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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Fei Ngo Shan Road
Kowloon Peak, also known as Fei Ngo Shan (literally: "Soaring Goose Mountain"), is a 1,975-foot-tall (602 m) mountain in the northeast corner of New Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in Ma On Shan Country Park. With the summit located just to the east of the border between Wong Tai Sin and Sai Kung districts, it is the tallest mountain in Kowloon, and is crossed by both the Wilson Trail and the MacLehose Trail.

On the lower slopes of Tung Yeung Shan about 1.1 miles (1.8 kilometres) to the north is the Gilwell Campsite, belonging to The Scout Association.

Geography

Kowloon Peak has a steep slope facing south towards northwestern Kowloon, while having a relatively smooth curve towards the east and west. The peak connects with Middle Hill (象山), known also as Cheung Shan, and Tung Shan (東山) in the north, forming a ridge of mountains. Despite being in an easily accessible location by car and walks, there are occasional sighting reports of Burmese pythons, East Asian porcupines, red muntjacs and wild boars.

Geology

Kowloon Peak consists mainly of volcanic rocks (many of which are tuffs), and blocks of granite at the base of the mountain.

A geographical map showing the types of rocks in Hong Kong. It shows that Kowloon Peak consists of volcanic and granitic rocks.
A Hong Kong Geographical Map showing the types of rocks there. Kowloon Peak is in between the red and green areas, which shows it consists of volcanic and granitic rocks.
Kowloon Peak and Kwun Tong from Hong Kong Island in December 2006.

Hiking and access

There are several paths from Jat's Incline and Fei Ngo Shan Road‌ [yue] that lead to the summit. One of Hong Kong's most treacherous and dangerous climbs is the rock climb from Clear Water Bay Road to Kowloon Peak's summit through Suicide Cliff [yue].

Suicide Cliff is not necessarily a place where people commit suicide, but it is such named most likely because the climb is so treacherous, it is akin to committing suicide. The hike has also seen numerous injuries and fatalities. In one instance, two Chinese tourists ran into trouble on Kowloon Peak's Suicide Cliff and caused an extensive rescue operation involving 160 firefighters.

For casual hikers, choosing the easiest path to the summit through Fei Ngo Shan Road is recommendable.

Suicide Cliff, Kowloon Peak in October 2017. No barrier fencing means a slip could result in fatality
Kowloon Peak in the mist viewed from the Razor Hill Ridge in December 2020

See also

22°20′29″N 114°13′24″E / 22.34139°N 114.22333°E / 22.34139; 114.22333