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 offers beautiful views of the eastern coastline of Hong Kong Island from its many vantage points. My favourite section of the hike is the gorgeous descent into Big Wave Bay, on one of the most scenic steps in Hong Kong.

Although the hike is quite easy, you could add a short detour to Pottinger Peak to make it slightly more challenging. But overall, this hike is a great example of a city-to-beach hike in Hong Kong.

So, let’s get down to mapping the hike from Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Beach.

About The Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Beach Hike

As I mentioned, the hike from Siu Sai Wan to Big Wave Bay is quite easy. The hike should take you 1.5 hours to complete at a leisurely pace. If you wish to add the detour to Pottinger Peak, add another 1 km to the already 3 km hike.

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 bus 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. This is the starting point.

The Leaping Dragon Walk To Cape Collinson Road

The initial ascent on the Leaping Dragon Walk starts off with steps. The steps are relatively easy, and offer plenty of spaces to take a break and rest.

The steps end at an outdoor play area/seating area, from where the trail transforms into a paved road.

The next 1 km of the hike, involves walking on this paved road, on a gentle incline, and has a decent amount of shade if needed. Take your time, and keep walking at a comfortable pace till you see a flight of steps on the left-hand side of the road.

Take the steps that will lead you to a sitting area that has beautiful views of Tung Lung Chau and Clearwater Bay Golf Course.

Relax and enjoy a break here, as the next section of the hike involves much steeper steps.

Take The Pottinger Peak Country Trail

After you’re done admiring the views, walk in the uphill direction on Cape Collinson Road, past the tree with the beautiful roots, till you reach the start of the Pottinger Peak Country Trail on your left.

The Pottinger Peak Country Trail is marked by a sign for Big Wave Way and Ma Tong Au.

Once again, you’ll encounter a flight of steps, that is slightly more challenging than what you encountered at the start of this hike.

Although this is the toughest section of the hike, luckily it doesn’t last too long. Climb up at a comfortable pace, till the steps flatten out, and the trail continues on a gentle incline.

You might encounter a few more steps, but those are the easy variety. Keep climbing till you reach the sign for the View Compass.

At this point, I highly recommend taking a quick detour on the trail to the left, to the view compass.

This 50 metre detour will bring you out at a viewing deck that offers unobstructed views of Tung Lung Chau to the east, and the edge of Kowloon to the north.

Once you’re done, admiring the views, return to Pottinger Peak Country Trail, where you can either decide to take the detour to Pottinger Peak (totally optional), or continue to Big Wave Bay.

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.

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, and Big Wave Bay.

To start, follow the trail on the opposite side from the View Compass sign.

The hike to Pottinger Peak is relatively quite easy. The trail is mostly a combination of gradual incline and broken steps. The highlight for me lies just below the peak in the form of an old military lookout post. You can stand on top of the structure for the best views from Pottinger Peak, but be careful.

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 keep going till you reach the triangulation station, which as I mentioned before was a bit of a let-down for me. But, hey, at least I got to climb another peak in Hong Kong!

So, now that you’ve scaled Pottinger Peak, you can make your way back and carry on towards Big Wave Bay. The whole detour should take you no more than 30 mins.

To The Catchwater Section

Whether you hiked to Pottinger Peak or not, it’s time to now start the descent towards Big Wave Bay. Yes, you’re done with all the climbing!

Continue on Pottinger Peak Country Trail for a short distance till it clears the tree cover and suddenly exposes the south-east side of Hong Kong Island.

If you’re here on a clear day, this view literally makes you gasp! The change in scenery feels quite dramatic — the high rises have been substituted for a beautiful coastline.

Up ahead is a spot to enjoy the views from without any obstruction.

In case you were feeling bad about leaving this view behind, don’t fret, it only gets better. But for now, keep walking as the trail descends next to a catchwater, and views disappear, except for Dragon’s Back ridge directly in front of you.

Walk along the catchwater for about 130 metres till you reach the turn for Big Wave Bay.

The Insanely Scenic Decent into Big Wave Bay

What follows is perhaps one of the most scenic descents on any hike on Hong Kong Island. As you turn left towards Big Wave Bay, the trail leads you towards a pavilion, cross it, to see the views open up like in a fairy tale!

Again, for the impact to be maximum, this needs to be a clear, sunny day. However, I imagine, it’d still look spectacular on any given day. As the steps begin to descend, the views of the sea on the left, Dragon’s Back on right, and Big Wave Bay up ahead, keep getting better.

This has to be one of the most scenic stairways on Hong Kong Island! Keep walking downhill, as you admire the views. At the mid-way point, you’ll get a clearer view of the Cape Collinson Correctional Institution.

As you get, closer to the bottom, the views of Big Wave Bay become more prominent and beautiful as they come front and centre.

Keep hiking, admiring, and taking all the pictures as you slowly make your way to Big Wave Bay. But just before the end of the steps, there is another interesting landmark that I think is worth visiting.

At the end of steps, the trail splits in two. Turn right, and you reach Big Wave Bay Beach. But turn left, and you get to see an ancient rock carving.

Ancient Rock Carving (Optional Detour)

This is another short detour. Turn left from the end of the steps, and walk down to the end of the walkway.

Here, at the bottom, you’ll notice an ancient rock carving.

Hong Kong has a couple of these ancient rock carvings in different locations, such as Lung Ha Wan Country Trail, Tung Lung Chau, and Lantau Island (along Lantau Trail Section 9).

Finish The Hike At Big Wave Bay Beach

Once you’re done visiting the ancient rock carving, return to the steps, and walk towards Big Wave Bay Beach.

If you’re lucky, you might find surfers at Big Wave Bay. Once on the beach, walk across it to the café on the other side to grab a drink or a bite. Or simply enjoy the beach!

If however, you want to grab a more substantial meal, I highly recommend catching a red minibus or bus to Shek O village, where there are plenty of restaurants and cafés.

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.

If you happen to live in Siu Sai Wan, or come here often, I also recommend the Cape Collinson Battery Hike, and excursion to Cape Collison, the eastern edge of Hong Kong Island.

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