I always like to point out that Hong Kong, despite being famous for its skyscrapers, is actually covered by a lot of mountains and nature parks. Besides that, Hong Kong is also a port city, surrounded by water and virtually next to the Pacific Ocean. A good place to do some easy hiking and see the sea is Devil’s Peak.

Devil’s Peak is located at a place called Lei Yue Mun (Carp Channel) near Yau Tong, on the eastern edge of Kowloon. Between Yau Tong and Hong Kong island, there is a narrow channel that leads to the sea. The two sides of the gap collectively are called Lei Yue Mun. In the old days, this was a strategic point that oversaw the eastern entrance to Victoria Harbour. As a result, the British built gun batteries on both sides of Lei Yue Mun to guard the harbour from enemy ships. There is also a small fishing village at the foot of Lei Yue Man. On the Hong Kong island side, the former gun batteries are now the Museum of Coastal Defence.

You can see the remnants of some of these batteries, but not cannons, on Devil’s Peak, which is only a little over 200m high, but has brilliant views of Junk Bay and the sea. You can also see LOHAS Park, a highrise neighborhood which lies inside Junk Bay, and on the opposite side, some of Victoria Harbour.

Despite its name, hiking Devil’s Peak isn’t very hard, but it does involve a long walk from Yau Tong subway station to the trailhead along a steep road (several Hong Kong hikes, like the Lion Rock hike, are the same – the walk to the trailhead from the subway is harder than the actual hike). Once you get onto the trail, it takes about 20 minutes or less to reach the summit of Devil’s Peak and gun batteries.

How to get there: Get off at Yau Tong station (Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O lines) and get out at either the A1 or A2 exits, then head east to Ko Chiu Road and follow it up the hill. Follow the sidewalk until you find a sign for the Wilson Trail. You’ll soon see a flight of stairs where the trail begins.

This staircase is the actual starting point of the trail. However, it takes about 20 minutes to get to this point from the subway station, which is tougher than the trailRemnant of the defensive gun batteries that used to guard Hong Kong’s eastern sea approach    
The sea
From the top, you can look across at Hong Kong island. This gap connects the sea to Victoria Harbour

More former gun emplacements

Hong Kong’s main bird of prey, the kite
Only in Hong Kong are dense apartments so fascinating to look at