THE HIGH JUNK PEAK HIKE IN SAI KUNG, HONG KONG

The High Junk Peak hike, also known as the Country Trail, is in the Sai Kung region of Hong Kong. Hundreds of steps lead you up and down the ominous, but relatively safe peaks, which overlook the stunning blue water of Clear Water Bay.

 

HIGH JUNK PEAK HIKE CIRCLE WALK GENERAL DETAILS

Hike Distance: The High Junk Peak Hike was 6.44km according to my watch but there are ways to make it shorter. I hiked from Ng Fai Tin to Tin Hau Temple, which is more or less the whole route. You can continue on another kilometer or so to Poi Toi O if the weather is nice but for me, it was quite gloomy so I finished at the bus stop.

Hike Duration: The 6.44km route took me just under two hours at a leisurely pace.

Hike Difficulty: The hike was on a dirt path and a combination of stone steps and natural steps. The difficulty was quite low but you will put in 465m of incline so that will put it in the difficult basket for some. If you have no problem with that level of incline, there wasn’t too much else to note other than one section directly after High Junk Peak where it was quite slippery on the gravel going down.

Hike Incline: The High Junk Peak Hike had 465m of incline when hiked form Ng Fai Tin as a start point. 

 

HOW TO GET TO HIGH JUNK PEAK HIKE

First and foremost you just need to know the starting point so you can plug it into your Google Maps and find out how to arrive. The exact starting point is Ng Fai Tin Bus Stop. I’ve embedded that pin on the map below. I’ll give you a few more details about how best to get there, although there are a few alternatives as I found out.

 

Steps for reaching Ng Fai Tin:

• You can take the MTR to Hang Hau Station
• Walk to the bus stop at King Lam Estate
• Catch the 103 or 103M green minibus
• Get off at the Ng Fai Tin Bus Stop (pictured below)

 

MY EXPERIENCE ON THE HIGH JUNK PEAK COUNTRY TRAIL

Based in Tsim Sha Tsui, I decided to get out of the city and made the journey down to Sai Kung. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t too sunny, which is ideal for this hike that looks down over Clearwater Bay. Nonetheless, the hike would be beautiful but keep in mind if it is a sunny day this will be a stunning trail compared to the gloomy shots I have presented here!

After a few transport mishaps, I made my way to the Ng Fai Tin bus stop and began the journey. The High Junk Peak hike starts off how it finishes, with lots of stairs. In total, the Country Trail has 465m of incline so you can expect to climb a lot of stairs throughout the trail. It’s fairly well signed the whole way but there are a lot of Y intersections and such, so use Maps.me to keep an eye on the trail. The signs on the hike often reference the correct trail as Tai Miu in the early parts, so I began to follow these, which led me along the right way.

 

After about 30-minutes, I peeked out through the trees for my first glimpse out over the ocean. We were already up quite high so the views of the islands and surrounding bays were great. You could tell the water was crystal clear, but without the sun it was all a little grey on this day.

 

By this stage, bamboo shoots are towering over you on either side, the trail is well defined but you do feel like you are being engulfed by the forest. It also does well to hide the view from you, making it even more magnificent when the bamboo subsides and you get to look back at where you have come from.

 

After about 45-minutes, I reached the plateau that faces directly towards High Junk Peak. It’s quite a striking peak that competes with very little in its surroundings for full attention. You first need to descend down before making the steep ascent up to the peak. 

 

When you reach the summit, there is a small post and a beautiful view on the far side of the viewpoint that looks out over Clearwater Bay. This would have to be the highlight of the Country Trail. In the distance, you can see Ninepin Island, which contrasts to the Tseung Kwan O industrial on the opposite side of the ridge. I really wished the sun had come out at this point but that’s how it goes. Dark and gloomy was all I would be gifted with on this day.

 

You are now at the halfway point of the trail, but it will only take 45-minutes to an hour for you to finish off the hike. The gravel section directly after the summit requires you to take some care but when approaching it slowly it isn’t too crazy. On a wet day, this could be a little tough to navigate. There were a few more ups and downs to come with plenty of stairs to finish this trail. The ocean was almost always in sight as I continued on along the closing parts of the High Junk Peak Country Trail.

 

After 6.44km, I reached the end of the trail and turned left once I reached the road, which means walking away from the country club entrance. Just a couple hundred meters walk from the trail exit is a small bus stop, which will take you back into Hang Hau or wherever your connection may be. 

I hope you enjoy the High Junk Peak Country trail and get some sunny weather to enjoy those beautiful blue-water bays below the ridge!

 

HIGH JUNK PEAK TRAIL MAP

 

TOP 4 PLACES TO STAY IN HONG KONG

Best Value Hotel: Metropark Hotel Causeway Bay – This 4-star hotel in Hong Kong Central is just $73 and looks like a luxury resort worth 4-times that amount.

Best Hostel: Alohas Hostel – For less than $12 USD, you have a great location in a clean and simple hostel.

Best Value Luxury Hotel: Hotel ICON – $140 for a 5-star hotel with an epic pool. Need I say more!

Best Hiking/Adventure Base: Hotel Stage –  In Kowloon and right next to lots of epic hikes, a gateway to the hikes in the New Territories. 4-star ultra-modern and a great adventure base.

Want a more detailed breakdown? I wrote the biggest ever guide for where to stay (and why) in Hong Kong! You can check it out here: WHERE TO STAY IN HONG KONG: BEST AREAS & HOTELS

 

BEST TIME TO HIKE IN HONG KONG

The ‘best’ time to visit Hong Kong will depend on a few factors. The biggest factor will, of course, be the weather. All of these hikes I did were in my month-long stay during December 2019. The weather was quite chilly as it was winter but the sun was still out on at least 60% of the hikes. In the day it was warm most of the time but I always had a jacket for at the summit. The suggest months for hiking in Hong Kong are:

Winter: December to February –  Mild weather and pretty comfortable for hiking. Minimal rainfall and still lots of sun during 2/3 of the days. I would suggest the winter after having experienced it myself.

Spring: March to May –  Unpredictable weather with some sun and some clouds, Humidity is now rising quite high. Rainfall can happen regularly during the spring.

Summer: June to August – This is not an ideal time to hike in Hong Kong. The humidity is at it’s highest, temperatures can reach 30 degrees daily and rainstorms can be frequent. There are beaches in Hong Kong, more than you would imagine but they aren’t all necessarily close to where you will be based in Hong Kong Central or Kowloon. 

Autumn/Fall: September to November – This is rated as the best time to visit Hong Kong. You have nice sunny weather but humidity is at it’s lowest for the year. Rainfall is also low during these months. 

 

PRE-BOOK YOUR 4G SIMCARD FOR HONG KONG (AIRPORT PICKUP) 

Before I arrived in Hong Kong, I pre-booked my 4G sim-card for pick-up at the airport. It gives you unlimited data for 5 days of traveling in Hong Kong at 4G speeds. As soon as I arrived at the airport, I walked to the stall, the guy put in my new sim-card and activated it and I was connected from the very first moment. You can Click Here to pre-book your 4G sim-card here and you’ll be surprised it’s actually cheaper to book it in advance.

Book yours now: Pre-Book 5-days Unlimited Data 4G Sim Card

 

PRE-BOOK YOUR 4G OCTOPUS CARD

You will need to purchase an ‘Octopus Card’ and then you reload it at the machine at the subway station. I pre-ordered my octopus card through Klook, which meant that when I arrived at the airport I simply picked the card up at the Klook counter and caught the train to my accommodation. It saved me from catching an expensive taxi and figuring out the Octopus card later.

You simply scan in at the station you enter and scan out where you exit and the fee is deducted from your card. On the bus, you will pay a fee depending on how much of the route is left and you only scan the card once for a fixed rate. I found moving around in Hong Kong very cheap, efficient and safe.

Click Here to pre-order your Octopus Card with 100 HKD credit loaded onto the card. Pick-up at the airport desk. 100HKD is good for 6-8 train rides and then you can top it up as you go.

Book yours now: HKD 50 Pre-loaded Octopus Card

 

CHEAPEST AIRPORT PRIVATE TRANSFER SERVICE

The airport in Hong Kong is on Lantau Island, which is about 40-minutes away from Hong Kong Central and 30-minutes away from Kowloon. If you don’t want to bother with public transport, you can book a private transfer that will pick you up at the airport and drop you to your hotel (or vice versa picking you up at your hotel and dropping you to the airport). It’s actually not that expensive and can save you valuable time. The cheapest option is actually the coolest and is in a Tesla car, which is pretty cool. I did this to and from the airport for less than $40.

Book yours now: Hong Kong Airport Transfer in Tesla

 

KEEP READING! CHECK OUT ALL THE BLOGS FROM MY HONG KONG SERIES

A complete guide to the best things to do: 27 AWESOME THINGS TO DO IN HONG KONG

My favorite hikes in Hong Kong: 21 AWESOME HIKES IN HONG KONG

How to plan your Hong Kong trip: 3-DAY HONG KONG ITINERARY FOR ADVENTURE-LOVERS

The biggest ever guide for where to stay in Hong Kong: WHERE TO STAY IN HONG KONG: BEST AREAS & HOTELS

My favorite EASY hikes: 10 EASY HIKING TRAILS IN HONG KONG

The most luxurious places to stay: THE TOP 10 LUXURY HOTELS IN HONG KONG (5-STAR LIST)

The ultimate adventure: EPIC HONG KONG HELICOPTER TOUR FROM THE PENINSULA HOTEL

The toughest overall hike: WEST DOG’S TEETH HIKE ‘HARDEST HIKE IN HONG KONG’

Best waterfall hike: TAI MO SHAN HIKE: THE HIGHEST PEAK IN HONG KONG