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Most people think of Hong Kong as a city of tall buildings and busy streets, but it is also home to some of the best easy hikes in Hong Kong. There are 24 country parks, hundreds of marked trails, and four long-distance trails: the MacLehose Trail, the Wilson Trail, the Hong Kong Trail, and the Lantau Trail.
The best part? You do not need a car. Almost every trail here starts near an MTR station, a bus stop, or a ferry pier. You can be drinking milk tea in Central in the morning and standing on a green ridge with a sea view one or two hours later.
I have been hiking around Hong Kong for a few years now, mostly with my family and my parents. So I know how it feels to look at a trail online and think, “Is this really easy, or is it easy for fit people?” (I once took my parents on a 3-star trail by accident. I learned my lesson.) This post is my hub for all the easy hikes in Hong Kong I have walked and written about. Each one below shows you the difficulty, the type of view, how long it takes, and how to get there by public transport. Pick one, click the full guide, and go.
How I rate these easy hikes in Hong Kong
Difficulty
- Easy – flat or gentle. Good for kids, parents, and first-time
hikers. - Easy to moderate – still fine for beginners, but there are stairs
or slopes. You will need some breaks.
View score (out of 5)
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – the kind of view you travel for
- ⭐⭐⭐ – nice, but not the main reason to go
- ⭐ – almost no wide view
View Type
- Sea view – ocean, islands, bays
- City view – buildings, harbour, skyline
- Nature view – reservoir, forest, trees
- No view – you go for the calm, not the photos
Quick comparison table
Note that the time and distance are just for your reference. These are estimates based on the information board and hiking activity recorded by my watch. It can vary depending on the route you take and the duration of breaks in between.
| Trail | Difficulty | View | View Type | Time/Distance |
| Cape D’Aguilar | Easy | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Sea | 2-3 hours / 8 km |
| Dragon’s Back | Easy to Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Sea + City | 4 hours / 8.5 km |
| Lamma Island Family Trail | Easy | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Sea + Village | 1.5 hours / 5 km |
| Brick Hill (Nam Long Shan) | Easy to Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Sea + City | 1-2 hours / 5 km |
| Cape Collinson to Big Wave Bay | Easy to Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Sea | 2-3 hours / 5km |
| Clear Water Bay (Lung Ha Wan) | Easy to Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Sea + Islands | 1 -3 hours / 2.3 km |
| Shing Mun Reservoir | Easy to Moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Nature | 3.5 hours / 9 km |
| Tai Tam Reservoir | Easy | ⭐⭐⭐ | Nature | 2- 3 hours / 6-8 km |
| Wanchai to Aberdeen Reservoir | Easy | ⭐⭐⭐ | Nature | 1.5hours / 5 km |
| Ho Pui Reservoir | Easy | ⭐⭐⭐ | Nature | 2.5 hours/5km |
| Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve | Easy | ⭐ | Forest, No View | 1-2 hours/ 4km (Blue Trail) |
The best easy hikes in Hong Kong
Cape D’Aguilar
If you are looking for easy hikes in Hong Kong with coastal views, Cape D’Aguilar should be at the top of your list. There is no summit. The path is flat and paved the whole way, so you never climb stairs. At the end, you get a whale skeleton, a 9.7-metre lighthouse from before the war, and the famous Crab Cave. Read my full Cape D’Aguilar guide for more details.
Difficulty: Easy
View: Sea view (coastline, Stanley, Tai Tam)
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Distance: About 8 km
Transport: Island Line to Shau Kei Wan, Exit A3 to the bus terminus, then Bus 9. Get off at Cape D’Aguilar Road.
Good to know: There is no toilet out there. Use the one at Shau Kei Wan Station first. There is also very little shade, so bring a cap and sunscreen. On Sundays and public holidays, the bus does not always turn into Cape D’Aguilar Road. Check before you board the bus, or ask the driver before you tap your card.
Dragon’s Back
Dragon’s Back is the famous one, and it deserves it. It is the most popular hike in Hong Kong for a reason. CNN picked it as one of the world’s best trails in 2019. The path goes up and down along a ridge, which is why it is called a dragon’s
back. At the top, you get a 360-degree view of Shek O Country Park. It is one of the longest hikes on this list, but the climb is gentle, and the signs are very clear in both English and Chinese. You can finish at Big Wave Bay and have a swim or a snack. Check out my full Dragon’s Back guide.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
View: Sea view + a little city view (Shek O, Big Wave Bay, Redhill Peninsula)
Duration: About 4 hours
Distance: 8.5 km, summit at 284 m
Transport: Island Line to Shau Kei Wan, Exit A3, then Bus 9. Get off at To Tei Wan 土地灣.
Good to know: Go on a weekday if you can. Weekends get very crowded. Most of the trail is under the sun.
Lamma Island Family Trail
This is my favourite easy hike for a lazy day. You take a ferry from Central, walk across the island on a flat paved path (with a partial slope), and take a break while having tofu pudding. Along the way, there is a Tin Hau Temple, the Kamikaze Cave from World War II, a beach, and Hong Kong’s first wind turbine, which will be dismantled in the near future. Read the full Lamma Island day trip guide.
Difficulty: Easy
View: Sea view + village view
Duration: 1.5 hours of walking, but plan half a day with the ferry, food, and detours
Distance: About 5 km
Transport: Ferry from Central Pier 4 to Sok Kwu Wan or Yung Shue Wan.
Good to know: Start at Sok Kwu Wan and finish at Yung Shue Wan. The ferries back from Yung Shue Wan run more often, so
you will not have to rush. Sok Kwu Wan also has more seafood restaurants if you want lunch first.
Brick Hill (Nam Long Shan)
Brick Hill gives you the best view-to-effort ratio of all the easy hikes in Hong Kong on this list. In one to two hours, you reach a helipad with a panoramic view of Deep Water Bay, Repulse Bay, Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau. It is much quieter than Dragon’s Back. The catch is the stairs. Most of the climb is a long concrete staircase with very little shade. Read the full Brick Hill guide.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate (many stairs)
View: Sea view + city view
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Distance: About 5 km return, 282 m elevation
Transport: South Island Line to Wong Chuk Hang, Exit B. Walk to the bus terminus and head towards Singapore International School. Or take Bus 4, 71 or 78 to Wong Chuk Hang Bus Terminus.
Good to know: Brick Hill sits right behind Ocean Park, so you will hear people screaming on the rides. It is a funny soundtrack for a hike. Not suitable for strollers.
Cape Collinson to Big Wave Bay
This one starts at Siu Sai Wan Promenade and ends at Big Wave Bay. The highlight is the Cape Collinson Battery, built by the British Army in 1938 and destroyed in 1941. From inside, the opening frames the ocean like a giant screen. It is one of the best photo spots in Hong Kong. Read the full Cape Collinson guide.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate (a lot of stairs)
View: Sea view (ocean, outlying islands, Dragon’s Back from Pottinger View Compass)
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Distance: About 5 km
Transport: Island Line to Chai Wan, Exit C, then minibus 47M to Siu Sai Wan Promenade. Or any bus to Island Resort.
Good to know: To reach the battery, you have to climb over a fence. There are planks on it that work like a small ladder. If you are not comfortable with that, or you are with small children, you can skip the battery and still enjoy the trail.
Clear Water Bay Country Park
Clear Water Bay Country Park covers 615 hectares and features some of the most versatile easy hikes in Hong Kong, which makes it a good choice if your group has different fitness levels. For a very easy option, walk the Clear Water Bay Tree Walk; it is about 1.2 km with 12 information stops and takes about 20 minutes. For something a bit more, take the Lung Ha Wan Country Trail up to Tai Leng Tung at 291 m, one of the best stargazing spots in the city. Read the full Clear Water Bay guide.
Difficulty: Easy (Tree Walk) to easy-moderate (Lung Ha Wan, steep stairs at the start)
View: Sea view + island view
Duration: 20 minutes for the Tree Walk, about 1 hour for Lung Ha Wan, 3 hours to explore properly
Distance: 1.2 km or 2.3 km
Transport: Bus 91 from Diamond Hill MTR, or minibus 103M from Tseung Kwan O MTR. Then a 20- to 30-minute walk to the park.
Good to know: The stairs at the beginning of Lung Ha Wan are steep, and there is no shade. There is also a kite-flying area and BBQ site, so it works well as a picnic day.
Shing Mun Reservoir
Shing Mun sits below Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s tallest mountain. The highlight is the Paperbark Tree Corridor, where the trees stand in the water. When I first saw it, I could not believe it was Hong Kong. This is the longest reservoir walk here, and it has more slopes and stairs than the others, so I call it easy to moderate. You can also just do the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail and turn back if you are tired. We took my parents, uncle, and aunt on this trail; we prepared trekking poles for them to support themselves when walking on the slopes. Read the full Shing Mun Reservoir guide.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
View: Nature view (reservoir, paperbark trees, and Tai Mo Shan, Tsuen Wan and Tsing Yi from the viewing point)
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes including breaks
Distance: About 9 km, 279 m elevation gain
Transport: Tsuen Wan MTR (Red Line), Exit B1. Cross the footbridge to Shiu Wo Street and take minibus 82 to Pineapple Dam.
Good to know: There are wild monkeys near the barbecue sites, and they are clever. Do not eat when they are around, do not feed them, and do not stare at them. You may also see cattle and traces of wild boar. Most of this trail is shaded, so it is one of the few you can still do in warmer months.
Tai Tam Reservoir
If you are searching for easy hikes in Hong Kong without mountain climbs, the walk from Quarry Bay to Tai Tam Reservoir is ideal. The path is flat concrete with shade from the trees. Along the way, you pass the Red House from the 1920s, old stoves built before the Japanese invasion, and finally the reservoir dam and the masonry bridge. Read the full Tai Tam Reservoir guide.
Difficulty: Easy
View: Nature view (trees most of the way, then open reservoir views at the end)
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Distance: 6 to 8 km
Transport: Island Line to Quarry Bay, Exit A. Turn right, walk about 10 minutes, and look for the “Mount Parker Road Green Trail” sign under the footbridge.
Good to know: In winter, you will see Hong Kong Gordonia flowers. You may also meet wild boars; stay calm and keep your distance. To go home, take a bus or taxi from outside the south park gate towards Sai Wan Ho or Stanley. There are only three toilets on the whole route.
Wanchai to Aberdeen Reservoir
This is one of the most convenient, easy hikes in Hong Kong. You start in the middle of Wan Chai and finish in Aberdeen, an old fishing area with sampans, a Tin Hau Temple, and a promenade. The trail is mostly shaded, and after rain, the waterfalls are lovely. Read the full Aberdeen hike guide.
Difficulty: Easy
View: Nature view (Upper and Lower Aberdeen Reservoir)
Duration: About 1.5 hours
Distance: About 5 km
Transport: MTR to Admiralty, then Bus 15 towards The Peak. Get off at Wan Chai Gap Road. (You can also catch Bus 15 at Exchange Square in Central.)
Good to know: Unless you want a warm-up, do not walk from Wan Chai MTR; it is a steep uphill. After rain, the path gets slippery from fallen leaves and loose rocks. There is no MTR in Aberdeen, so take a bus to Wong Chuk Hang station or straight to Central or Causeway Bay.
Ho Pui Reservoir
Ho Pui is the smallest reservoir managed by the Water Supplies Department, and the family walk is a flat, shaded loop around it.
The two highlights are the S-shaped dam and a small bamboo grove that reminded me of Arashiyama in Kyoto, but with far fewer people. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Shenzhen on the way up. Read the full Ho Pui Reservoir guide.
Difficulty: Easy
View: Nature view (reservoir, bamboo grove, mountain reflections)
Duration: 2.5 hours including breaks
Distance: About 5 km
Transport: MTR to Yuen Long, walk 10 minutes to Tai Hang Street, then minibus 71 to Ho Pui Tsuen terminus.
Good to know: Board the minibus at Tai Hang Street, not Kam Sheung Road — by the time it reaches Kam Sheung Road, there are usually only one or two seats left. Watch your step, as there are a lot of animal droppings on the trail. Honestly, if you are staying on Hong Kong Island and short on time, I would pick another trail. But if you are already exploring Yuen Long, it is worth adding.
Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve
Tai Po Kau is the one hike here with almost no wide views. You come for the quiet. It is a 460-hectare forest with over 100 tree species, 160 bird species, 102 butterfly species and 50 dragonfly species. The Japanese call this kind of walk shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. There are four colour-coded trails, so you can pick your length: Red 3 km (1 hour), Blue 4 km (1–2 hours), Brown 7 km (2.5 hours), Yellow 10 km (3.5 hours). There is also a 1 km Nature Trail if you are short on time. I did the Blue Trail, and it was perfect for beginners. Read the full Tai Po Kau guide.
Difficulty: Easy
View: Forest, no wide view (but you may spot Tsz Shan Monastery‘s Guan Yin statue on the way back)
Duration: 1 to 2 hours on the Blue Trail
Distance: 4 km on the Blue Trail
Transport: MTR to Tai Po Market, then minibus 28K, get off at Chung Tsai Yuen. Or buses 72, 72A, 73A, 74A.
Good to know: Because it is shaded, this is one of the few trails you can enjoy in summer. Phone signal is weak in the forest, so tell someone your plan. The last flight of stairs on the Blue Trail is the longest; take your time.
Which easy hike should you choose?
With so many easy hikes in Hong Kong to choose from, here is a quick guide to picking the right trail for your group:
- First time in Hong Kong and want the best view? → Cape D’Aguilar or Dragon’s Back
- Hiking with elderly parents? → Tai Po Kau (Red or Blue Trail) or Tai Tam Reservoir
- Only have half a day? → Brick Hill or Aberdeen Reservoir
- Want a hike plus food and a beach? → Lamma Island
- Want photos for Instagram? → Cape Collinson Battery, Shing Mun paperbark trees, or Cape D’Aguilar’s Crab Cave
- Hiking in hot weather? → Tai Po Kau or Shing Mun (both mostly shaded)
- Travelling with kids? → Lamma Island or the Clear Water Bay Tree Walk
- Want a picnic or BBQ day? → Clear Water Bay
Best time to hike in Hong Kong
The hiking season here is October to June. Summer in Hong Kong is very hot and very humid, and most trails have little or no shade. July to October is typhoon season, and hiking during or right after heavy rain is dangerous because of landslides and slippery paths.
If you must hike in summer, choose a shaded trail like Tai Po Kau or Shing Mun, and go early in the morning. Weekdays are always quieter than weekends. Dragon’s Back and Cape Collinson get very busy on Sundays and public holidays.
What to bring on an easy hike in Hong Kong
Even on an easy trail, pack these:
- Water – more than you think you need
- Sunscreen and a cap – many of these trails have no shade at all
- Proper shoes – trail runners or comfortable walking shoes are fine on paved trails, but avoid sandals
- Snacks – most trails have no shops
- Mosquito repellent – especially near reservoirs and forests
- A small daypack – 10L or 20L is enough
- An Octopus Card – you will need it for the MTR, buses, minibuses and ferries
- A trekking pole – optional, but helpful on stair-heavy trails like Brick Hill and Cape Collinson
Safety notes when hiking in Hong Kong
- Tell someone your route. Phone signal is weak in some country parks.
- Do not feed or touch wild monkeys. Do not eat your snacks when they are nearby.
- If you see a wild boar piglet, the mother is close. Keep your distance and walk away calmly.
- Stay hydrated during your hike, and plan your hike accordingly.
- Check the weather before you go. Skip the hike if there is a rainstorm or typhoon warning.
- Take your rubbish home with you and stay on the marked paths.
- Safety before photos. Always.
Ready for something harder?
Once these easy hikes feel comfortable, here is where to go next:
- Violet Hill and Twins Peak – one of Hong Kong’s most famous hard hikes, and yes, it is mostly stairs.
- High Junk Peak in Clear Water Bay – about 8 km and 4 hours, with a demanding final climb. It is known as one of Hong Kong’s four treacherous peaks. This one is still on my own list.
Final thoughts
Hong Kong is one of the few cities in the world where you can go from a crowded MTR carriage to a quiet ridge with a sea view in under an hour. You do not need to be fit, you do not need expensive gear, and you do not need a whole day. Start with one trail from this list of easy hikes in Hong Kong, pick the route that fits your group, and enjoy the views! Then come back and try another.
Planning a longer trip? Take a look at my 5-Day Hong Kong Itinerary to fill in the rest of your days, or my guide to the best free places to view the Hong Kong skyline.
Which one are you doing first? Let me know in the comments, and if you have an easy trail I have not covered yet, I would love to hear about it. Happy hiking!
