Hong Kong Walking Tour: the Victoria Peak Circle Walk

Victoria Peak is 552 metres high and the highest point on Hong Kong Island, and almost nobody realises that you can walk around the top of it on the level. The Circle Walk is 3.5 kilometres long and rises and falls by about twelve metres in total, which is to say it is flat by any reasonable standard. It takes a comfortable hour, and for most of that hour the harbour, Kowloon and the islands are laid out in front of you.

The first half is Lugard Road, built in 1913 and 1914 and named after the fourteenth governor. For part of its length it is a plank road - a narrow shelf carried along the face of the cliff, with timber houses standing on their piles below the path. Twenty minutes along it the view opens at the Lugard Road viewpoint, which is where the photograph of Hong Kong is actually taken. The second half is Harlech Road, shaded and easy, and it brings you back to the Peak Tower in about fifteen minutes.

We go up by tram and come back by tram. The Peak Tram has been climbing from Central since 1888, is Asia's first funicular, and the ride is a kilometre and 27 metres of gradient that make the buildings alongside appear to lean. We plan the loop so that the harbour side falls at dusk, which is the reason to do this walk in the late afternoon rather than at noon.

• The Circle Walk: 3.5 km around the summit at 540-552 m, rising and falling about 12 m in total
• Lugard Road, built in 1913-14 and named for the fourteenth governor, part of it a cliff-cut plank road
• The Lugard Road viewpoint, twenty minutes in: the harbour, Kowloon and the outlying islands at once
• Two early houses on the way - No. 1 Lugard Road, graded II, and No. 27, graded I
• Harlech Road back to the Peak Tower, tree-shaded, with a waterfall below the Austin Hill playground
• The Peak Tram, climbing from Central since 1888 - Asia's first funicular, and the return is included
• Dinner at the Peak after the walk, with the lit harbour below

A private walk around the summit of Victoria Peak, which almost nobody realises you can do on the level. The circuit is 3.5 kilometres and rises and falls by about twelve metres in total, taking a comfortable hour with the harbour, Kowloon and the islands laid out in front of you. Your guide carries water; there is nowhere to buy anything on the route.

Is the Circle Walk really almost flat?

Yes: 3.5 kilometres with a total rise and fall of about twelve metres. It circles the summit between roughly 540 and 552 metres rather than climbing it, which is why it is walkable by anyone who can manage an hour on a good path. The climbing, if you want it, is done by the tram or the bus.

What is Lugard Road?

The first half of the circuit, built in 1913 and 1914 and named for the fourteenth governor. Part of it is a plank road carried along the cliff above the road below, which is the only section with any exposure. There is a handrail and the surface is good.

Is the walk suitable for anyone afraid of heights?

Mostly yes, with one caveat. The opening stretch of Lugard Road is narrow and runs along the cliff with a drop to the road beneath; there is a handrail, but it is not a place for a pushchair and not a place for someone with a strong fear of heights. The rest of the circuit has no exposure at all.

What happens if the weather is hazy?

We tell you honestly and offer to move the walk. The whole point of the route is the view, and cloud or haze decides how good that is. On a bad-visibility morning your guide will say so at the start rather than walking you round a grey circuit.

How do we get up to the Peak?

By the Peak Tram, which has been climbing out of Central since 1888, or by bus. The tram is the experience and the queue is the cost, so we time it to avoid the late-afternoon crush. Coming down by bus or by the same tram is decided on the day.

Is there anywhere to buy water on the route?

No, and that is worth planning for. There are no shops and no fountains anywhere on the circuit, so we carry water for the party. There are cafes at the terminus before you start and after you finish, but nothing in between.

How long should I allow?

Two hours door to door is comfortable: an hour on the path, plus the tram or bus. Add time if you want the Lugard Road viewpoint at length, which most people do. It comes about twenty minutes in and is the best single view on the island.

Can this be combined with the harbour?

Yes, and it is the classic pairing. The Peak in the morning and the Star Ferry or a harbour walk in the afternoon makes a complete first day. The ferry has crossed between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui since 1888 and takes about nine minutes.