Another perilous path up to Lantau Peak. High scrambling with magnificent views of the Big Buddha and all the surrounding landscape.

  • Beauty/fun: 6.5/10 initial rock river, the thrilling exposed scrambling, the views. Some bush walking and too many wrong paths.
  • Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 9/10 if you are OK with really high scrambling, borderline climbing. Easier than Feng Bi, but as deadly if you screw it. You are going really high in this one. Tons of small loose rocks. If with weaker hikers I would have brought the 7mm climbing rope and secured them step by step. The chain is OK to understand the beta, but, as usual with anything you have not set up, be careful and do not trust your life on it. Some slightly confusing navigation spots. Check the GPS and old ribbons. Newer ones might bring you to easier paths. Everything is explained below.
  • The map (how to download to your phone offline maps)

See full screen & the Garmin track.

The name is a bit confusing. For years I heard people calling it Inverted Bowl in English. But recently I realized that they were saying it wrong. 倒腕崖 Wrist is the second character, not bowl 碗, although it looks similar. The first video that I watched of the area, from the Wildconquerors

was pretty impressive. But Ina told me that she thought it was easier than Feng Bi. So added to the to-do list. In these last five years, the route has changed a bit. First, as with Feng Bi, it has become more well-known and hiked. With quite some Instagram posts and videos. In early 2023 I saw also that someone had set up a chain there… I was worried that it would attract even more hikers with a wrong sense of security. So far I have not heard of any accident. But beware.

In late December 2024, I took a few regular buddies, including the climbing ladies, there. They did not have much time but the day looked perfect. Cool and very dry. MTR to Tung Chung and bus or taxi to Ngong Ping. WC next to the Big Buddha and walk to the Wisdom Path. Hike very short on the Lantau trail upward towards Lantau Peak and turn into a relatively obscure path, same as one of the options up North Heaven’s Gate. Check the GPS. Our outing video.

There are several paths there now. My guess opened by big enough groups that took the wrong turn and continued up. Unnecessarily extra bushy (2 on the map). Try to stick to the GPS track or look for ribbons. If you don’t see any for a little while go down and find another path. Eventually you will arrive at the rock river (0:25).

Scramble it up until you arrive at the arrow painted on the rock (0:46). Mica asked if we needed to climb it 😄 Nah. The arrow, a bit confusingly, is in reality pointing to a dirt path on its left.

Atop the most confusing fork (4). Mica & Tania in front didn’t even see the old ribbon heading to the cliff and they continued on the clear path just under heading towards North Heaven’s Gate (green line heading towards red on that route map). There are tons of ribbons heading in that direction. The openstreetmap was also very confusing. It showed two different parallel paths. So just in case there was any new way up, we checked it for a while. But eventually, after not finding anything interesting, we went back to the old path (0:53).

From Mike’s drone footage in this Instagram post the diagram. The cliff is almost in perpendicular line above the rock river. The arrows starting from the obscure fork.

And here is where the real fun starts. In a minute you are in the (in)famous cliff. Now with the chain (1:13). It is not complex once you figure out the correct footholds and handholds, but it is very exposed. A very high drop on your left side.

In this video you can watch more drone footage of the spot.

And his scrambling beta. I have copy pasted it below for easier reference. The first challenge atop. Below the remaining perilous scrambling.

I have added the modified version now (purple) following the chain. Which I guess will become the main route moving forward. A few high scrambles and loose small rocks here. Just go up carefully leaving enough space between the team members.

After the adrenaline rush we got into the bush and woods area (3:32) where there is no more high scrambling. Relatively clear path up to Lantau Subpeak.

Once there you can decide how to continue. In our case we looped back to the starting point through North Heavens’, one tree cave and down to Ngon Ping. For an easier option, you could go up to Lantau Peak and hike down Lantau trail in any of the directions. If the ladies would not have been in a rush we would have started climbing Lion Head (next post) or Feng Bi for a longer day out.

As I mentioned before there are tons of videos nowadays showing this route. I will add a few for those who want to have more visual references. Video starting in Feng Bi. It includes drone footage and the easiest way up the first challenge at 31:07

Another directly through the rock river. At 3:36 just after the obscure fork approaching the first challenge.

Another video doing Feng Bi first and Inverted Wrist after.

In Feng Bi, the lady was struggling a little bit lower than where the guy that I needed to help almost fell. Good that they had the cameraman that looks experienced. Good they had the rope too to help them up the tricky first climb in Inverted Wrist.

3h55min full solo ascend video POV. Unedited. Including quite some Cantonese talking, some singing and tons of stops 😅 No. I did not watch it all + most of what I did at x2 speed. At 0:52:35 the start of the climbing section, with chain since 2023, as mentioned.

Enjoy safely up there!