Victoria Peak Is the Tallest Mountain on Hong Kong Island

Looking at a picture of Hong Kong Island taken from Kowloon, across Victoria Harbour, one cannot miss the mountain range that stretches south of Hong Kong’s financial heart, Central, with Victoria Peak as a commanding presence.

Although its height has been subdued over the decades by the hundreds of skyscrapers built at its feet, Victoria Peak, also known historically as Mount Austin, remains a prominent feature on Hong Kong Island.

Paradoxically, even though it is the tallest peak on Hong Kong Island, with an elevation of 552 meters (1,811 feet) above sea level, Victoria Peak does not qualify as a mountain, as mountains are defined as land masses that rise at least 610 meters (2,000 feet) above sea level.

Better yet, the iconic photographs of Hong Kong that often illustrate articles about the city are not taken from Victoria Peak itself but from the Peak Tower, a major tourist attraction at Victoria Gap, roughly 150 meters (490 feet) below the summit of Victoria Peak.

The summit, on the other hand, is the site of radio telecommunication facilities and is not accessible to visitors. The closest publicly accessible area on the Peak is Victoria Peak Garden, located on the site of the former Mountain Lodge, the Governor’s summer residence when Hong Kong was a British colony.