones before.

On the way down the hill from the top tower, look out for a path which leads off to the left. It is marked with a sign indicating that it is pat of the lantau trail. It heads uphill a little which may seem like a challenge after what you just came up.

Follow this path which offers pleasent views of the Buddha, should you happen to be in clear skies and not shrouded in clouds, as we were on this day. We did get a quick glimpse of the Buddha when a break in the clouds appeared. There is a bench at the top of this slope where you can take a well deserved rest and take in the views. Trust me, you will need this rest in preparation of that to come.

Continuing on, take a right at the end of this path and follow any signs that point towards Lantau Trail (marked with a symbol of two people hiking). There is a picnic ground ahead where I somewhat recall heading down the path that leads just to the right of the picnic ground - don't take the road as this leads back to the Big Buddha.

When you get to Wisdom Path, take the trail that leads up to Lantau Peak. It heads up a very steep rocky path to the left. This trail is very tough and may require you to take plenty of rests along the way. If you are running short on supplies (water or food) I would strongly recommend that you detour to the Big Buddha before heading up here as it is extremely strenuous.

At the top of this section keep left, heading towards the Peak. At Lantau Peak, take another very deserved rest, have a snack and rejuvinate.

Be careful when heading down from here as the path can be quite slippery if it is very humid. It is very rocky and at point the ground is very slippery (it was raining quite hard on our descent). Keep left on your way down to be sure that you end up on Tung Chung Road.

At Tung Chung road you have a couple of options. There is a bus stop just to the right of where you come out, where you can catch the bus back to Tung Chung. Alternatively you can walk.

We proceeded left to walk all the way back to Tung Chung, following Tung Chung road. On this day we took Tung Chung Road all the way back to Tung Chung due to the intense rain. I had planned on taking a different route however that was not possible and therefore I won't mention it here until the next time I go on this hike.

Tung Chung Road can be quite deceptive. It is in fact rather steep, and can hurt on the way down, especially if you found the previous 20km or so a challenge - You may be better off taking the bus.

It is also quite long and since it is still under construction at parts, it is not the best road for walking down as there are several sections where you have to walk along the road.

Follow Tung Chung Road all the way back to Tung Chung. At the bottom keep to the right and cross the main road/waterway to get back on the path which you first travelled on which passes Yat Tung. Follow this same path in reverse to get back to Tung Chung MTR station.