The Mini Great Wall Hike (or Little Great Wall Hike) is a scenic and easy hike around some of the most unique rock formations on the island of Cheung Chau. The trail explores the southeast coastline of an island that’s already buzzing with plenty of things to do!
In addition to the uniquely shaped rocks with interesting names, there are plenty of viewpoints from where one can admire Hong Kong Island, Lamma Island, and the South China Sea.
The Fa Peng (vase) rock on Cheung Chau
About the Cheung Chau Mini Great Wall Hike
The “Mini Great Wall” (or the Little Great Wall) gets its name from the granite railings along the trail that resemble the Great Wall of China.
The trail is only 850 metres, but that does not include the detours or the return. The hike starts from behind Kwun Yam Beach and ends at the Chi Ma Hang headland. But then, you also have to make your way back.
Mini Great Wall Trail Map
Note: I prematurely ended the tracking during my hike, which means the map doesn’t show the full loop.
The highlight of the Cheung Chau Mini Great Wall Hike is the 16 uniquely shaped rocks with intriguing names.
Weathered rocks at the end of the Mini Great Wall in Cheung Chau
These granite rocks have been weathered into different shapes over the years. And depending on what they resemble, the rocks have been given interesting names.
Names of rocks along the Cheung Chau Mini Great Wall
The 16 uniquely shaped rocks on the Mini Great Wall Hike, Cheung Chau
In order of their appearance on the trail, these are the names of the 16 rock formations.
- Loaf Rock
- Eagle Rock
- Fa Peng
- Rock of the Ringing Bell
- Rock of the Serpent
- Goat Rock
- Human Head Rock
- Rock of the Sleeping Crane
- Rock of the Skull
- Elephant Rock
- Rodent Rock
- Rock of the Sleeping Cat
- Yuk Saai Shek
- Camel Rock
- Zombie Rock
- Tortoise Rock
To be honest, I had a hard time spotting all 16 rocks! Some were more obvious and easy to spot but the others, I just couldn’t tell!
So, with that out of the way, how does one start this hike?
Starting point
The Mini Great Wall Hike starts from behind Kwun Yam Beach. For those unaware, Kwun Yam Beach is the smaller beach located adjacent to Cheung Chau’s main beach, Tung Wan Beach.
Cheung Chau’s main beach – Tung Wan Beach and the Warwick Hotel next to it
Once at Tung Wan Beach, walk towards the Warwick Hotel (which BTW is a great spot for a staycation in Hong Kong). Walk till the end of the promenade and turn right onto Kwun Yam Beach.
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- Walk down the promenade in front of the Warwick Hotel
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- Kwun Yam Beach, Cheung Chau
Walk towards the lifeguard tower and spot the uphill path behind the tower, with the signpost for Mini Great Wall.
Take this path behind the lifeguard tower on Kwun Yam Beach
Follow the sign and walk uphill and past the Kwun Yam Beach Substation.
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- Follow the signs for the Mini Great Wall
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- Walk up the path behind Kwun Yam Beach
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- Walk past the Kwun Yam Wan Substation
At the next intersection, continue straight (follow the signpost again) to the fork right ahead. Where the path splits is the start and end of the Cheung Chau Mini Great Wall.
Stay to the left and follow the signs for the Mini Great Wall
The hike can be completed in a loop or a return on the same path. In both cases, it starts and ends from this point.
The start (and also end) of the Mini Great Wall Hike, Cheung Chau
Quick note
Before you start the hike, it might be worth taking a picture of the information post with the map of the trail and the location of the various rocks for reference. It will help you spot the rocks later on during the hike.
The map of the trail, along with the location of the 16 rocks
To the Lookout Pavilion
The first thing that struck me about the trail is how narrow it is. After a short flat section, the trail reaches its first flight of steps.
And the hike begins
The steps aren’t too bad and fortunately are shaded.
The first flight of steps
From the steps, you can look to the left and admire views of two beaches on Cheung Chau.
Don’t forget to check out the views of Cheung Chau while climbing
The second flight is a bit steeper and longer than the first, but it’s nothing too difficult.
The second flight of steps
It’s only after the second flight of steps does the granite railing make an appearance.
The granite railings only appear after the second flight of steps
Continue walking on the path with the granite railing till you reach the pavilion.
The first stop on the hike, the Lookout Pavilion
Once at the pavilion, you need to decide if you’d like to take a detour to the Loaf Rock and the pavilion below or continue ahead without the detour.
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- Taking a break at the Lookout Pavilion
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- Views of Lamma Island from the Lookout Pavilion above
Detour to the Loaf Rock (Optional)
At the Lookout Pavilion, you can decide if you’re in the mood to take a quick detour to the Loaf Rock. But the detour involves walking hundreds of steps down to the shoreline and then walking back up.
The steps are located next to the Lookout Pavilion, with a visible sign. Simply walk down them to the other pavilion below.
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- The detour to the pavilion and Loaf Rock below
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- To see the Loaf Rock, you’ll need to walk all the way down to the coast and then walk back up
The Loaf Rock is located in the sea, next to the landing platform. I didn’t think much of the rock, but the platform next to it does offer some interesting views of Cheung Chau.
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- The pavilion at the bottom of the steps
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- Loaf Rock
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- Views of Cheung Chau and the hills on Lantau Island from the platform below
And from the pavilion, you can see the southwest side of Hong Kong Island, along with Mount High West and Mount Davis.
Views of Pok Fu Lam from the pavilion below
Once done, climb back up the same steps to the Lookout Pavilion.
To the next cluster of rocks
The next stop is a cluster of five rock formations. It’s a short walk from the Lookout Pavilion.
To continue, walk down these steps
To continue on the Mini Great Wall Trail, take the steps short flight of steps after the pavilion and keep walking till you reach another flight of steps on the left.
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- It’s a short walk to the cluster of rocks
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- Turn left onto the steps to explore the small cluster of rock formations below
The steps are essentially another very short detour to a platform from where you can admire the rock formations.
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- Walk down these steps
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- The viewing platform from where you can see all the rock formations
From the viewing platform, the most apparent rock formation is Fa Peng. Fa Peng translates to a “vase”, which is what the rock reassembles. But if you ask me, it looked more like a dog, with a snout and ears. Very much like Snoopy Rock in Stanley.
I honestly think Fa Peng resembles more of a dog than a vase
From the platform, the Rock of the Ringing Bell is also visible towards the right.
The Rock of the Ringing Bell
Walk below the platform and explore the area to find the remaining rock formations in the area, which are Eagle Rock, Rock of the Serpent, and Goat Rock.
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- I honestly think Fa Peng resembles more of a dog than a vase
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- An aerial view of Fa Peng
Other than the rocks, the views from the platform are also quite impressive!
To the Fa Peng Steps
After admiring the cluster of rocks, make your way back up to the trail.
Return to the trail and continue walking on this scenic section
The next section of the trail is quite scenic as the views of the sea, Cyberport and Pok Fu Lam are unobstructed.
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- Views of Pok Fu Lam and Cyberport
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- The trail gets its name from these granite railings that resemble the Great Wall of China
There are a few rocks above this section of the trail and one below. It wasn’t easy for me to spot them from the trail itself except for the Elephant Rock.
Look up, there’s the Elephant Rock
The shape of an elephant’s trunk and ears are easy to spot through the branches.
Continue walking on the trail to a bench next to a flight of steps, with a sign for Fa Peng.
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- The most scenic section of the Mini Great Wall Hike
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- The intersection next to the bench with the steps going up to Fa Peng
It might be worth taking a quick peek from the dirt path on the left, opposite the steps.
You can take a quick detour on this dirt path to check out more rocks
There are a few more interesting but unnamed rock formations to see from here along with a different angle of Fa Peng and Rock of the Ringing Bell.
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- There are way too many weathered granite rocks along the coastline of Cheung Chau
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- Interesting looking rock that I spotted
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- Fa Peng and the Rock of the Ringing Bell from a different angle
To Yuk Saai Shek
Return to the path and continue ahead to the final cluster of rock formations.
Continue walking on the trail till you reach the end
The walk to the end of the Mini Great Wall is a short one from here.
And we’ve arrived at the end of the Mini Great Wall
The rock at the end of the trail is Yuk Saai Shek (imperial jade seal).
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- The platform at the end of the Mini Great Wall Trail with Yuk Saai Shek
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- A different view of Yuk Saai Shek
Three other rocks are visible from the platform on the side of the hill to the right.
The southeast end of the Mini Great Wall
The Tortoise Rock, which is located on the shore, is the easiest to spot.
The Tortoise Rock
Zombie Rock was also easy to spot once I realized that the zombie resembles a body lying on the side of the hill. The entire side of the hill!
Can you tell the head, torso, and legs of the Zombie Rock on the side of the hill?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t spot Camel Rock. But more than the rocks I just enjoyed having the viewing platform all to myself!
If these rocks could tell a story
And when I turned around to leave, I noticed that this is the best spot to see Elephant Rock.
A much clearer view of the Elephant Rock from the end of the Mini Great Wall
Finish the hike
There are two options to finish the hike.
- Retrace your steps on the same trail (850 metres)
- Complete the loop via Ming Fai Road (770 metres)
To complete the loop, return to the steps with the sign for Fa Peng.
Climb the steps towards Fa Peng
Walk up the steps and follow the path till it reaches a three-point crossing. Then turn right.
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- Walk up the steps
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- Turn right at the three-point crossing
Walk past the pink and white HKSKH (Anglican) House of Prayer building and then turn right again and follow the sign for Ming Fai Road.
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- Walk past the HKSKH (Anglican) House of Prayer building
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- Turn right onto Ming Fai Road after the HKSKH (Anglican) House of Prayer building
Keep walking straight on Ming Fai Road for 500 metres till it finally reaches the starting point of the Mini Great Wall Trail.
Just keeping walking on Ming Fai Road till you reach where you started
Cheung Chau’s Mini Great Wall
We hope you found this guide to the Mini Great Wall helpful! We have a detailed guide to all the other great things you can do and explore while in Cheung Chau.
If you’d like to discover more unique rock formations in Hong Kong, my favourites are Rhino Rock, Shark Rock, and of course, Lion Rock! Or you could also take a trip to Po Toi Island, the south pole of Hong Kong, where many such weathered rock formations also exist!
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2 Comments
Do you have a google maps route of this hike? I’d love to do it.
Sure, try this link out.
In the link above, I started the hike from the pier but ended it at Kwun Yam Beach.