Location: Kowloon, Clear Water Bay, Hongkong
Jump-off and Exit Point: Fei Ngo San Road, Kowloon, Hongkong
Elevation: 470 MASL (1,540 feet)
Days Required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 1.5 hours
Specs: Minor Climb; Difficulty 3/9; Trail Class 1-3
Features: There are 2 routes to choose with: First is from Pak Fa Lam starting with the "328" sign equipped with stone stairs and is the longest route and the second one is the shortcut which cuts through undefined trail of continuous assault directly to the Suicide Cliff. No stone stairs with rope segments. The Suicide Cliff itself is a narrow rock ledge with dangerously steep and vertical slopes of massive stone walls of volcanic tuff and granite where one false move will lead you to death. Suicide Cliff is not the peak, but rather it is the Kowloon Peak of an elevation of 602 MASL (1,975 feet). Along the trails grow common broadleaf trees like the Chinese Banyan and the aromatic Camphor tree and Queen Crape Myrtle.
While at the narrow rock ledge of the Suicide Cliff
This is a part of my 6-day Hongkong-Jeju Island (South Korea)-Macau trip where I climbed three mountains: Tai Mo Shan (Hongkong), Seongsan Ilchulbong (South Korea) and this Suicide Cliff (Hongkong).
Here is the Step-by-Step Directions if the origin is from Tsim Sha Tsui:
1. Go to Choi Hung MRT Station:
a. From Tsim Sha Tsui MRT Station, take the Tsuen Wan Line (red line) to Prince Edward
station.
b. At Prince Edward Station, interchange to the Kwun Tong Line (green line) and travel
to Choi Hung Station.
2. Take a Minibus to the Trailhead Area:
a. Take Exit C1 at Choi Hung Station.
b. From the minibus station, take minibus 1A (towards Sai Kung) or 11 (towards Hang Hau).
c. Alight at the Good Hope School stop on Clear Water Bay Road.
3. Walk to the Trail Start Point:
a. From the bus stop, continue walking uphill along Clear Water Bay Road for about
10 minutes.
b. When you reach a traffic light/junction, turn left onto Fei Ngho Shan Road.
c. Walk along Fei Ngo Shan Road for a few minutes. Look for a smaller road or path on
your left (it's a semi-private road near a residential house).
4. Hike to Suicide Cliff:
a. The trail is a steep ascent and can be challenging, with rocky sections and exposed
areas.
b. Follow the trail up to Kowloon Peak. From the peak, follow the ridge to the right to reach
Suicide Cliff.
c. The hike takes approximately 3.5 - 4 hours round trip, depending on pace and photo
stops.
Bus stop at the Good Hope School
From Tsim Shan Tsui to Prince Edward Station of Tsuen Wan Line (red line) are just five train stations (Tsim Shai Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kong and Prince Edward), then train transfer to Kwun Tong Line (green line) for 6 train stops: Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon Tong, Lok Fu, Wong Tai Sin, Diamond Hill and stop at Choi Hung Station and this costs HKD22.20 or P217. On the other hand, mini-bus trip from Choi Hung Station to Good Hope School stop is HKD10 or P80.15.
Passing thru this signage
It was a long walk from the bus stop at Good Hope School on an uphill trek along concrete wide road passable by vehicles. I mean, it was really a road of Fei Ha Road
Starting the trek at the jump-off point
The jump-off point is not really evidently visible. In fact, we miss this point and we just went back. We never thought it was really the jump-off point. It was a very narrow trail. Only the rope tells us that this was the point where we have to start with our trek.
The rope segment trail
For my breakfast, trail food and bottled water, I spent HKD41.50 or P405.67, of which my trail food are 3 big pieces of banana at HKD16 or P156.40. We had then an early hotel check-out and we left our luggage at the hotel.
An open and steep trail overlooking the city of Hongkong
We started the trek at 7:05 A.M. and reached the Suicide Cliff at 8:31 A.M. The trail was a challenging one and in some parts, they were almost vertical slope.
My travel buddy Chris Palacio along the trail
I didn't feel safe to rest along the trail since it was almost vertical slope. There are no trees where climbers can take refuge or hold with. Near the Suicide Cliff, the typically common grasses are Dragon's Back and coastal grasses and scrubland species like Miscanthus (Silvergrass) and various ferns, thriving in exposed, windy conditions, though specific names vary, they are characteristic of Hongkong's upland vegetation.
We did not actually use the trail going to Kowloon Peak and go down to Suicide Cliff, rather, we trekked straight to Suicide Cliff.
Reached this point at 8:09 A.M. Not yet the Suicide Cliff
The view captured in all parts of the trail at the higher elevation are really stunning and majestic. It really showcases a very wide angle of the city of Hongkong. The skies was not super clear yet at 8:09 A.M. The steepness of the trail is not good for the faint-hearted, it was literally challenging.
The rock ledge near the Suicide Cliff (Model: Madame Jonah Chavez Ranchez
Death-defying rock ledge at 8:31 A.M.
I was not really comfortable being at the rock ledge. One false move there might mean death. But the thought of getting death-defying once-in-a-lifetime picture has motivated me to push for it.
Scared of my beshie friend Natalie Canete bravely dancing at the rock ledge
We completely reached the jump-off point at 10:15 A.M. While the trail is steep towards Suicide Cliff, it was definitely the same steep trail we used to descend.
Rested while waiting for our climbing buddies still on their way descending
From the jump-off point, we walked down to Good Hope School and took train heading to our next destination, the cable car experience to Ngong Ping Village. You may read the continuation of this trip in my Hongkong Trip.
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