An adventure on the edge of Ap Lei Chau

Ap Lei Chau, just south of Hong Kong island is the world’s second most densely populated island and ironically enough is where I found to be the most peaceful and relaxing in my stay thus far. There is a hike along the rocky shores that eventually leads up to the hill and gives you a panoramic view of Ap Lei Chau and Aberdeen with the mountains behind on one side, and Lamma Island on the other.

This hike is undeniably the most enjoyable one I have done thus far, mainly because of the sketchy ropes you pull yourself onto and cling on as you tiptoe across the very edge of the cliff, giving you all the thrills of Russian roulette- will this rope stay attached to the rock and pull my weight? So yes, it’s definitely not for the faint hearted. Nor is it for those with terrible balance because if you fall off this narrow slippery path, you’ll fall onto rocks in the sea below. I’d really only recommend this walk to people with lots of hiking and/or climbing experience.

The main reason I was doing this hike was because a couple friends and I were planning on rock climbing and wanted to check out the crag in the middle of the hike. We had gotten there quite late in the day so unfortunately weren’t able to climb much at all. However, I did manage to do my very first lead climb with the help of Rodrigo and Karen, two well seasoned climbers who were very patient in teaching me the correct techniques.

As we had only started the hike at about 3:30, we got to the crag at 4 and it felt like we had only just started climbing when it was sunset already. The last rays of light were faint as we packed up all the gear.

The walk in the dark however wasn’t as bad as we thought, just around the corner of the crag was  a view of Ocean Park on the other side of the sea. Sunlight was completely gone by the time we had started walking, but lights in the theme park had also been switched on and lit our way up the steep hill. As we went up the hill a nice breeze came to greet us as we pulled ourselves up with the ropes hanging all along the hill.

All was fine and dandy until Karen kept hearing screams in the distance. Earlier in the day while we were walking towards the crag, we came across a fresh carcass of an unfortunate boar who fell off the edge. It’s eyes and mouth still wide open from yowling in terror. It was staring straight at us as if it’s eyes were still following our every movement. It still gives me the chills as I write this as I was sure it was a demon that would come to drag us down the cliff after nightfall and make us join him in his misery.

Before our imaginations ran too wild, we realised the screams she heard were probably just from the theme park. Phew, thank goodness. Looks like no demon is after our souls after all.

There are lots of new hikes/ crags I’d like to check out in the future but I think Ap Lei Chau is definitely one that I will return to do again in the future. For anybody that is interested in doing this hike, I will give you a rough idea on how this walk works.

I walked over from the end of Lee Nam Road, but I think most hikers come from the direction of Lei Tung Bus station/ MTR. If you’re not a fan in clinging to ropes for dear life and question the safety of doing so, you can hike up the cliff from where the bus stop is get to the peak of the hill, admire the city below and hike back down the same way. Other than being quite steep, this is a very easy walk. It would probably be about 45 minutes return.

Directions from Lei Tung Bus Station to Ap Lei Chau Hike:

1. In front of the bus stop is a McDonald’s and you’ll see lots of bushes on the right of it. There are two little booths for bus staff and if you walk between the two you’ll see a set of three staircases leading up the hill.

Take the staircase on your far left.

Upon reaching the top of the staircase there is a fence. Turn left and keep following the fence uphill.

The entire walk along the fence will have quite an incline. There will however be a flat area after 5-10 minutes of walking and you will see a hint of a pathway to your left.

Follow this path until you reach the top. There will be a flat area with no bushes/trees to block your panoramic view of everything below.

From here, you can go back down the same way you came up, or you can continue down the path in which you’ll see many ropes on the hillside to help you get down. You can slowly walk down the hill without using the ropes but be warned it is quite steep.
To get down using the ropes, it would be best to grab onto the rope with both hands and slowly walk down backwards while keeping an eye on your feet for loose rocks.

At the bottom of the hill is tiny Ap Lei Pai island which is connected to Ap Lei Chau via a string of rocks forming a bridge. If the rocky bridge is not submerged underwater you can have a walk around this island.

Alternatively, continue walking to the right of the island, where you will have to continue the hike tiptoeing across various narrow ledges while hanging onto rope. This will take you to the end of Lee Nam Road.

Directions from end of Lee Nam Road:

1. To get to the start of this hike, it’s best catching the MTR to South Horizons and then walk down Lee Nam Road until you reach the end of it. It’s about a 15 minute walk and you will pass a driving school while you’re walking.

At the end of the road, there will be a 1.5 metre wall. Climb over the wall and onto the rocks along the sea. Keep walking along the rocks from there.

You will eventually come to some parts of this hike where there are ropes and a ladder to help you get up and around some parts of this hike. Someone has even very kindly decided to draw arrows onto the rocks to tell you what’s the best path along the rocks

If you want to go to the crag, there’s lots of good places you climb before you get to Ap Lei Pai – the mini island that sticks out from Ap Lei Chau.

When you get to the rocky bridge connecting to Ap Lei Pai, you can walk across and explore the island.

When you’re finished, directly in front of the rocky bridge, you can climb up the hill here and there will be some ropes to help you get up.

When you get to the peak, take a nice long rest and enjoy those panoramic views.

Walking down the hill towards the bus stop is a little steep, but use the tree trunks around you to help stabilise yourself.

 When you find yourself face-to-face with a fence, turn right and keep going down. Go down the stairs and at the bottom you’ll find yourself at Lei Tung bus stop.

**Note: And since this hike takes you pretty close to the sea, anyone that is thinking of doing it should probably check the tides before you go. Happy walking/climbing!

If you prefer to have a more peaceful hike somewhere less dangerous, you can take a look at my post here about other quiet spots to admire Hong Kong’s beauty.