On Walkabout On: Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak Trail

Prior Posting: On Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak

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For those visiting the summit of Hong Kong’s beautiful Victoria Peak, it is also well worth taking a hike along the trail that runs along the side of the peak that provides even more spectacular views of the stunning skyline and landscape of Hong Kong. The trail begins behind the massive Peak Galleria shopping center that visitors taking the tram exit from. The trail is well maintained and surrounded on each side by thick vegetation:

The summit of Victoria Peak is 552 meters with the trail just below it traveling around the mountain at around 500 meters in altitude. This altitude provides some great views of the city:

The building that stands out more then any other along the peak trail is without a doubt the 2 International Finance Centre which at 415.8 meters is the tallest structure in Hong Kong and the fourth tallest building in the world:

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre was another famous landmark of Hong Kong that was easily visible from the trail:

The Central area of Hong Kong which is dominated by the Bank of China Tower:

The Bank of China Tower was designed by famed American architect I.M. Pei and construction of the tower was completed in 1990. The building at the time was the tallest in Hong Kong at 367.4 meters. However the building is very controversial in Hong Kong due to its poor Feng Shui characteristics. The Chinese practice of Feng Shui is used by nearly everyone in Hong Kong, however The Bank of China Tower was designed without regarding any principles of Feng Shui. Because of this many people in Hong Kong consider the building to be very unlucky.

Besides these buildings, every other major building in Hong Kong can be seen from the trail as well:

Besides being able to see the buildings on Hong Kong Island the buildings on the Kowloon peninsula were also readily visible to include this massive building under construction on the peninsula:

I have no idea what this building is but it appears that it is going to easily be one of the tallest buildings, if not the tallest in the city once its construction is completed.

As I continued down the trail less of Hong Kong’s skyline became visible as I walked towards the outskirts of the city:

Besides the construction of new buildings, from the trail I could also see a massive new bridge being constructed as well:

The further I continued down the trail, more the high rise apartments began to thin out:

The trail was also becoming even more thickly forested on each side:

It is a multi-day hike to complete the entire trail so after walking for two hours I then decided to turn back around and walk back towards the Peak Galleria where I started the walk from. From the Galleria I looked back toward the terrain the peak trail traverses around:

The trail comes out to over 50 kilometers which if you are fit could be covered in two days. If I had the time I would definitely hike the whole trail. However even from the short distance I covered, the views were great and the fact I was surrounded by such nature in the midst of one of the most densely populated places on Earth was quite an incredible feeling. If you have time definitely take a short walk on the peak trail or even better yet hike the entire thing. It is the best way to get an overhead view of this incredible city.

Next Posting: Central Hong Kong – Part 1

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