The entrance to the Peak Tram.

We were told you couldn’t visit Hong Kong without visiting Victoria Peak to see the views of skyscrapers and Victoria harbor. Locally known as The Peak, it is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island at 1,811 feet.

Surrounding the peak are several trails to hike along and high-value residential land. As visitors take in the views, they have the opportunity to see Central Hong Kong, Victoria Harbor, and Lamma Island, as well as other surrounding islands.

Originally, residential areas at the peak was only open to those who were not Chinese. Today, you can live there if you’re rich enough. Properties here are more expensive than anywhere else in the world.

The Peak Tram opened in May 1888 and the tourists flocked to the area soon after.

Our day begins on a crowded MTR as we head toward Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.

As we walk toward the Peak Tram, we pass the HSBC building and the “gun turrets” that make everything right in Hong Kong.

These folks were having a lot of fun doing exercise in the park. You know who is having the most fun? The smart guy on the left who is sitting down.

The tram approaches.

The Peak Tram line.

The ride up to Victoria Peak on the Peak Tram is a vertical climb. Good thing it never breaks.

Students from Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School were having an English learning day at the Peak in Hong Kong. These nice young ladies asked me questions about why I was in Hong Kong, where I was from, and what was my favorite thing in Hong Kong. When they were finished, they read to me about their favorite place I should visit. Between Paul and I, we were told to visit the beach, the zoo, and Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha.

Students from Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School were having an English learning day at the Peak in Hong Kong. They had to approach people who they thought spoke English and ask them a series of questions about why the people were visiting the Peak and Hong Kong.

School children get ready to pounce on unsuspecting English-speaking people to practice their English skills.

Another view from the Peak.

Paul hanging out at Victoria Peak.

Although it looks like someone is swimming in that pool, it is a kite (the bird) flying high above the treeline.

Some homes up near the Peak.

A butterfly takes a rest at Victoria Peak.

Butterflies were in abundance at Victoria Peak on the day Paul and I visited.

A Great Mormon butterfly glides through the air at Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.

A Great Mormon butterfly at Victoria Peak in Hong Kong finds a place it likes to rest for a while.

Along one of the many trails you can hike at Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.

These guys are everywhere up at Victoria Peak.

I asked Paul what he thought this was. “Probably something that can kill us,” he said. Thanks to help from Katie and Jeff Bradshaw, I now know this is an ant-mimicking tiger beetle.

Part of the roof was closed so these guys could do some “work” at the top of Victoria Peak.

More homes up along Victoria Peak.

Thanks to Katie and Jeff Bradshaw for some animal identifications.