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Dragon's Back

Dragon's Back

Dragon's Back
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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See what travelers are saying
  • Snoop1968
    Hobart, Australia35 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful outlooks
    We walked the complete trail and ended up at big wave bay , about 7km all up. Had a very freshly made hamburger & drink at Eric’s kitchen sitting on the beach then hopped on a No. 9 bus back into town. Tips. If possible walk during the week , take water and non slip shoes, first section is steep then follows the ridge line along and you come into the back of big wave bay, follow the signage. It was quite peaceful and would do it again.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 21, 2023
  • Shalli Ang
    Singapore, Singapore763 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice Getaway from the Crowd.
    We decided to do a simple hike to be away from the crowd from central Hong Kong. Took MTR to Shau Kei Wan MTR station and board the mini bus 9 from the small bus interchange outside the MTR station. The bus accept payment of HKD 11 by Octopus card and a short 30mins ride will bring u to To Tei Wan bus stop where most of the hikers will alight. There is a toilet near this stop before u go uphill on the start of the hike. We spend 3hrs on the hike and exit at Big Wave Bay and took the mini bus 9 back to Shau Kei Wan MTR station. The bus stop were inside a car park and the same bus that comes from Shau Kei Wan MTR station will drive back to the starting same station.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written December 25, 2023
  • ciaranomeara
    Glasgow, United Kingdom90 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great views. Ridiculously easy hike.
    The trail was busy because of New Year. That said, we had hyped ourself up for a big hike and tired legs at the end of the day. I'm not a big hillwalker even for a Scottish person, but we both found this incredibly easy. I don't understand how some websites list this as moderate to severe. There was about 30 minutes of elevation, then light elevation the rest of the way. The worst you will get is a bit thirsty halfway up. The views are spectacular and worth the daytrip.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 24, 2024
  • Suzanne B
    Newmarket, Canada12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Hot walk on Dragon’s Back
    Fun walk in very hot conditions so took lots of water. Lots of stairs, was sunny so helped to have large brim hat. Took bus from start/end to lower town for some Thai food. Used Uber to get four of us from Central district but took public bus and green line hop-on-hop off bus to return home for more sightseeing after.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 31, 2024
  • StepheyTSC
    Singapore, Singapore519 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good trail to attempt if you have time to spare
    Incline for first hr can be challenging with rocky terrain and really requires good shoes and fitness levels. Even the locals I saw were carrying hiking poles to help them. Definitely bring lots of water and some snacks to go the distance. It was a Friday after Tom Sweeping public holiday and it was really crowded so do check before you head out. Good views and great winds but can be hot and sunny on the top, exposed areas.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written April 7, 2024
  • Gwynnie
    Meerhout, Belgium37 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Really nice walk
    Was a lovely hike with some really amazing views. 3h and finishing at Big Wave Beach which is well equipped for a nice swim: Changing rooms and showers all there. Toilets available at start, middle and finish of walk. At Big Wave beach take the bus to Shek O. Is 1 stop and terminus. Either get out for a walk in Shek O or hop on again to go back to MTR
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 27, 2024
  • WolffieNZ
    Morrinsville, New Zealand90 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Way too hot, but a beautiful day trip
    I had planned to start the walk by 8:30am, but by the time I walked to MTR (with a sneaky iced coffee, dim sum from street vendor, plus the purchase of a couple of bananas), then travelled the chai wan line, got the 9 bus from shau kei wan, it was easily 90 mins from leaving my hotel. As others have suggested, tell your bus driver you want to stop at dragons back. So at 11am, in the peak of HK summer, up the hill I went. To be honest, it’s not that hard. Not a totally smooth track, but I didn’t miss my walking pole at all. Well signposted - and local cell service throughout. The saddle was HOT and very little shelter from the sun. Beautiful views though. The swimming beaches below look absolutely stunning. After the saddle, there are a few path choices to make. I kept to the right, intending to make it to Big wave bay. Once you have done the initial climb, it’s pretty flat. By chance, I met a couple of locals who adopted me and wouldn’t let me go down the signposted big wave bay track which looked pretty rough. Instead they walked me about a kilometre beside the water drain, and I ended up at the top of the most wonderful steps. Apparently there are 1200 of them…. A thunderstorm hit, I hung out in the shelter at the very top of the steps (with the workers who were updating the hand rails for the steps). The sounds of thunder throughout the hills and bays were quite something to hear. Anyway, got to big wave bay and it was absolutely stunning. Very good facilities- plenty of bathrooms and fresh water showers. Lots of small shops, I plopped myself at Eric’s cafe and had good quality food and drink. Finally, a wee walk up through the village and a 20min wait, a minibus took me back to MTR for 11HKD. Fantastic midweek summer activity. I got a little sunburned- I recommend covering shoulders and neck when the sun is out.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written July 4, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

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Battery
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
Dragons Back is a must do hike in Hong Kong. The view is breathtaking. To get here, you take the Chai Wan Line To the starting point:
From MTR Shau Kei Wan Station Exit A, walk to the Shau Kei Wan Bus Terminus to take bus number 9 and get off on the Dragons Back stop on Shek O Road. Before you start the hike there are a couple of toilets and you wont find any along the way until the end. It takes a couple of hours and you have shorter hike options too
Written June 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brad
Hong Kong, China178,290 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
The Dragon's Back Trail is one of the most popular urban hikes in all of Hong Kong. Located in the Shek O Country Park, this is an easy, well-surfaced and maintained trail with a few moderately difficult ascends. As such, you will find hikers and walkers of all fitness levels doing this hike, including families with little ones.

Most begin at the southern end of the trail near Tei Wan Village and make the roughly 8km hike north to Big Wave Bay. Bus route 9 from Shau Kei Wan (MTR Exit A) to Shek O has a drop off at To Tei Wan at the Dragon's Back trailhead. At Big Wave Bay, you can take red minibus to 'Shau Kei Wan' or call in a taxi when ready to head back to the city.

The Dragon's Back Trail is particularly impressive in the southern section where it winds a ridge and provides rewarding views the Shek O Peninsula and sea to the east. To the west, you will be able to see much of the southern side of Hong Kong Island. When sky conditions are favourable, the views are outstanding.

The northern half of the trail is very flat and easy for walking, it winds through forested and some exposed parts. There are a few places with tables to rest and public toilets. You'll also find a couple of places to link up with other trails such as the Pottinger Road and Gap north of the final descend into Big Wave Bay.

Overall, Dragon's Back is a good trail. It is accessible, easy to hike, views can be outstanding on clear days. Unfortunately, this means heavy foot traffic as well, particularly on weekends and public holidays. Keep that in mind if planning on including this hike during your time in Hong Kong.
Written January 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Shalli Ang
Singapore, Singapore763 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
We decided to do a simple hike to be away from the crowd from central Hong Kong.

Took MTR to Shau Kei Wan MTR station and board the mini bus 9 from the small bus interchange outside the MTR station. The bus accept payment of HKD 11 by Octopus card and a short 30mins ride will bring u to To Tei Wan bus stop where most of the hikers will alight. There is a toilet near this stop before u go uphill on the start of the hike.

We spend 3hrs on the hike and exit at Big Wave Bay and took the mini bus 9 back to Shau Kei Wan MTR station. The bus stop were inside a car park and the same bus that comes from Shau Kei Wan MTR station will drive back to the starting same station.
Written December 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

WolffieNZ
Morrinsville, New Zealand90 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Solo
I had planned to start the walk by 8:30am, but by the time I walked to MTR (with a sneaky iced coffee, dim sum from street vendor, plus the purchase of a couple of bananas), then travelled the chai wan line, got the 9 bus from shau kei wan, it was easily 90 mins from leaving my hotel. As others have suggested, tell your bus driver you want to stop at dragons back.
So at 11am, in the peak of HK summer, up the hill I went.

To be honest, it’s not that hard. Not a totally smooth track, but I didn’t miss my walking pole at all. Well signposted - and local cell service throughout.

The saddle was HOT and very little shelter from the sun. Beautiful views though. The swimming beaches below look absolutely stunning.

After the saddle, there are a few path choices to make. I kept to the right, intending to make it to Big wave bay. Once you have done the initial climb, it’s pretty flat.

By chance, I met a couple of locals who adopted me and wouldn’t let me go down the signposted big wave bay track which looked pretty rough. Instead they walked me about a kilometre beside the water drain, and I ended up at the top of the most wonderful steps. Apparently there are 1200 of them…. A thunderstorm hit, I hung out in the shelter at the very top of the steps (with the workers who were updating the hand rails for the steps). The sounds of thunder throughout the hills and bays were quite something to hear.

Anyway, got to big wave bay and it was absolutely stunning. Very good facilities- plenty of bathrooms and fresh water showers. Lots of small shops, I plopped myself at Eric’s cafe and had good quality food and drink. Finally, a wee walk up through the village and a 20min wait, a minibus took me back to MTR for 11HKD.

Fantastic midweek summer activity. I got a little sunburned- I recommend covering shoulders and neck when the sun is out.
Written July 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JustAce73
Adelaide, Australia4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Fun hike with plenty of great views. We travelled there and back easily on public transport.
Accidentally cut back through the cemetery but was an interesting detour and we were able to then eat lunch at a nearby restaurant before catching the bus back.
Written February 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alyssa M
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2019
Hike was challenging but doable for beginners. Great views! Got a little confused on our way back from the beach, but for the most part it was straight forward.

If you work up an appetite, take the bus and stop by Sun Kwai Heung BBQ food on your way back to the city, it's on the way, and absolutely amazing.
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Truthful Reviews
London, UK7,792 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2020 • Solo
This hike/trail is nice but it’s seriously over rated. Get the number 9 bus from Shau Kei Wan to Tei Wan. Then the trail starts. Steps, rocks, very dangerous at points. Good views from the top but that’s it. Wear the right footwear. This hike would be extremely dangerous when it’s raining and the rocks were wet when I went and I almost slipped and broke my ankle on quite a few occasions. You can go to Big Wave Bay if you are brave enough to do some rock climbing downwards. Be careful and enjoy.
Written April 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

StepheyTSC
Singapore, Singapore519 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Solo
Incline for first hr can be challenging with rocky terrain and really requires good shoes and fitness levels. Even the locals I saw were carrying hiking poles to help them. Definitely bring lots of water and some snacks to go the distance. It was a Friday after Tom Sweeping public holiday and it was really crowded so do check before you head out. Good views and great winds but can be hot and sunny on the top, exposed areas.
Written April 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LadureeFan
Richmond, VA1,345 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
Great trail for a beautiful day with nice views of Hong Kong. It was hazy when we went but still nice. Wear sunscreen or a hat. Not much shade. Lots of beautiful butterflies along the trail. 8k took us 2 hours 45 minutes walking at a leisurely pace. If you take the bus, it drops you off at the start of the trail. We ended up at a beach but found a bus back from there without any problem. On the beach, selling popsicles, icecream, food and drink.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Melissa
Taipei, Taiwan11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
The whole trail takes about 2-3 hrs. My friend was able to finish it with flip flop but i would not recommend that. As it can get quite steep. The view was astonishing.
Get busy over weekend, so go on a weekday if you can. The trail ends at the beach, with some good local food options.
Wear sun protection, as most of the trail has no shade.
Written January 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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DRAGON'S BACK (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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