Brick Hill Hike, Hong Kong

Brick Hill (also known as Nam Long Shan or 南朗山) is best known as the hill on which Ocean Park is situated. Located between the Aberdeen Channel and Deep Water Bay, Brick Hill isn’t the most popular hiking destination. But with a 180-degree view of Ap Lei Chau, Lamma Island, Deep Water Bay, and Repulse Bay, I would recommend it as an easy and very scenic hike.

Deep Water Bay behind Brick Hill

Brick Hill Hike

If you’ve ever driven past Ocean Park and wondered if you could hike on top of the hill next to the cable cars, well you can. As you can see, it’s a relatively easy hike.

For reference, here’s the Brick Hill Hike map and elevation profile. You can also open the route on Google Maps.

Brick Hill hike map and elevation profile

Here’s a quick video of the cinematic views from the top of Brick Hill.

Starting Point

To get to Brick Hill, make your way to Wong Chuk Hang MTR Station on the South Island Line. Take Exit B and walk down to the street below you. You’ll emerge in front of the Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market.

This is your starting point for the Brick Hill Hike.

Walk up Nam Long Shan Road as you exit the MTR station

Wong Chuk Hang MTR to Singapore International School

From the Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market walk up on Nam Long Shan Road. The road curves around the Wong Chuk Hang Depot, which as of writing this post is still under construction.

Walk for about 300 metres till you see the Singapore International School. It’s hard to miss its enormous facade!

The climb starts from in front of the Singapore International School

Singapore International School to Nam Long Shan Road Rest Garden

The incline begins from the Singapore International School. Luckily, the next kilometre of the Brick Hill Hike is a very gradual climb along a paved road.

Easy walk up Nam Long Shan Road

The road twists and turns as it passes housing complexes, the Canadian International School, and then the Leo Lee Arts Centre. After all the buildings, there is a small stretch of road from where you get amazing views of the Aberdeen Channel. You can see hikers up on Mount Johnson (Yuk Kwai Shan), making their way to AP Lei Pai.

View of Aberdeen Channel and Mount Johnson

A short walk from this viewpoint you’ll see steps on your left, going up to the Nam Long Shan Road Rest Garden. There’s a big sign that is hard to miss. Walk up for about 50m till you reach the small garden.

Nam Long Shan Road Rest Garden to Brick Hill Pavillion

Nam Long Shan Road Rest Garden

For a relatively easy hike, this section is the most challenging part. The next 500 metres are just steps, a steady stream of steps that climb up the hill.

As you climb up, remember to admire the views of Ap Lei Chau and Ap Lei Pai on your left, and Ocean Park to your right.

At the end of the steps are the Brick Hill Pavilion and outdoor seating area. If it’s a clear day, you can stand at the lookout point to admire the views of the sea and Ocean Park.

The view from Brick Hill Pavilion

Brick Hill Pavillion to Brick Hill

Now that you’ve completed the toughest part of the hike and taken a break, the next section shouldn’t take you that long.

Brick Hill Pavilion on the left with Brick Hill on the top-right

From the pavilion, continue walking uphill. The steps that follow are more rugged and narrow. Fortunately, they end soon on a reddish plateau.

This sudden change in the colour of the trail makes you question – is this how Brick Hill got its name? The reddish trail with broken bricks continues along for a couple of hundred metres till it reaches a three-way junction. To your right is the Brick Hill helipad, and to your left is the final flight of steps to the top of Brick Hill.

The Helipad

I recommend stepping onto the helipad first to enjoy incredible 180-degree views. Although the views of Aberdeen are a bit hidden, you can see Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay. Walk a little ahead to get a closer look at Ocean Park too. On a busy day, you can hear screams from the rides all the way here!

Brick Hill Summit

The final leg of the hike involves a flight of steps up to Brick Hill. The top of the hill is pretty much occupied by cell towers, antennas and their respective control stations. However, once you reach the top, turn right and walk along the side.

From here you can catch beautiful views of Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay below. Walk towards the back to find the Brick Hill triangulation station. On a clear day, you should be able to see the tops of IFC and ICC above the hills.

Nam Long Shan Hike

To complete the hike, trace your steps back to the MTR station. If you didn’t get a chance to admire the views of the South China Sea, they’re quite spectacular on the way down.

With such incredible views and its unique position, Brick Hill is a popular location to watch the sunrise and the sunset in Hong Kong. Given how the position of the sun changes, winters are the best time to hike up to Brick Hill to catch the sunset. And best of all, you don’t have to hike to the top. You can view the sunset from the Brick Hill Pavilion.

Watching the sunset from Brick Hill

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