Lantau Island is not so much a neighbourhood of Hong Kong, but the largest island. Despite the large surface there are only around 50,000 inhabitants (compared to Hong Kong Island, with up to 1.5 million people). The reason is that most of the island is a nature reserve.
Therfore, the island is well known for relaxation, to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. On the island, apart from the stunning nature, you can find the famous sitting Buddha, the Buddhist Po Lin Monestery and the picturesque fishing village of Tai O.
Depending on the time you have it is definitely worth a visit for a day or two.
MTR – Tung Chung:
The easiest way to get to Lantau Island is to take the Tung Chung metro line (orange line) to the endpoint Tung Chung.
Tip: Do you plan to travel a lot by public transportation take the Octopus Card.
Link: Hong Kong Metro (EN)
Link: Octopus Card (EN)
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Tung Chung fountain:
Tung Chung is one of the newer residential areas of Hong Kong. But the fountain at the MTR is worth visiting, not because it looks very spectacular, but it’s a lot of fun for children, as they walk through the fountain and get soaked by the sudden spray of water.
Tip: Want to cool down a little, or feel like a kid again? Walk through the fountain, and take a gamble if you get sprayed or not, by not looking where you walk.
Ngong Ping 360 Sky Rail:
The Ngong Ping Cable Car is a 5.7 km long cable car brings you from Tung Chung to to the Ngong Ping Village in 25 minutes. Along the way you have stunning panoramic view over the South China Sea, Lantau Airport, and the mountains and valleys of Lantau Island. Behind the green mountains and valleys you can see the breathtaking sitting Tian Tan Buddha overlooking everything.
Tip: You can also take a Crystal Cabin, where the floor of the gondola cable car is made from plexiglass so you can see through the bottom. Not for those afarid of heights.
Link: Ngong Ping 360 Sky Rail
Ngong Ping 360 Village:
The Ngong Ping 360 Village is a themed village that was built to promote and explain the cultural, mental and spiritual background of the Ngong Ping area. The best attraction: Walking with Buddha, where you travel through the various stages of Siddhartha’s life, the Prince who reached the highest consciousness and became the Buddha. This popular tourist attraction is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Link: Walking with Buddha
Tian Tan Buddha:
In Ngong Ping you can admire the largest seated bronze Tian Tan Buddha, with his right hand raised. The 34 meters high statue weighs 250 tons is also known as the Big Buddha. The Buddha statue sits on a lotus throne on top of a three tier platform altar and is surrounded by six smaller bronze Bodhisattva statues that present sacrifice offers such as flowers, incense, a lamp, cream, fruit, and music to the Buddha. These offers symbolize love, morality, patience, diligence, meditation and wisdom.
Tip: Climb the 268 steps to view the Buddha from up close, it is absolutely worth it!
Link: Tian Tan Buddha
Address: Ngong Ping Plateau
Po Lin Monastery:
Just like the Like the Tian Tan Buddha, the Po Lin Monastery is situated on the Ngong Ping plateau 520 meters above sea level. Three monks from Jiangsu founded the monastery in 1906, and in 1924 it received its current name. In the main temple there are three golden Buddha statues, that represent the past, present and future.
Link: Po Lin Monastery
Address: Ngong Ping Plateau
Po Lin Vegetarian Restaurant:
After such a long climb up the steps from the Tian Tan Buddha, you can enjoy a vegetarian lunch prepared by the monks of the Po Lin Monastery. The meal is balanced in such a way that it cleans the stomach and intestines. Depending on the number of people at a table, the dishes served vary: like soup, a fried dish, a vegetable dish and, of course, rice. Food is served between 11:30 and 14:30, and good value for money.
Tip: You must go to the usher at the entrance before you will be called in.
Link: Po Lin Vegetarian Restaurant
Address: Left of the entrance to the main temple.
Wisdom Path:
The centuries-old Heart Sutra, is one of the world’s most famous prayers that is revered by Buddhists, Taoists and Confucians. The Sutra is a popular, simple, but profound text. Literally it means: a wire or line that holds something together.
The Wisdom Path is a path where you can walk between 38 rectangular wooden boards cut with the 260 words prayer in beautiful Chinese calligraphy. The boards are about 3 meters in height and look stunning between the mountain slopes.
Tip: Take a moment to visit the wisdom path, even though only the Sutra is only written in Chinese characters.
Address: located 15 minutes walk from the Po Lin Monastery.
Tai O Village:
Tai O fishing village is best known for their distinctive P’aang Ngok, houses built on stilts on the water. Originally the Tanka, or boat people, lived on their boats near the coast and over the years they built houses on stilts to live in. This amazing town has a lively market where you can eat delicious fish and also buy lot of dried fish. Furthermore, you can visit some lovely temples and take a boat trip to view the houses from the water, and see if you’re lucky enough to spot the pink dolphins.
Tip: Take bus 21 from Ngong Ping to get to Tai O.
Link: Octopus Card
Hong Kong Disneyland:
In 2005 Disneyland opened its doors in Hong Kong after Chinese numerology and Feng Shui decided where to build the different attractions. Disneyland is located on a beautiful bay against a backdrop of green hills on the island of Lantau.
Address: Take the the Disneyland Resort Line (pink line) from Tung Chung Line from Sunny Bay Station.
Link: Disneyland Resort