Kowloon Peak and Suicide Cliff: A Tough Hike with Epic Sunset City Views

• District: Kowloon
• Duration: Around 4 - 4.5 hours
• Distance: 8.5 km
• Highest Elevation: 602 meters
• Difficulty: 4/5
• Facilities: Dodgy portable toilets on Kowloon Peak. It's best to use the toilet beforehand and don't forget to bring plenty of water along with snacks.

Why Hike Kowloon Peak and Suicide Cliff

Kowloon and Hong Kong Island from Kowloon Peak

If you're on the hunt for some of Hong Kong's best city views, then hiking up Kowloon Peak and Suicide Cliff will be a worthwhile challenge!

The start of the hike is almost devoid of views, making it a bit of a struggle to reach the top of Kowloon Peak. But, once you crest the Kowloon Peak Viewpoint, the entire hike does a 180 and you'll be spoilt with stunning overhead cityscapes.

There's even a secret viewpoint that overlooks all of Sai Kung so that you can gauge just how built-up Kowloon and Hong Kong Island are compared to the greener pastures of the New Territories.

From Kowloon Peak, you'll undulate over a few small peaks before arriving at Suicide Cliff. This is one of the best places in Hong Kong to enjoy a brilliant sunset while overlooking the vibrant metropolis below.

IMPORTANT: There are a few ways to descend from Suicide Cliff. The safest way down is just before climbing to Kowloon Peak Television and Radio Transmission Station. You'll have to backtrack a bit from the Suicide Cliff viewpoint to take this route.

Kowloon Peak and Suicide Cliff Hike

The start point of the Hike is Choi Hung MTR Station Exit C2.

Quick Kowloon Peak and Suicide Cliff Hike Route Summary

1. Climb the slope of Choi Hung MTR Exit C2
2. Look for stairs on the right heading into Ngau Chi Wan Village
3. In the village, follow the 'Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground' sign to the left
4. Climb the stairs and turn left on Wing Ting Road
5. Take a right on On Ting Road and then go left on Ping Tin Road
6. Look for the silver sign pointing to some concrete stairs on the right
7. Climb the concrete stairs (there's a shrine on the right if you want to explore that) and keep climbing by following the brown railings
8. At the fork in the path, follow the green railing path with the silver sign that says 'To Jat's Incline, Fung Shing Street'
9. Follow the trail until you arrive at a green-roofed pavilion
10. Head behind the pavilion and follow the silver sign pointing to 'Jat's Incline'
11. After a 10-15 minute climb, you'll arrive at a concrete road (Jat's Incline)
12. Follow the road left for 30 minutes, after which you will see a maintenance slope
13. For a steep shortcut to Kowloon Peak Viewing Point, take the maintenance stairs and look for the natural path beyond to the top. Otherwise, follow Jat's Incline to Kowloon Peak Viewing Point.
14. From Kowloon Peak Viewing Point, look for the wooden arch with Chinese writing. Climb the stairs beyond it for a secret viewpoint of Sai Kung!
15. Head down the forested path near the Kowloon Peak Viewpoint explanation sign and pavilion (back the way you came if you took the shortcut)
16. Look for the path on your left where you can clearly see a hill with a rocky trail on it
17. Follow the path under a large tower and climb the hill
18. After the hill, stay on the path for another 30 - 45 mins until you arrive at the Kowloon Peak Television and Radio Tower (there are stairs here that you can backtrack to and climb down safely from)
19. Go past the tower and hike to the smaller building that you have to descend some concrete stairs to get to
20. Head left around the fence and continue onward to Suicide Cliff
21. Directly to the left of Suicide Cliff, you'll see a dirt path heading downward. Head down this path or go back to the television and radio tower and take the safe path down from there
22. After descending for a bit, you'll see the famous Suicide Cliff photo spot to the right (it's a shelf of rock that juts out from the side of the cliff)
23. Follow the path to the left from where you see the photo spot and continue descending
24. You will eventually see another point to turn on your left and you'll also see an open viewpoint below
25. If you check out the viewpoint DO NOT take the path beyond it. Climb back up and take the path left
26. Follow the left path downward for about 30 minutes before you'll see some ropes appear
27. Another 25-30 minutes of following the ropes downward and you'll make it to Fei Ngo Shan Road
28. Follow the road downward and head onto Clear Water Bay Road, where you'll see a bus stop with buses to Choi Hung and Diamond Hill MTR stations

From Choi Hung to the Trail

Head out of Choi Hung MTR Exit C2

Climb the C2 Exit slope

Take the stairs on the right into Ngau Chi Wan Village

Take the left path following the white sign pointing to Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground

Climb the green railing stairs to Wing Ting Road

Go left down Wing Ting Road

Turn right when you reach On Ting Road

Go left on Ping Ting Road and follow it for a few minutes

You've arrived at the trail when you see the silver sign and concrete stairs

Begin climbing the concrete stairs

The Steep Climb to Jat's Incline

To the right of the concrete stairs is a little shrine

Let's take a closer look

A beautiful statue among some ruins

Return to the stairs and follow the brown railings when you see them

Follow the brown railings into the trees

Look out for wild coffee!

Jat's Incline

Turn left and begin climbing up the concrete road (Jat's Incline)

An informational sign on Lion Rock details how Jat's Incline was built by the British Indian Army for defense purposes

Keep following Jat's Incline upwards

15ish mins later, you'll see views of Lion Rock and Beacon Hill

The History of Jat's Incline

Jat's Incline was built in 1907 by the 119th Infantry, later renamed the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Jat Regiment, and repaired in 1932 by the 3rd Battalion of the 9th Jat Regiment.

The word 'Jat' refers to a member of an Indo-Aryan people living mainly in northwestern India, Pakistan, and the Punjab region. This makes sense since the Jat Regiment was made up of ethnically Indian people fighting with the British.

The road connects Ngau Chi Wan Village with Tate's Cairn.

During World War 2, it was used to strengthen defenses throughout the Kowloon Ridge. It's crazy that Jat's Incline is still in use today and us hikers use it for our leisure!

Option 1: The Short, Steep Route to Kowloon Peak Viewpoint

For the shorter route, climb up the maintenance stairs

You'll know it's the correct set of stairs if you see a secret tunnel in the foliage as you start climbing

Look for the stairs on your right. Prepare for a steep climb

Follow the trail through the trees

At least the forested part of the climb is shaded

The trail eventually begins to open up, revealing wonderful city views

Option 2: The Slow, Winding Route to Kowloon Viewpoint

If you want a gentle climb up to Kowloon Peak Viewpoint, keep following Jat's Incline

I did the Jat's Incline route on a very cloudy day, so forgive the change in scenery

The road is pretty long, but easy to follow

I imagine the views would be awesome in a clear day, but on this occasion, I could barely see a thing

Follow Jat's Incline behind this pavilion and keep going upward

The visibility really started dipping after a while

It takes about 30 minutes to arrive at Kowloon Peak Viewpoint

What the view from Kowloon Peak Viewpoint should look like versus what I was able to see

Kowloon Peak Viewpoint

I spent ages admiring the scenery from Kowloon Peak Viewpoint (2020)

Don't Miss the Secret Sai Kung Viewpoint!

Look for this brown arch just behind the Kowloon Peak Viewpoint

If you're lucky, you may spot these fuzzy red flowers behind the arch

Kowloon Peak Viewpoint to Elephant Hill

Return back to Kowloon Peak Viewpoint and follow the dirt path downward from the pavilion (same way as the shortcut from earlier)

On your left, you'll see a path going to Elephant Hill. Follow it.

Follow the forested section beyond and look for ribbons along the way

Head past the danger sign

A couple of minutes later, you'll walk under this epic tower!

You'll have a bit of a climb after the tower

The Two Towers and the Safe Route Down

From Elephant Hill, follow the path to the next peak

You will briefly enter a forested section

And then climb up a path of overgrown grass that's head height

The first of the two towers looms in the distance

Time to head back down toward the next peak

This part can be a little overgrown

Especially as you climb up toward the first tower

Climb the stairs and you'll arrive at Kowloon Peak Television and radio transmission station. Take note of the path on the left that will get you down the mountain safely

Just before climbing the stairs to the Kowloon Peak Television and radio transmission station (after the overgrown grass section), there's a safer path that heads down. After getting to Suicide Cliff, you can return back to this path if you want to take the easiest route down.

You'll arrive at Fei Ngo Shan Road if you take this route. Once on the road, turn right and follow it all the way down to Clear Water Bay Road, where you'll find a bus stop.

From the bus stop, you can take the 1A green minibus to Choi Hung MTR Station.

You can also get bus 91 or bus 92 to Diamond Hill MTR Station (it also passes Choi Hung MTR Station)

The walk takes about 40 mins.

Getting to Suicide Cliff

Continue descending to the next building

View From Suicide Cliff

Sunset views from Suicide Cliff

IMPORTANT: How to Safely Descend From Suicide Cliff

Directly to the left of the edge of Suicide Cliff is a path heading down the mountain

The path down is clear, but it's also steep. Be careful.

If you don't fancy a steep and technical downhill section that can take well over an hour, head back from the edge of Suicide Cliff to the path near the Kowloon Peak Television and Radio Transmission Station.

This route down is still a bit technical, but it's nowhere near as bad as climbing down from the edge of Suicide Cliff.

Descending With the Help of Ropes

When you see ropes, keep following them all the way down

Even the rocky sections become much easier with the ropes to help stabilize you

Some sections are steep, so use the ropes as much as you can

Finally! Just over an hour after descending from the far edge of Suicide Cliff, the downhill section ends!

Getting Back

To get to the bus stop, head down Fei Ngo Shan Road

Fei Ngo Shan Road will soon intersect with Clear Water Bay Road. Cross to the left and follow Clear Water Bay Road downward

From the bus stop, you can take the 1A green minibus to Choi Hung MTR Station.

You can also get bus 91 or bus 92 to Diamond Hill MTR Station (it also passes Choi Hung MTR Station)

There are a few more buses that service this stop, but they're much less frequent.