Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 6, 2026

Dragon's Back

The Dragon's Back is a mountain ridge in southeastern Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong that passes through Shek O Peak. It lies within the Shek O Country Park. In 2019, the Dragon's Back Trail was selected by CNN as one of the world's 23 best trails. Dragon's Back is part of Stage 8 of the Hong Kong Trail.

Last revised
Aug 6, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
537 w
Citations
5
Source
Starting point of the Dragon's Back trail along Shek O Road in 2015. source ↗
Dragon's Back
Traditional Chinese龍脊
Simplified Chinese龙脊
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLóng Jǐ
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpinglung4 zek3
Dragon's Back towards the north. source ↗
Dragon's Back hiking trail sign. source ↗
One of Shek O Country Park's entrance point, located near the Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution. source ↗

The Dragon's Back (Chinese: 龍脊) is a mountain ridge in southeastern Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong that passes through Shek O Peak. It lies within the Shek O Country Park. In 2019, the Dragon's Back Trail was selected by CNN as one of the world's 23 best trails.1 Dragon's Back is part of Stage 8 of the Hong Kong Trail.2

Hiking information

Destinations in the vicinity

Highlights

  • Paragliders hanging in the air and eventually drifting down to a beach at Shek O.
  • People flying radio-controlled gliders.3

Overview

Area: Southern District
Starting point: Shek O Road near To Tei Wan Village
End point: Big Wave Bay or back at the start point of To Tei Wan
Average hiking time: 4 hours
Distance: About 8.5 km
Refuel: There are no refueling stops along the trail.
Difficulty: Moderate

Most of the route is on dirt paths. The first half has very little shade, and there is also a steep 200-metre-long uphill stretch. The flight of descending stone steps in the last section is quite steep too.4

A waypoint located along the Dragon's Back trail, with a view of the Shek O behind. source ↗
A partial sight of the Dragon's Back trail. source ↗

Information and hiking etiquette in Hong Kong

  • Hong Kong's Country Parks have no trash bins, so hikers are asked to hang on to their litter until they exit the Country Parks5
  • Hikers in Hong Kong tend to keep to the right side when walking on trails.
  • Try to limit boombox music volume to a minimum in Country Parks to let everyone enjoy the sounds of nature.
  • Big Wave Bay Beach (the End point) and nearby Shek O Beach are two different beaches. There is a short bus service that links the two beaches.
  • Some parts of this trail are rocky, so travellers should use proper footwear. Slippers and sandals are not advisable.
  • At Pottinger Gapyue, hikers can extend the hike by walking along the easy Pottinger Peak Country Trail eastward for about 20 minutes and then make a 90-degree right turn onto a newly made path that descends southward for another 20 minutes to the Big Wave Bay Prehistoric Rock Carvingsde, yue.
See also

See also

References

References

  1. Minihane, Joe (2019-03-29). "23 of the world's greatest hiking trails". CNN Travel. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  2. "Shek O". www.afcd.gov.hk. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  3. "Travel Guide | Shek O and Dragon's Back - Hiking". Urban-Outdoors. 2010-10-10. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  4. "Dragon's Back: one of Hong Kong's most popular hikes | Hong Kong Tourism Board". Discover Hong Kong. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  5. "Bins on Hong Kong's hiking trails gone for good". South China Morning Post. 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
External links

22°14′09″N 114°14′37″E / 22.2357°N 114.2437°E / 22.2357; 114.2437