Victoria Peak is a treasure. As it happens with all the treaures, everyone wants to have a part of it. Hence there is queue and crowd thats unmatched even in a city as populous and cosmopolitan as Hong Kong. Still tourists thrive to watch the bustling city as a singularity from a high viewpoint. Victoria Peak however offers more than than, hence the treasure.
We arrived at the base of Peak Tram on a Saturday afternoon and immediately regretted the move. There was an hour long queue for tickets and then there was a wait of 15 minutes for the tram to arrive. With already tired leg we settled on our tram seat and immediately entered the world of the peak. The angular track climbing at speed, started throwing views of tall buildings outside at absurd angles.
Entry to Peak Tower, the other end of tram, was as ceremonial. There are 5 tiers through which one has to go to reach the rooftop for the uninhibited view. We crossed the souvenir shops and Madame Tussauds without getting tempted but couldn’t resist ourselves at the food court. Settling for a simple burger at Burger King we saw the expanse of HK from here and were thrilled.
The rooftop of Peak Tower is another world. Such different views come from different sides that you would not have believed they come from the same viewpoint. On one side is the jungle of skyscrapers averaging forty stories. On diametrically opposite side is the vast expanse of sea with sporadic isles and ships visible. At night this side is not visible as much but the skyscrapers light up like Paris.
There is a route at the top of Victoria Peak taking you to Peak Garden and other viewpoints equally beautiful. The downhill trek is preferred by some as it is less tiring and the slow change of gradient is pleasant to the eyes. Else one need to wait on weekends in another queue to back downhill on tram. Some people take sharing cabs to the peak to save on time which is a good idea if you are not too sentimental about the rides.
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| From Peak Tower Escalators |
We arrived at the base of Peak Tram on a Saturday afternoon and immediately regretted the move. There was an hour long queue for tickets and then there was a wait of 15 minutes for the tram to arrive. With already tired leg we settled on our tram seat and immediately entered the world of the peak. The angular track climbing at speed, started throwing views of tall buildings outside at absurd angles.
Entry to Peak Tower, the other end of tram, was as ceremonial. There are 5 tiers through which one has to go to reach the rooftop for the uninhibited view. We crossed the souvenir shops and Madame Tussauds without getting tempted but couldn’t resist ourselves at the food court. Settling for a simple burger at Burger King we saw the expanse of HK from here and were thrilled.
The rooftop of Peak Tower is another world. Such different views come from different sides that you would not have believed they come from the same viewpoint. On one side is the jungle of skyscrapers averaging forty stories. On diametrically opposite side is the vast expanse of sea with sporadic isles and ships visible. At night this side is not visible as much but the skyscrapers light up like Paris.
There is a route at the top of Victoria Peak taking you to Peak Garden and other viewpoints equally beautiful. The downhill trek is preferred by some as it is less tiring and the slow change of gradient is pleasant to the eyes. Else one need to wait on weekends in another queue to back downhill on tram. Some people take sharing cabs to the peak to save on time which is a good idea if you are not too sentimental about the rides.
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