View source for Dragon's Back

{{short description|Ridge in southeastern Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong}}
{{about|the hiking trail|the running race in Wales|Dragon's Back Race}}
[[File:龙脊径起点 - Starting Point of Dragon's Back Trail - 2015.01 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Starting point of the Dragon's Back trail along Shek O Road in 2015.]]
{{Infobox Chinese
|t=龍脊
|s=龙脊
|j=lung4 zek3
|p=Lóng Jǐ
}}
[[File:Dragons-Back-Northwards.jpg|right|thumb|Dragon's Back towards the north.]]
[[File:Dragons back.jpg|right|thumb|Dragon's Back hiking trail sign.]]
[[File:Shek O Country Park Entrance.jpg|thumb|One of Shek O Country Park's entrance point, located near the [[Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution]].]]
The '''Dragon's Back''' ({{lang-zh|first=t|t=龍脊}}) is a [[ridge|mountain ridge]] in southeastern [[Hong Kong Island]], Hong Kong that passes through [[Shek O Peak]]. It lies within the [[Shek O Country Park]]. In 2019, the '''Dragon's Back Trail''' was selected by [[CNN]] as one of the world's 23 best trails.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/best-hiking-trails-world/index.html|title=23 of the world's greatest hiking trails|first=Joe |last=Minihane|date=2019-03-29|website=CNN Travel|language=en|access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref> Dragon's Back is part of Stage 8 of the [[Hong Kong Trail]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shek O|url=https://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_cou/cou_vis_cou_so/cou_vis_cou_so.html|access-date=2020-08-09|website=www.afcd.gov.hk|language=en}}</ref>

== Hiking information ==
'''Destinations in the vicinity'''

*[[Shek O Peak]]
*[[Shek O]]
*[[Big Wave Bay, Hong Kong Island|Big Wave Bay]]

'''Highlights'''

*[[Paragliding|Paragliders]] hanging in the air and eventually drifting down to a beach at [[Shek O Country Park|Shek O]].
* People flying radio-controlled gliders.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-10-10|title=Travel Guide {{!}} Shek O and Dragon's Back - Hiking|url=http://www.urban-outdoors.com/shek-o-dragons-back-best-hiking-trail-hong-kong/|access-date=2020-08-09|website=Urban-Outdoors|language=en-US}}</ref>

'''Overview'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| Area: || [[Southern District, Hong Kong|Southern District]]
|-
| Starting point: || Shek O Road near To Tei Wan Village
|-
| End point: || Big Wave Bay or back at the start point of To Tei Wan
|-
| Average hiking time: || 4 hours
|-
| Distance: || About 8.5&nbsp;km
|-
| Refuel: || There are no refueling stops along the trail.
|-
| Difficulty: || Moderate

Most of the route is on dirt paths. The first half has very little shade, and there is also a steep 200-metre-long uphill stretch. The flight of descending stone steps in the last section is quite steep too.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dragon's Back: one of Hong Kong's most popular hikes {{!}} Hong Kong Tourism Board|url=https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/explore/great-outdoor/dragons-back.html|access-date=2020-08-09|website=Discover Hong Kong|language=en}}</ref>
|}
[[File:Dragon's Back trail.jpg|thumb|A waypoint located along the Dragon's Back trail, with a view of the [[Shek O Beach|Shek O]] behind.]]
[[File:Dragon's Back Trail.jpg|thumb|A partial sight of the Dragon's Back trail.]]
'''Information and hiking etiquette in Hong Kong'''

* Hong Kong's Country Parks have no trash bins, so hikers are asked to hang on to their litter until they exit the Country Parks<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2124394/bins-hong-kong-hiking-trails-gone-good-government|title=Bins on Hong Kong's hiking trails gone for good|date=2017-12-15|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=2019-12-21}}</ref>
*{{Citation needed span|Hikers in Hong Kong tend to keep to the right side when walking on trails.|date=June 2022}}
*Try to limit boombox music volume to a minimum in Country Parks to let everyone enjoy the sounds of nature.
* [[Big Wave Bay Beach]] (the End point) and nearby [[Shek O Beach]] are two different beaches. There is a short bus service that links the two beaches.
* Some parts of this trail are rocky, so travellers should use proper footwear. Slippers and sandals are not advisable.
*At [[Pottinger Gap]]<small> [[:yue:馬塘坳|yue]]</small>, hikers can extend the hike by walking along the easy [[Pottinger Peak]] Country Trail eastward for about 20 minutes and then make a 90-degree right turn onto a newly made path that descends southward for another 20 minutes to the [[Prehistoric Hong Kong|Big Wave Bay Prehistoric Rock Carvings]]<small> [[:de:Felsritzungen bei Big Wave Bay (Hongkong)|de]], [[:yue:大浪灣石刻|yue]]</small>.

== See also ==

*[[Shek O Peak]]
*[[Shek O]]
*[[Big Wave Bay, Hong Kong Island|Big Wave Bay]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/local-tours/outdoor-dragons-back-taitam.html Discover Hong Kong - Dragon's Back]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070804212958/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/healthy/hiking/en/road_sky1.php HK Leisure & Cultural Services Dept. - Hiking Scheme]
* [http://www.centamap.com/gc/centamaplocation.aspx?x=843254&y=811087&sx=843254.59468&sy=811087.91558&z=7 Map Location]

{{Commons category|Dragon's Back}}
{{Southern District, Hong Kong}}
{{Hills and Mountains in Hong Kong}}
{{coord|22.2357|N|114.2437|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

[[Category:Mountain ranges of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Southern District, Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Ridges of Asia]]
[[Category:Hiking trails in Hong Kong]]


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