Dragon's Back Explained

The Dragon's Back is a mountain ridge in southeastern Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong that passes through Shek O Peak. It lies within the Shek O Country Park. In 2019, the Dragon's Back Trail was selected by CNN as one of the world's 23 best trails.^[1] Dragon's Back is part of Stage 8 of the Hong Kong Trail.^[2]

Hiking information

Destinations in the vicinity

• Shek O Peak
• Shek O
• Big Wave Bay

Highlights

• Paragliders hanging in the air and eventually drifting down to a beach at Shek O.
• People flying radio-controlled gliders.^[3]

Overview

Area:	Southern District
Starting point:	Shek O Road near To Tei Wan Village
End point:	Big Wave Bay
Average hiking time:	4 hours
Distance:	About 8.5 km
Refuel:	There are no refueling stops along the trail.
Difficulty:	Moderate Most of the route is on dirt paths. The first half has very little shade, and there is also a steep 200-metre-long uphill stretch. The flight of descending stone steps in the last section is quite steep too.^[4]

Information and hiking etiquette in Hong Kong

• Hong Kong's Country Parks have no trash bins, so hikers are asked to hang on to their litter until they exit the Country Parks^[5]
  • Try to limit boombox music volume to a minimum in Country Parks to let everyone enjoy the sounds of nature.
• Big Wave Bay Beach (the End point) and nearby Shek O Beach are two different beaches. There is a short bus service that links the two beaches.
• Some parts of this trail are rocky, so travellers should use proper footwear. Slippers and sandals are not advisable.
• At Pottinger Gap yue, hikers can extend the hike by walking along the easy Pottinger Peak Country Trail eastward for about 20 minutes and then make a 90-degree right turn onto a newly made path that descends southward for another 20 minutes to the Big Wave Bay Prehistoric Rock Carvings de, yue].

See also

• Shek O Peak
• Shek O
• Big Wave Bay

External links

• Discover Hong Kong - Dragon's Back
• HK Leisure & Cultural Services Dept. - Hiking Scheme
• Map Location

22.2357°N 114.2437°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: 23 of the world's greatest hiking trails. Joe . Minihane. 2019-03-29. CNN Travel. en. 2019-12-16.
2. Web site: Shek O. 2020-08-09. www.afcd.gov.hk. en.
3. Web site: 2010-10-10. Travel Guide Shek O and Dragon's Back - Hiking. 2020-08-09. Urban-Outdoors. en-US.
4. Web site: Dragon's Back: one of Hong Kong's most popular hikes Hong Kong Tourism Board. 2020-08-09. Discover Hong Kong. en.
5. Web site: Bins on Hong Kong's hiking trails gone for good. 2017-12-15. South China Morning Post. en. 2019-12-21.