Tsing Yi Nature Trails is a network of hiking paths that crisscrosses through the hills on the northwest side of Tsing Yi Island in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It has over 6.4km of hiking trail including Ching Hom Path, Ching Wan Path and Kwai Tsing Celebration of Reunification Health Trail.
Even though it is not a simple point-to-point path, the hiking paths are easy to hike and easy to navigate which is perfect for beginners.
In this post, I’ll show you how you can get to this urban city hike and see all the best attractions along the Tsing Yi hike.
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What you need to know before hiking Tsing Yi Nature Trails
Before you start the Tsing Yi hike, take a look at my Hong Kong solo travel guide and get an overview of HK first.
Here are a few additional tips for hiking on the Tsing Yi hiking trail:
- The best time for the hiking Tsing Yi Nature Trail is late autumn, winter and early spring. It is possible to hike during summer as part of the trail is shaded but it can still be very hot.
- Bring enough water for two hours of hiking.
- Get an Octopus Card, a rechargeable smart card for taking public transportation and use it for taking the bus to the start of the Tsing Yi trail and taking the minibus back to the MTR station.
- Download “Hiking Trail HK” app on your smartphone to see the detailed trails of Tsing Yi trail hike. The app is easy to use and has better trail details than Google Maps.
- Hike both Tsing Yi Sam Chi Heung and Tsing Yi Nature Trail the same day. Both hikes will take about 5 hours to complete.
How to hike Tsing Yi Nature Trails: from North Entrance
From the north entrance, follow the paved path and stairs towards Liu To Shan, the first peak on the hiking trail. See many panoramic views of Kowloon and several pavilions before reaching the second peak. Then descend the northern hills of Tsing Yi towards Tsing Yi West Road.
Click on “more options” on the top left corner of Google Maps and the map will open in your browser or in the app on your smartphone. And I included the elevation profile for this hike too.
- Difficulty: beginner/easy (paved path and stairs)
- Duration: 1.5 hour
- Distance: 4km
- What to bring: light hiking shoes, sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen), water, snacks, smartphone (for taking photos and navigation)
Tsing Yi Nature Trails: how to get there
From anywhere in Hong Kong, take the MTR to Tsing Yi Station. Then take Exit A1 and walk towards Maritime Square 2. Tsing Yi Station Bus Terminus can be accessed through the shopping mall.
Look for the bus stop for Bus 248M and take it to Cheung Wang Estate. The bus ride takes 15 minutes (every 7-9 minutes) and costs $4.80HKD (use Octopus card).
Walk up Liu To Road and the north entrance of Tsing Yi Nature Trails is on the right side.
Tsing Yi Nature Trail: Itinerary
See Ting Kau Bridge and Tai Lam Country Park
The Tsing Yi Nature Trail hike starts with a long flight of stairs. At the top, continue on the path.
Pay attention to the right side – this is where you can see views north of Tsing Yi, which includes Ting Kau Bridge, which is the main bridge/road that can take you to New Territories.
And you can also get a good view of the buildings along Tuen Mun Road and the mountain range in Tai Lam Country Park.
Walk past Pavilion 4, continue on Ching Hom Path
And in no time, you’ll reach the first resting pavilion. The Hiking Trail HK app named it Pavilion 4.
Since Tsing Yi Nature Trails is a network of hiking trails, many trails crisscross one another, and each path has its own name. From this point forward, the path is called the Ching Hom Path.
And a note about the Hiking Trail HK app – there are more details on the hiking app than on Google Maps. But you can still hike the entire trail without the hiking app by following my itinerary and seeing your GPS location in Google Maps. But if you are interested in all the details, download the app before hiking.
See views from Pavilion 5: Tsing Yi and Tsing Yi Peak
At Pavilion 5, you can get a fantastic view of the residential buildings of the town of Tsing Yi. And you will also see the three mountain peaks of Tsing Yi Peak, also known as Tsing Yi Sam Chi Heung. It is possible to hike these three peaks on the same day – more on that later.
Reach the highest peak in Shek Wan: Liu To Shan
Not far from Pavilion 5 is the first peak along the Tsing Yi Nature Trail, called Liu To Shan.
At 218m, a triangulation post marks the highest peak in Shek Wan (area).
Close to the trigonometric station, the views on the west side of Tsing Yi Island open up. And this is where you can get a better view of the Tsing Ma Bridge, a small island called Ma Wan, and you might be able to see parts of Hong Kong Disneyland.
You can enjoy a snack on the picnic bench on the opposite side. And here, you can see the east side of Tsing Yi Island. See all the tall buildings? That is part of the town of Tsing Yi.
Descend the first peak via Ching Hom Path
From Liu To Shan, turn left and descend the mountain by following the Ching Hom Path.
Along the way, take in the views on the left. You can see the lush greenery in the foreground and Tsing Yi Town in the background.
Cross over to Ching Wan Path and continue to Kwai Tsing Celebration of Reunification Health Trail
At the base of the hill, cross over to Ching Wan Path by taking the left route.
Walk up the stairs and follow the paved path. The path becomes the Kwai Tsing Celebration of Reunification Health Trail. And soon enough, you’ll reach Pavilion 2.
To continue forward, look for the path behind Pavilion 2.
But before moving on, take a look at the views along the way. To the west, you can see the oil drums along the island’s southwestern coast, which is part of Tsing Yi West. And to the east, you can see more buildings of Tsing Yi Town and Tai Mo Shan, the highest peak in HK.
Take the path on the right to Pavilion 1
Continue on the path until you reach a junction. To continue Tsing Yi Nature Trail, turn left. But first, turn right and walk towards and pass the Pavilion 1.
The slight detour to the area beyond Pavilion 1 is worth the extra few minutes. Beyond the pavilion, you can see a better view of Tsing Ma Bridge and Lantau Island. This is the western point of the trail, so the scenery here is quite spectacular.
On the way back, you can still see the town of Tsing Yi and the north peak of Tsing Yi Sam Chi Heung.
Continue on the main hiking trail and see views of Tsing Yi West
Remember the junction earlier when you turn right to Pavilion 1? Return to the same spot and turn left to continue hiking the Kwai Tsing Celebration of Reunification Health Trail.
The view on the right (which is west) opens up, and this is where you can take a better look at the oil depot and dockyards of Tsing Yi West. Many petroleum oil companies moved to this area after WWII and have been here since.
Reach the highest peak on Tsing Yi Nature Trail: Kam Chuk Kok
Continue on the trail, and you’ll reach the next triangulation station at Kam Chuk Kok (area). At 214m, it is the second-highest peak along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails.
Take a look at the view to the east – you’ll see many more buildings in Tsing Yi Town. And beyond the island, you can see parts of Kowloon and Tai Mo Shan. Take it all in because this is the last opportunity to see this view on this trail.
Hike down Kwai Tsing Celebration of Reunification Health Trail
Continue on the Kwai Tsing Celebration of Reunification Health Trail and hike down a series of stairways.
Here you can see the three peaks of Tsing Yi Sam Chi Heung again. “Sam Chi Heung” means three joss sticks in Cantonese, which are associated with the three peaks’ mountain profile. And at this spot, you can clearly see the three mountain range peaks.
Arrive at the south entrance on Tsing Yi Road West
Tsing Yi Nature Trail ends on Tsing Yi Road West at the south entrance. There is an archway indicating the entry point to the trail.
This is end of the hike. You can walk north on Tsing Yi Road West and take one of the buses (279X and 86E) back to Tsing Yi MTR Station. The bus ride takes 6 minutes (every 10-30 minutes) and costs $5.10HKD (use Octopus card).
Or you can start the Tsing Yi Sam Chi Heung hike. The trail entrance is across the road on Tsing Yi Road West.
I highly suggest doing both hikes on the same day. Both hikes will take a total of 5 hours.
Hiking Tsing Yi Nature Trail in reverse: from South Entrance
It is certainly possible to hike the entire trail in the opposite direction. When I did the hike, I saw several hikers going the opposite way.
In reverse, the trail starts at the Tsing Yi Nature Trails south entrance which has a proper sign. Take the Bus 68E or 279X and alight at the bus stop north of the south entrance. Then follow this hiking itinerary in reverse.
But only hike Tsing Yi trail in reverse if you are not hiking the Tsing Yi Peak trail. Otherwise it is a long way back to the trailhead for Tsing Yi Peak trail.
Are you ready to hike the Tsing Yi hiking trail?
I hope so! Even though the Tsing Yi Nature Trails is a network of trails that crisscrosses each other, the trails are easy to navigate so chances of getting lost is very slim.
And I highly recommend hiking both Tsing Yi Nature Trails and Tsing Yi Peak together. Start easy with Tsing Yi Nature Trail, then hike up to the three peaks of Tsing Yi Sam Chi Heung.
If you want to stay at the easy level for hiking Tsing Yi Sam Chi Heung, hike up to the third peak and backtrack to Tsing Yi Road West so you can avoid the steep rocky descend.
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* Book your flight: find flight deals on Skyscanner
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* Join tours: check Klook or Get Your Guide for the best tours in Hong Kong.
Thank you for reading my Tsing Yi Nature Trails hiking itinerary
I have many posts on Hong Kong and you might also like these other posts on hiking in HK:
Hong Kong Island Hikes
- Victoria Peak Hike: See Hong Kong’s beautiful skyline
- High West Hike: 3 ways to hike up High West Peak
- Dragon’s Back Hike: the most popular day hike in HK
- Violet Hill and the Twins: hike over two mountains with over 1,000+ steps
- Rhino Rock Hike: see a rocky rhinoceros head in Stanley
- Red Incense Burner Summit on Braemar Hill: best spot for sunset and night views
- Mount Nicholson Hike: see hidden rock statues in the middle of HK Island
- Cape Collinson hike: visit an old battery used during WWII on Hong Kong Island
- Mount Davis Hike: see an old military site on HK Island
Island District Hikes
- Lamma Island: hike from Sok Kwu Wan to Yung Shue Wan
- Cheung Chau Island: 1-day itinerary around Cheung Chau
- Peng Chau: 1-day itinerary
- Tung O Ancient Trail: hike the coastal trail in Lantau North Country Park
- Lo Yan Shan Hike: hike Chi Ma Wan Country Trail in southern Lantau Island
- Fan Lau Hike: explore the southwest tip of Lantau Island
- Po Toi Island: see Hong Kong’s South Pole
New Territories Hikes
- Pineapple Mountain: the Great Canyon of Hong Kong
- High Junk Peak: one of the three sharpest peaks in HK
- Ma On Shan Hike: hike across the horse-saddle mountain to Sai Kung
- Pat Sin Leng Hike: hike over 8 peaks named after Chinese Mythological immortals
- Po Pin Chau: hike around hexagonal rock columns in Sai Kung
- Plover Cove Reservoir Country Trail: hike around HK’s largest reservoir
- Kowloon Peak and Suicide Cliff: See HK’s most dramatic cliff
- Trio Beach Hike: see a secret beach and rocky headland in Sai Kung
- Tsing Yi Peak: hike the three peaks on Tsing Yi Island
- Ma Shi Chau Nature Trail: see 280 million-year-old rocks in Tai Po
- Tai Tan Country Trail: hike an easy coastal trail in Sai Kung
- Robin’s Nest Hike and Lin Ma Hang Cave: explore northern HK near the Shenzhen border
- Kai Kung Leng: hike the Rooster Ridge in Lam Tsuen Country Park
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Hi, my name is Queenie, and I’ve been a solo traveller for 20+ years and currently based in Hong Kong. Follow me on my adventures through Instagram and my blog!
