Hiking in Hong Kong
Kraig AdamsJan 2025 · With friends
- Days
- 4 days
- Cost
- See his costs
- Lodging
- Tent
Asia · Hong Kong
Lantau Trail
Hong Kong
- Distance
- 30.4 mi48.9 km
- Days
- 4 days
- Elevation gain
- 6,529 ft1,990 m
- High point
- 3,064 ft934 m
- Season
- October to March, the cool, dry season
- Lodging
- Tent
I love visiting Hong Kong. Five years before this trip, my friend Ryan and I hiked the MacLehose Trail across the New Territories, and on the way out we noticed there was one other long-distance trail in Hong Kong, near the airport. We vowed to come back and hike it. In January 2025 we did, with my friend Renee: the Lantau Trail on Lantau Island, the big mountainous island the airport sits next to.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Moderate · about 8 mi (12 km) and 1,632 ft (498 m) of climbing a day over 4 days, up to 3,064 ft (934 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation3–2,923 ft29.9 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED) on AWS · Rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
Download GPX387 KB · free
Each day and variant (4 files)
- Day 1: Mui Wo, Nam Shan, the ridge below Sunset Peak (4.8 mi / 7.6 km) 66 KB
- Day 2: two recordings: Sunset Peak's shoulder to Pak Kung Au; Pak Kung Au over Lantau Peak to Ngong Ping (7.2 mi / 11.6 km) 97 KB
- Day 3: Ngong Ping, Sham Wat Road, Man Cheung Po, Tai O, Yi O, Tsin Yue Wan (12.8 mi / 20.6 km) 160 KB
- Day 4: Tsin Yue Wan, Fan Lau, Kau Ling Chung, Shek Pik (5.7 mi / 9.1 km) 65 KB
The film
Watch it first
Hiking in Hong Kong
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Mui Wo ferry pier, at sea level, about 35 to 40 minutes by ferry from Central
- Finish
- South Lantau Road at Shek Pik, about 230 ft (70 m), with buses and taxis
- Usual difficulty
- Sections 2 and 3 (Sunset Peak and Lantau Peak) are rated 4 of 5, Difficult, by the government: long stone staircases. The rest is 1 to 3 of 5
- Best time
- October to March, the cool, dry season. The Hong Kong Observatory says November and December are many people's favorite months. Summer is hot and wet, with typhoons possible from May to November.
- Permits
- None to hike or to camp at the campsites
- Getting there
- Our way in, 2025. We flew into Hong Kong and stayed in a hotel in Central, which kept our extra luggage while we hiked. Before the hike we went to the best outdoor store we could find on Google to get stove fuel (you can't fly with it), and, as Ryan and I did on our first trip, ate soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung. On the hike's first afternoon we took the ferry from Central to Mui Wo, watched the skyline disappear behind the boat, bought last snacks and big bottles of water at the 7-Eleven by the pier, and started walking at 3:24 p.m.
- Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency: 999 or 112. Give the distance post number (L001 to L139).
Phone signal
- In an emergency, the government's telecoms office says a 112 call from a mobile connects through any network with coverage, whichever one you're on.
Insurance
- Make sure your travel insurance covers local treatment and unexpected medical evacuation.
- Treatment for uninsured foreign visitors to Hong Kong is expensive.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Mui Wo to Sunset Peak. Nam Shan, at mile 1.6, is on South Lantau Road, with buses to Mui Wo and Tung Chung. Past it there's no road until Pak Kung Au on Day 2. In fog, strong wind or rain, the exposed ridge to Sunset Peak is unpleasant; go back down to Nam Shan.
- Day 2, Sunset Peak to Ngong Ping. Pak Kung Au (mile 1.9) is the one road between Sunset Peak and Lantau Peak: buses and taxis down to Tung Chung, ten minutes, as we did. On Lantau Peak, the only ways off are back to Pak Kung Au or on to Ngong Ping. Don't start up it in a rainstorm warning, strong wind or heavy fog; we waited half a day and still got wind and rain.
- Day 3, Ngong Ping to Tsin Yue Wan. Sham Wat Road (mile 2.4) and Tai O (mile 6.6) have buses. Past Tai O there's no road until Shek Pik, the next day; with the closure, end this day in Tai O unless AFCD has reopened Section 7.
- Day 4, Tsin Yue Wan to Shek Pik. There's no road between Tai O and Shek Pik. Once you're past Kau Ling Chung, Shek Pik is the way out, about an hour on.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 4 days, tent.
Hiking in Hong Kong
Walked Lantau Trail? Be the first to share your track: log it with your GPX.
Your time
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Typical: 4 days (the hike's facts).
Ask this hike
Planning questions about Lantau Trail, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
From hikers
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Lantau Trail?
We took four days and three nights for Sections 1 to 8, with a short first afternoon, a half day lost to rain, and long stops in Ngong Ping and Tai O. In the film I say three days; my GPS and my notes say four. AFCD's walking times for Mui Wo to Tai O add up to about 12 hours, so it can be done in two long days.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Lantau Trail cost?
I didn't keep a list of what this trip cost me.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Lantau Trail?
October to March, the cool, dry season. The Hong Kong Observatory says November and December are many people's favorite months. Summer is hot and wet, with typhoons possible from May to November.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for Lantau Trail?
None to hike or to camp at the campsites.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is the Lantau Trail open?
Mostly, in October 2026. Sections 1 to 6 and 8 are open. Part of Section 7, from south of Kan Tau Au past Tsin Yue Wan to Fan Lau, and Tsin Yue Wan Campsite have been closed since October 10, 2025, after typhoon landslides. Check AFCD's notices at hiking.gov.hk before you go.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How long is the Lantau Trail?
The whole loop is 70 km (43.5 miles) in 12 sections, starting and ending at Mui Wo. I walked Sections 1 to 8, Mui Wo to Shek Pik, which AFCD gives as 43.5 km; my GPS recorded 30.4 miles (48.9 km) over four days, including wandering in Ngong Ping and Tai O.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Can you camp on the Lantau Trail?
Yes, but only at designated campsites: Hong Kong law bans camping elsewhere in country parks. They're free and first come, first served. On or near Sections 1 to 8 they include Nam Shan, Ngong Ping, Man Cheung Po, Kau Ling Chung and Shek Pik. There's no campsite on Sunset Peak.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is there water on the Lantau Trail?
Not on the mountains: there's none between Nam Shan and Ngong Ping, over Sunset Peak and Lantau Peak. Fill up in Mui Wo or at Nam Shan, then in Ngong Ping and Tai O. Campsite streams are seasonal.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How do you get to the start of the Lantau Trail?
Take the ferry from Central Pier 6 to Mui Wo: about 35 to 40 minutes, all fast ferries, HK$33.50 Monday to Saturday and HK$48.50 on Sundays and holidays (2026). The trail starts at the pier.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.