Conquering Mt Johnston & Ap Lei Pai
Climbing Mount Johnston and Ap Lei Pai in Hong Kong offers breathtaking views of the Aberdeen Marina and the South China Sea. While it is far from the highest peaks of Hong Kong, the steep ascents and exposed trail can make it a challenging hike especially during the hot summer days. Thankfully, I walked this trail during the winter and only had to deal with half the problem haha.
The start of the trail is behind the bus booth of the Lei Tung Estate bus interchange. A friendly bus captain saw us looking lost and pointed us in the right direction, even making sure to ask if we had sufficient water.
The first viewpoint is at the top of Mount Johnston, which boasts panoramic vistas of Aberdeen Marina and Ap Lei Pai. It was a tiring climb up, so we took a break here to catch a breather. From here, its a steep climb down to reach the sandbar between Mount Johnston and Ap Lei Pai. Cross the sandbar, bash through the vegetated terrain of Ap Lei Pai to reach the white solitary Mount Johnston Lighthouse. As we barely encountered any other hikers on this trail, we had the whole cape to ourselves. It was so serene and relaxing seeing the coastal scenery while hearing the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks.
To back out to Lei Tung Estate, you need to walk back the way you came in so save some energy for that. There is hearsay that there are boatmen that will be willing to take you back to Aberdeen at a cost, but we did not come across any boatmen so we relied on our two legs to get back out!
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I want to visit Hong Kong because it's such a fun place! I dream of exploring Disneyland, wandering through bustling markets like Ladies' Market, and taking a tram up Victoria Peak for stunning views. Plus, trying delicious dim sum in authentic local eateries sounds like a tasty adventure!