Lion Rock mountain might not be as famous as Victoria’s Peak, but it is the spirit of Hong Kongese and the most distinctive mountain along the Kowloon mountain range. With a rocky outcrop that resembles the side profile of a resting lion, Lion Rock is one of the most accessible urban hikes in Hong Kong. It is popular for both day and night hike, and an easier trek than the famed Kowloon Peak with Suicide Cliff. Here is how to hike it:
Summary
Difficulty: 3/5 with options to skip the ascent to the lion rock itself and continue on
Time taken: 3-4 hours depending on where you end the trek
Pros: fairly close to public transport and easy to reach, great view of Kowloon Peninsula and Victoria Harbour
Cons: a lot of people are also on this trail
How to get there
The Lion Rock hike is one of the easiest hikes to get to via public transportation. Take the MTR to either Diamond Hill MTR Station or Won Tai Sin MTR station (Exit B3). From there you have 2 options to get to the start of the trail: walk an hour to the start of the trail OR take a 10-minute taxi for approx $22-30 HK.
It is a 1.6-mile walk from both MTR stations, and the taxi ride is about the same. We opted to take the taxi from Diamond Hill MTR as it was a hot day in Hong Kong and there are so many other things to do in Kowloon that we wanted to do that day.
We just told our taxi driver “Lion Rock Peak” and he brought us right to the start of the trail. The driver should drive up Sha Tin Pass Road and stop at the Lion Pavilion. We were nervous that we wouldn’t be able to find a taxi back to the MTR after we had completed the Lion Rock hike, thankfully we were wrong. We were able to catch a taxi within 5 minutes.
Once you reach the start of the trail the hike is 1.8km (1.1 miles) to Lion Rock from the east entrance trailhead (the Sha Tin Pass dot on the above map). The other half of the trail from The peak to the Lion Rock Park dot on the map above is just over 1km..
*Note both sides of the trail have similarly named parks “Lion Rock Country Park” on the east, and “Lion Rock Community Garden”.
You can hike to the peak from either direction, one side is slightly shorter and closer to the MTR. If you hike the full trail the hike is roughly 3km (1.9 miles). The hike will be considerably longer (3.2 miles longer) if you opt to walk to the start of the hike from the MTR station and not take a taxi.
How Long Does The Lion Rock Hike Take?
Most websites estimate the hike will take 5 hours round trip walking from the MTR station. It took us 2.5 hours and that included us going off the trail and flying our drone for 30 minutes and a decent amount of time at the top of Lion Rock taking pictures from the best view of Hong Kong.
The hike can easily be done from the start of the trail in under 2 hours if you are an athletic person but if you like to take it easy we’d estimate 3 hours. It’s worth making time in your Hong Kong itinerary for trust us.
Check out this hike Hiking suicide cliff
We saw people of all ages on the trail to Lion Rock, even some with canes and a few people carrying their dogs as well. It’s a pretty easy hike, the trail is very well marked and there are several areas to sit and rest for a while. We would suggest wearing tennis/hiking shoes as the trail isn’t all paved, over half of it is dirt/gravel.
Once you make it to the top of Lion Rock you’ll be rewarded with the best view of Hong Kong. You’ll feel like you are on top of the world up here
The Lion Rock Peak hike in is very popular with people from Hong Kong and can get very busy on the weekends. This hike is best done on a weekday if you want to have the more of the trail to yourself.
Also, make sure to check the weather in Hong Kong and tentatively plan a day to do the hike. The weather in Hong Kong can be unpredictable so be flexible with your Hong Kong plans.
Things To Know Before Hiking
Bring enough WATER there aren’t any vendors selling water along the hike. We each brought 1.5 liters of water and it was finished before we finished our hike. If you typically drink a lot of water when hiking then bring more, it’s better to have extra.
Watch out for MONKEYS. There are monkeys along the trail in the trees if you have never had an encounter with a monkey just realize there is no such thing as a nice monkey. Do NOT feed the monkey or try to touch the monkey in any way.
Wanderust Welshman 
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