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Pat Sin Leng Hike: Epic Ridge Trail in Hong Kong

Pat Sin Leng Hike: Epic Ridge Trail in Hong Kong

The Pat Sin Leng Ridge Trail is one of the most epic hikes in Hong Kong. The trail climbs hundreds of stairs before you traverse the safe but scenic ridge-line throughout the rest of the route. The hike often feels like Hawaii but is less than an hour away from Hong Kong city-center.

a woman standing on top of a mountain.

PAT SIN LENG HIKING GUIDE

In this blog post, I’ll share everything you need to know about the Pat Sin Leng hike including where it is, how to get there, and when it’s best to visit.

PAT SIN LENG RIDGE HIKE DETAILS

  • Hike Distance: The hike distance was 10.2km from start to finish and was a point-to-point hike rather than an out and back or loop trail.
  • Hike Duration: Total moving time was just under three hours but total expedition time was about five hours including viewpoint breaks and photo stops.
  • Hike Difficulty: The hike was relatively safe with no major exposure/drop-offs on the trail for the most part. It was very steep in parts of course but it was more a consistent climb up rocky steps. The major component of difficulty was the 856m of incline. At the final viewpoint, there is a safe way down or a shorter way down. If you take the shortcut it is quite unsafe with danger/road-closure signs. It’s not necessary but was a fun adventure to go this way.
  • Hike Incline: The total hike incline was 856-meters

HOW TO GET TO THE PAT SIN LENG HIKE

To reach the starting point of the Pat Sin Leng hike you will need to:

  • Take the train to the Fanling MTR Station
  • Catch the mini-bus 52B
  • Get off at Hok Tau Wai Pavilion 
  • Walk to the Hok Tau Campsite and begin the hike along the trail

The hike will finish at Plover Cove Country Park. Here you can catch the 72K to Tai Po MTR Station.

Below I have attached my GPX Map so you can see the exact route I took on the hike. If you would like to download the GPX map to your smart-watch or device you can Click Here to download.

You NEED the Octopus Card

TRAVEL TIP: In Hong Kong you NEED the Octopus Card to use public transport and ferries, which is how everyone gets around. Pre-Book your Octopus Card with a Pre-Loaded balance of 50HKD so you can pick it up at the airport (very easy) and then catch public transport straight to your hotel.

  • Conveniently ride the MTR, bus, ferry, coach, and tram with just a tap of your Hong Kong Tourist Octopus Card
  • Conveniently pick up your card with a preloaded credit of HKD50-100 at the Hong Kong International Airport

MY EXPERIENCE ON THE PAT SIN LENG RIDGE HIKE

After navigating our way to the Hok Tau Campsite, we set off on the Pat Sin Leng Ridge hike. The trail began by leading you along a paved road to the Hok Tau Reservoir, which was quite a scenic spot to take it all in before the hike really began.

You will continue to follow the paved road until you reach the Hok Tau Family Walk archway. At this point, follow the Hok Tau Family Walk for a few hundred meters before diverting off onto the Wilson’s Trail. There’s lots of signs pointing to Pat Sin Leng Ride so it is all very straightforward once you pass through the arch pictured below.

The hike now enters the stair assault section, as is common with many hikes in Hong Kong. The stairs were pretty brutal and the incline will test your fitness as you push your way towards the ridge.

After the main section of stairs, the trail turns to a flatter section of a white, dusty rock trail that contrasts perfectly against the dense green shrubs on either side. This is the section that links the stairs to the ridge and had great views of the mountain ranges to the left. I think this was almost my favorite part of the trail.

After about an hour, we reached the Pat Sin Leng Ride, which dramatically bends around the corner so you can see the entire undulating ridge-line as it arcs around the valley below. Although you are walking along the ridge, there was never a moment where we had to walk dangerously close to the edge or had drop-offs. The main path is far back from the edge despite some smaller paths leading you nearer to the cliff-edge for a better view.

The trail now undulates up several hills and viewpoints along the ridge until you reach the highest of them all along the Pat Sin Leng ridge, which is marked with the standard trigonometric marker pylon. The views by this point were cloudy for us, which is common but on a clear day expect magnificent views along the ridge. We enjoyed playing amongst the fog here that seemed to be climbing up the mountain and flowing into us.

After the main viewpoint, it would seem that most of the journey is downhill. However, the undulation of the ridge means there is still a lot of climbing left to do despite your overall net descent beginning. Each time we made it to the top of a set of stairs and reached the summit of a small hill, a new set of stairs would appear before us. This was a challenging part of the trail.

When we reached the end-point of the Pat Sin Leng Ride there was a great view out over Plover Cove and the Sai Kung region in the distance. The trail suggests going down the main trail which loops the long way around down to Tai Po. However, there is an old trail (locals were still using it) that says ‘Road Closed’. It was half the distance but much more difficult.

We decided to give the difficult way a shot. Despite our rock climbing photos below, it wasn’t too bad with just a few sections of bouldering required.

The gravel was slippery and tough to navigate but the path was clearly marked and there was no need for ropes or equipment. Only go this way if you feel comfortable. It probably doesn’t save much time because despite it being half the distance it is thick scrub so it is slow going.

5 BEST HIKES IN HONG KONG

I wrote a massive guide about the 21 Best Hikes in Hong Kong, but if you are only in Hong Kong for a week or less here are the five most epic routes.

a man standing on top of a large rock.

MY 4 FAVORITE HONG KONG TOURS

Click the orange button below to view all of the top-rated tours on Klook

Klook.com

TOP 3 PLACES TO STAY IN HONG KONG

  • Best Value Hotel: Metropark Hotel Causeway Bay4-star hotel for less than $100
  • Best Value Luxury Hotel: Hotel ICON$150 for a 5-star hotel with an epic pool
  • Best Hiking/Adventure Base: Hotel Stage –  Located in Kowloon and right next to lots of epic hikes.

Check out my full guide here: BEST AREAS TO STAY HONG KONG

a large swimming pool with lounge chairs and umbrellas.

HAVE YOU READ MY OTHER HONG KONG ARTICLES?

a person standing on top of a cliff overlooking a city.

HIKER

Sunday 20th of December 2020

The part of bouldering seems dangerous! We plan to bring along two kids that have experience as they have climbed High Junk Peak, one of the three sharp peaks of HK. Will it be safe for them to take the difficult route? FYI, they are 12 yrs old. Please reply ASAP

Stephen

Thursday 17th of September 2020

We did this hike a few weeks ago - thanks for the advice on the bouldering path, as the final path of Pat Sin Leng was closed off due to a landslide! We ended up having to climb back up - and go down the bouldering path, as it was getting late. We made it in the end - but it was tough enough, especially as we were not really prepared for it/used to it. But overall, a fabulous hike -and thanks for the GPS coordinates!

Jackson

Thursday 17th of September 2020

oh damn.. the bad path becomes the ONLY path. Always good to have multiple options! Glad you enjoyed and thanks for the feedback

jamie

Thursday 2nd of January 2020

Hiking is the best part of life. when I was going for hiking, I really enjoy it a lot, what a memorable day, I never forget.