Dragon's Back
- Food
- Big Wave Bay, after you are down
- Farm stand
- Central Farmers' Market
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
Best season A cooler, clear morning. Skip a typhoon signal and a midday summer ridge. Weekends are the busy version of a walk that magazines already called famous.
Section 8 of the Hong Kong Trail: a ridge above the south coast that starts at a bus stop and ends at Big Wave Bay beach. It is famous, and it is still the clearest version of a city ridge that finishes in the sand.
Worth knowing
Start
To Tei Wan on Shek O Road. From MTR Shau Kei Wan, the Hong Kong Tourism Board says Exit A2, then Citybus 9 from the bus terminus to the To Tei Wan stop. The same bus runs back from Big Wave Bay toward Shau Kei Wan. Check the Citybus board; the 9 has more than one variant.
How long
Both the LCSD hiking card and the government's Round-the-Island Trail page say about 8.5 km. They do not agree on time: about 4.5 hours on the LCSD card, about 2 hours 45 minutes on the Round-the-Island page. Plan the longer one if anyone is slow. The LCSD calls the paths rugged.
The finish
Stay on Section 8 through Pottinger Gap and come down to Big Wave Bay. That is the beach ending. Shek O village is a different stop on the same bus route, not the end of this walk.
With kids. The LCSD calls the paths rugged and steep on both sides of the ridge. It is not a stroller walk, and it is a poor first hike for a small child.
With a group. No group permit showed up on the route card. The ridge is narrow and well known. A weekday morning is the calmer time for a party.
The short version
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department describes Dragon's Back as the undulating ridge between Wan Cham Shan and Shek O Peak, and calls Section 8 the last and steepest section of the Hong Kong Trail. Shek O Peak is 284 meters. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department route card starts at To Tei Wan on Shek O Road and finishes at Big Wave Bay, about 8.5 km.
Food nearby
Big Wave Bay, after you are down
The ridge has no restaurant. The beach at the end does.
Farms and stands nearby
Central Farmers' Market
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden says local organic, chemical-free greens, sold by the farmers, plus earth-friendly products and local handicraft.
Season. Their page says every Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Star Ferry Central Pier No. 7.
This is in Central, not at Big Wave Bay. They say the market has run since 2007 as a stall for local organic farms.
Official page