Hiking: Hong Kong Trail Stage 5

Stage 5 is one of the strenuous hikes. It is shorter than some of the other hikes with just 4,0km length, but because it goes up and down it is quite tiring. The starting point is at Wong Nei Chung Gap, next to the pink Park View houses.

We started walking on the joint trail, which is part of the Wilson Trail Stage 2 as well as the Hong Kong Trail Stage 5.

We headed North, climbing steps, to get to the summit of Jardine’s Lookout (433m height). From there we could see all the way over the hills to Tai Tam Reservoir and the sea behind it.

Turning around, from the other side, we could view Hong Kong City across Victoria Harbour. We could see from Central to Causeway Bay and Fortress Hill, but it was a little too cloudy and foggy.

After enjoying the city skyline, we had to climb down again. Down at the pass, the trail trends up again, climbing some 100 metres up the steps by the quarry.

Extending east, Hong Kong Trail heads for the 436 m Mount Butler.

The summit of Mount Butler sits at the end of a bamboo-lined path. It is tiring to climb up, especially after some of the steps are so spaced out from each other, it is a tiring climb.

There is a lookout with sweeping vistas (again, on a nicer day the view would have been amazing).

We made our way down again, 599 steep steps to Quarry Bay Gap, where the Stage 5 ended. The hike should have taken 1,5 hours, and we must have needed at least the 90 minutes, if not a little more.