Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Mount Nicholson and Mount Cameron Hike

Hiking Route Map - Mt. Nicholson & Mt. Cameron

Mount Nicholson and neighbouring Mount Cameron are frequently bundled together for a challenging hike but with lovely views of both the skyline and the quaint south side. The star attraction is a "face mask rock" half way up Mount Nicholson.
From Central, take Citybus #6 and get off a Wong Nai Chung Reservoir Park. There is a sectional fare discount so make sure you tap your Octopus card again when you get off through the front doors. Cross the roundabout with the memorial in the middle, take a left past the bus stop, and look for Black's Link, a small street leading up to some luxury housing.

After a short uphill walk, the street ends and Black's Link becomes Hong Kong Trail Section 4 for pedestrians only.

Not long after, the street widens at a spot with a big trail map sign. On the other side of the path is a drainage ditch, where experienced hikers will need to climb to reach the "face mask rock". You can actually see the destination already.

Gloves and proper shoes are absolutely necessary and I was on all fours with hands on the rocks to pull my body up the steep and sandy hillside. Although it wasn't paved, the route up looked quite obvious and felt dangerous. The sandy surface was slippery even on a dry day. This is not for beginners.

Luckily, the "face mask rock" was easily visible and I noticed a few coming down in the opposite direction, which would be an even bigger challenge than going up.

Looking back, the serene south side of Hong Kong Island is mixed with the built-up area of Aberdeen to the right.

Below, you can see the route you just came up and Black's Link at the bottom. You've come a long way.

The first big rock looked like an eagle and I had to hike past it and continue up under the trees. While it isn't as steep from here on, the path is still very rugged.

This part of town on top of the hills is destined for the rich and famous. The lowrises in the distance are the luxury homes along Black's Link you passed by from the bus stop.

There is a spot here to go into the rock crevices that has become a popular Instagram destination, but I opted to skip and head straight to the top of the rock formation.

Do take care at the top of the rocks. The drop on the other side is quite scary so watch your step as you enjoy this relatively level area.

At this point, you are only about half way up Mount Nicholson. The next leg is much easier but requires to wade through the tall bushes along a fairly well-defined path.

The transmission station at the top is fenced off, but you can walk along its side where the view opens up to the north towards the skyline. When you reach the fence, turn right and walk along the perimenter around it. After the skyline view, it will descend a little and turn left to meet a staircase back down to Black's Link.

The views are primarily to the northeast towards North Point and Kai Tak in the distance.

Vegetation partially obstructs the skyline section.

You will exit back to Black's Link here.

Turn left to head back to the bus stop to end your hike. But if you were not satisfied with the skyline view up at the transmission station and still have some energy left, you can conquer Mount Cameron nearby as well. Turn right and continue down Black's Link towards a rest stop intersection.

While I was quite exhausted from the scramble up, by now, I had mostly recovered thanks to a good stretch of flat walk. Let's see what the next hill beholds.

The Hong Kong Trail Section 4 splits off from Black's Link at the rest stop. Take a left into the trail and immediately to your right, there is a maintenance staircase. This is the start of the Mount Cameron climb.

Watch for a rough path into the bushes to your left towards the end of the staircase. This is another rough climb on dirth paths and in between tall bushes but far easier than Mount Nicholson.
To my left, the winter light is against me and the northeastern moonsoon brings haze that reduces visibility.

The metal pipes on the ground and ribbons wrapped on tree branches are good guides to Mount Cameron's summit.

A trigonometric station with the typical black and white structure sits at the top of Mount Cameron at 440m.

I could see Mount Nicholson, where I had reached earlier.

This doesn't appear to be a popular hiking location. Other hikers only arrived after I enjoyed 10 minutes at the summit all by myself. I returned the way I came. Just before a steep descent back to the maintenance staircase, I stopped by a rock that opened up with some nice views.


Mount Nicholson and neighbouring Mount Cameron are frequently bundled together for a challenging hike but with lovely views of both the skyline and the quaint south side. The star attraction is a "face mask rock" half way up Mount Nicholson. From Central, take Citybus #6 and get off a Wong Nai Chung Reservoir Park. There is a sectional fare discount so make sure you tap your Octopus card again when you get off through the front doors. Cross the roundabout with the memorial in the middle, take a left past the bus stop, and look for Black's Link, a small street leading up to some luxury housing. After a short uphill walk, the street ends and Black's Link becomes Hong Kong Trail Section 4 for pedestrians only. Not long after, the street widens at a spot with a big trail map sign. On the other side of the path is a drainage ditch, where experienced hikers will need to climb to reach the "face mask rock". You can actually see the destination already. Gloves and proper shoes are absolutely necessary and I was on all fours with hands on the rocks to pull my body up the steep and sandy hillside. Although it wasn't paved, the route up looked quite obvious and felt dangerous. The sandy surface was slippery even on a dry day. This is not for beginners. Luckily, the "face mask rock" was easily visible and I noticed a few coming down in the opposite direction, which would be an even bigger challenge than going up. Looking back, the serene south side of Hong Kong Island is mixed with the built-up area of Aberdeen to the right. Below, you can see the route you just came up and Black's Link at the bottom. You've come a long way. The first big rock looked like an eagle and I had to hike past it and continue up under the trees. While it isn't as steep from here on, the path is still very rugged. This part of town on top of the hills is destined for the rich and famous. The lowrises in the distance are the luxury homes along Black's Link you passed by from the bus stop. There is a spot here to go into the rock crevices that has become a popular Instagram destination, but I opted to skip and head straight to the top of the rock formation. Do take care at the top of the rocks. The drop on the other side is quite scary so watch your step as you enjoy this relatively level area. At this point, you are only about half way up Mount Nicholson. The next leg is much easier but requires to wade through the tall bushes along a fairly well-defined path. The transmission station at the top is fenced off, but you can walk along its side where the view opens up to the north towards the skyline. When you reach the fence, turn right and walk along the perimenter around it. After the skyline view, it will descend a little and turn left to meet a staircase back down to Black's Link. The views are primarily to the northeast towards North Point and Kai Tak in the distance. Vegetation partially obstructs the skyline section. You will exit back to Black's Link here. Turn left to head back to the bus stop to end your hike. But if you were not satisfied with the skyline view up at the transmission station and still have some energy left, you can conquer Mount Cameron nearby as well. Turn right and continue down Black's Link towards a rest stop intersection. While I was quite exhausted from the scramble up, by now, I had mostly recovered thanks to a good stretch of flat walk. Let's see what the next hill beholds. The Hong Kong Trail Section 4 splits off from Black's Link at the rest stop. Take a left into the trail and immediately to your right, there is a maintenance staircase. This is the start of the Mount Cameron climb. Watch for a rough path into the bushes to your left towards the end of the staircase. This is another rough climb on dirth paths and in between tall bushes but far easier than Mount Nicholson. To my left, the winter light is against me and the northeastern moonsoon brings haze that reduces visibility. The metal pipes on the ground and ribbons wrapped on tree branches are good guides to Mount Cameron's summit. A trigonometric station with the typical black and white structure sits at the top of Mount Cameron at 440m. I could see Mount Nicholson, where I had reached earlier. This doesn't appear to be a popular hiking location. Other hikers only arrived after I enjoyed 10 minutes at the summit all by myself. I returned the way I came. Just before a steep descent back to the maintenance staircase, I stopped by a rock that opened up with some nice views.

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