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Popular
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| The
Peak |
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Victoria
Peak
Known as
Hong Kong's most conspicuous landmark, The Peak is also the residential
yearning of most of the population. Located on Hong Kong Island, The Peak
was never as popular as it is today. During the first six years of Hong
Kong's history, hardly anybody traveled up there. Only in 1888, when the
Peak Tramway was opened, was the area atop the hill acknowledged as The
Peak.
The Peak
Tram, which runs from 5:40 a.m. to 1 a.m., takes people up and down the
hillside, and has been maintaining a safe reputation since its first operation.
Only two cars are available to carry 72 passengers and one driver. These
cars are pulled by 1,500m steel cables wound on drums.
 Residents
of The Peak are comprised of gentries who often throw lavish dinner parties.
Houses and flats are rented out to banks and corporate giants for their
top executives at sky-high prices. The area's wilderness, contiguous with
stately residents, continues to remain beautifully placid. It is one of
the few areas of Hong Kong that feels like a tropical climate.
The Peak
is a great place for walks, with its forests of bamboo and fern, lilliputian
Chinese pines, hibiscus, and vines of phenomenal beauty. Visitors should
start from Lugard Road, which begins just opposite the Peak Tram's upper
terminus at 395m above sea level. Atop the hill, visitors will be greeted
with some of the world's finest views that stretch all the way to China
and Macau. The hike from Lugard Road to Harlech Road, which presents views
of the harbor, takes about two hours to complete. Hikes from Green Island
and Peng Chau to the north, and Lantau and Macau to the west will also
take about the same time.
Across the
tram terminus, the Peak Cafe offers a variety of cuisine in a distinctive
neo-colonial atmosphere. Cafe Deco at the Peak Tower, however, offers
better views. Redeveloped in 1997, Peak Tower is a tourist attraction
that features the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum and a ride through
a dark tunnel called Rise of The Dragon. It is the first computer-operated
entertainment ride in Hong Kong, and is an entertaining and educational
train journey through evocative scenes of the territory's early history.
While descending
from The Peak, it is worthwhile to stop at Barker Road and enjoy some
of the finer views and footpaths through The Peak's mountainous forests.
From Barker Road, the path joins the exclusive Plantation Road and May
Road, where the tram negotiates one of the steepest passenger-vehicle
gradients in the world.
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