Among the many ways to get to Big Wave Bay, the hike from Siu Sai Wan is probably my favourite. The hike is relatively easy and runs along the path that has beautiful views of the eastern coast of Hong Kong Island. You could also add a short detour to Pottinger Peak to make the hike slightly more challenging.
So, let’s get down to mapping the hike from Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Beach.
The Hike in Numbers
Like I mentioned, the hike from Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Bay is quite easy. The entire hike took me about 1.5 hours to complete and according to my GPS tracker, I covered a distance of 4 kms. This includes the detour to Pottinger Peak Lookout.
You can skip the detour to Pottinger Peak and that should shave about 30 minutes and a kilometre from the hike.
- Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Bay Hike Map
- Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Bay Elevation Profile
You can also open the map and directions in Google Maps.
Here’s a quick video of the hike to get you excited.
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Starting Point
Start the hike from Siu Sai Wan Promenade Park, near Island Resort. Unfortunately, the MTR terminates at Chai Wan and Siu Sai Wan is further east (You could also hike to Big Wave Bay from Chai Wan, but it’s not as picturesque). To get to the starting point in Siu Sai Wan, you’ll need to take a bus to the Fullview Garden bus stop. I’d suggest checking on Google Maps the best way to get to the starting point depending on your location.
Once you reach the stop, cross the road and enter the park. Walk towards the back of the park where the steps to the Leaping Dragon Walk are located.
The Leaping Dragon Walk
The initial ascent on the Leaping Dragon Walk is surprisingly easy. The walk up the hill is a combination of steps and gradual slope that gently take you up the hill till you reach Cape Collinson Road.
However, just before you reach Cape Collinson Road, take the steps on the left that lead you to a sitting area that has beautiful views of Tung Lung Chau and Clearwater Bay Golf Course.
Relax and take a break here, as the next section of the hike involves much steeper steps.
Pottinger Peak Country Trail
Once you’re done admiring the views and hydrating yourself, turn around and walk towards the Pottinger Peak Country Trail, past the beautiful tree with the roots. If you walk left, and head downhill, you’ll arrive at the Cape Collinson Battery, which is a hidden gem in Hong Kong.
But in order to hike to Big Wave Bay, you need to turn right and walk along the flat road till for about 20–30 metres till you reach the entrance to the Pottinger Peak Country Trail. The sign should read Pottinger View Compass.
- Follow the steps to the Pottinger Peak View Compass
- The steps to the Pottinger Peak View Compass are steep
- Don’t forget to turn back and admire the views from the Pottinger Peak Country Trail
Walk up these steps slowly as they are quite steep. Take your time, and every once in a while, don’t forget to look back. On a clear day, you can see lovely views of Siu Sai Wan.
Fortunately, the steps soon give way to a much less intense slope. And before you know it, you reach a four-way junction where you have a choice to make.
- You could continue walking straight towards Big Wave Bay, or
- You could turn right and walk up Pottinger Peak Lookout and come back down.
But irrespective of your decision, you could also turn left wand walk about 20 metres to the Pottinger Peak View Compass. From here you get some scenic views of the eastern side of Hong Kong.
So, let me shed some light on Pottinger Peak Lookout. However, if you’re not interested in hiking up to Pottinger Peak, feel free to skip the next section.
Detour to Pottinger Peak Lookout (Optional)
Before I go any further, I think it’s fair to point out that the Pottinger Peak Lookout is a bit of a disappointment. If you’re excepting stunning views, you’ll be sad to know that the peak lookout has no views. That’s because it’s completely surrounded by trees.
- Pottinger Peak Lookout offers no views, avoidable
- Pottinger Peak Lookout is covered by trees. No views from here sadly.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any views to be seen at all. There are a couple of spots up the trail that offer beautiful vistas of Siu Sai Wan, the east, and Big Wave Bay.
The hike to Pottinger Peak is relatively quite easy. The trail is mostly a combination of gradual incline and broken steps.
I wouldn’t advise hiking all the way up to the Lookout but if you’re super curious, you could. However, just before the peak is an old military lookout post. You can stand on top of the structure for the best views from Pottinger Peak.
- An old military post near Pottinger Peak. No need to climb beyond it.
- The best views from Pottinger Peak are on top of this lookout post
And just behind the lookout post, there is a flat sitting area, covered by trees. But through the leaves, you can see Big Wave Bay. It’s really quite a beautiful view.
After this you can make your way back to the four-point junction and carry on towards Big Wave Bay. The whole detour should take you no more than 30 mins.
Final Descent to Big Wave Bay
The final descent to Big Wave Bay passes along some of the most scenic views on Hong Kong Island. The Pottinger Peak Country Trail after the View Compass becomes downhill. After a point, the trail opens up slightly with stunning views of the south-side of the island.
Simply continue on the same trail till you reach the signs for Big Wave Bay pointing you to the left.
From here, continue down the trail as it descends right next to the beach. Be sure to stop and take as many pictures as the views from this trail are quite beautiful!
- The trail leading to Big Wave Bay Beach
- One of most picturesque steps in Hong Kong
- The steps down Big Wave Bay Beach have amazing views
Just before you reach the beach, there’s a left turn that takes you to the ancient rock carving at Big Wave Bay. Make sure you check it out in case you haven’t. It’s quite reminiscent of the rock carving along Lung Ha Wan Country Trail.
Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Bay
We hope you enjoyed this easy and scenic hike from Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Bay Beach along Pottinger Peak Country Trail. The same trail can also be accessed from the Dragon’s Back Hike and Chai Wan to end at Big Wave Bay. And here’s additional information and things to do at Big Wave Bay.
- A gorgeous evening at Big Wave Bay Beach, Hong Kong
- Big Wave Bay on a busy day
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4 Comments
wwooowwwww.. so amazing….
Thank you!
Gotta thank you for the idiot-proof instructions. This was a super easy “hike”, several people were doing it as a trail run as well. I did it in flip-flops and with a tiny 330ml bottle of water and had no issues. In the end I did not even need that bottle of water and it was still done within an hour. Awesome value for the effort.
Hey JJ,
Totally agree! Low effort, scenic hikes are awesome. You could also give Lung Ha Wan Country Trail a go next time.