I first noticed it while walking along the Wisdom Path.
I stopped in my tracks. Just listened.
Despite the fact that Hong Kong was just kilometers away, all I could hear around me was bird song and a light breeze sifting through the trees along the path to Lantau Peak. It was green as far as the eye could see with mostly-haze-free blue skies above, and if I hadn't come from the city just an hour earlier, I would have never believed that it was anywhere nearby.
Welcome to Lantau Island
Hong Kong can be quite an overwhelming place, especially if you're not a fan of huge cities. It's crowded and noisy and smoggy and big. And very, very tall. There ARE some green spaces to be found, just like in any large city, but if you really want to get a taste of “nature” in Hong Kong, you have to put in a little bit of effort.
I had never heard of Lantau Island before arriving in Hong Kong. But then suddenly everyone was telling me to go there to see the Big Buddha — one of the largest sitting buddha statues in the world.
Why not?
I teamed up with a friend of a friend for the day and hopped on the MTR all the way to the end of the Tung Chung line. From there, we headed to the Ngong Ping 360 gondola station, where we bought tickets for fancy glass-bottomed cable cars that would take us over to Lantau Island.
Taking the gondola is not ideal for those afraid of heights, but it's the best way to get to Lantau. The 5.7-kilometer journey takes about 25 minutes, but was over in what felt like seconds.
Once on the island, you first walk through a little re-created village filled with souvenir shops and restaurants. Once you get through that, though, the island opens up before you. I visited in the morning (before noon) and found the island to be almost empty in comparison to the city I'd just left behind.
There were three highlights for me on Lantau Island:
The Tian Tan Buddha, reigning over the island atop a hill along with six Devas presenting him with offerings. There are quite a few steps to climb up to see him, but it was worth it.
Po Lin Monastery, which was unfortunately undergoing renovations when we were there, but was nonetheless quite peaceful and pretty.
And the Wisdom Path, roughly halfway between the Big Buddha and Po Lin, which is a collection of 38 tall wooden pillars inscribed with verses from the Heart Sutra.
No matter where we were on the island, there was a lovely sense of calm that you won't find in Hong Kong. Yes, Lantau Island is a tourist destination, but there are spots on it (especially if you visit in the morning during the winter months) that are virtually empty.
Visiting Lantau Island was hands-down my favorite part of my trip to Hong Kong.
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GETTING THERE: Hop on the MTR to the end of the Tung Chung (orange) line. From there, I recommend taking the Ngong Ping 360 cable car. A round-trip in a standard cabin costs $150 HKD (about $19 USD), while a round-trip in a “Crystal Cabin” (AKA the glass-bottomed cars) costs $235 HKD (about $30 USD). Once you are on Lantau Island, the major attractions are free to visit, so this is actually a pretty economical day trip.
WHAT TO SEE: Climb up to see the Big Buddha (free, unless you want to go in the museum at the top or have lunch there); walk the Wisdom Path; visit Po Lin Monastery; take a bus to Tai O, a traditional fishing village built on stilts; or even climb Lantau Peak, the highest mountain in Hong Kong.
WHEN TO GO: The earlier in the day, the better. The crowds will arrive on the island around lunchtime, so to beat them there, go in the morning. If you want to expedite your wait time in line at the cable car stop, look into pre-booking your tickets online.
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Would this be on YOUR Hong Kong itinerary?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
That looks so beautiful! I’d love to go to Hong Kong!
My favourite is the Buddha with the sun shining above! 🙂
Well one day you should visit, Helen!
What a fascinating place! Really enjoyed your photos too.
Thanks, Anne!
I loved Lantau Island! Though somehow I missed those amazing pillars between the Buddha and Po Lin. Probably because I was in a rush to get to Tai O fishing Village on the other side of the island. I highly recommend visiting that village on your next trip – it was my favorite part of the island!
Ah, yeah, the Wisdom Path is at the end of a trail that starts about halfway between the Big Buddha and Po Lin. You have to walk along it for maybe 10 minutes or so before you get to the pillars!
We wanted to go to Tai O, but by the time we did everything else, it was mid-afternoon and the tourist crowds were starting to arrive. We also wanted to be back in the city at a certain time to meet people for dinner, so we decided to skip it. It looks really cool in photos I’ve seen, though!
Lantau Island looks so peaceful and relaxing, will definitely check it out if I’m ever in Hong Kong. Sounds like you had a great day out 🙂
I did! I went here on my first full day in Asia – what a way to start the trip!
Great post. Any photos of that glass-bottom cabin? I’m sure it was exciting (or scary, depending on who’s riding) 😉
I do have a few photos, but they aren’t great so I didn’t include them in the post. It was really cool to look down over the water and terrain we were passing over though!
I had never heard of Lantau island before, but it will certainly be in my top list of attractions to visit if I ever find myself in Hong Kong. I love Buddha statues, big and small!
If you love Buddhas, this is definitely one to see!
Great article! I visited the Big Buddha at the end of December with my 4 yr old and we both loved it. I arranged cable car tickets in advance via http://www.np360.com.hk/en/ which got us into a shorter ticket line on a busy day. No matter how many times I visit Hong Kong, I am always surprised by the nature that can be found just outside the city.
Arranging tickets ahead of time is smart! We waited in line quite a while, even though we went early in the morning.
I would definitely love to visit here while in Hong Kong. Your photos and description reminds me a lot of Chapultepec Park in Mexico City. Here you have the most populated city in the world but then there is this gorgeous and massive park-so much greenery, so much quiet peacefulness!
It’s so nice to have places like this in big cities!
I’ve only been to Hong Kong as part of a business trip, so I haven’t really had the chance to travel around to tourist destinations. But Lantau Island is probably the one place I’d definitely spare my time for if I visit there next time, other than visiting Macau.
Lantau will probably be my top suggestion for anyone traveling to HK from now on!
Lantau is definitely on my list. Love the photos, Amanda!
Thanks, Liv! A worthy spot to put on your list.
The Wisdom Path looks fantastic! I’ve always wanted to see the Big Buddha but truly had no idea where it was located. Was it pretty hot or humid? I imagine it would be worthy to plan according to the weather as well.
The weather was perfect. It’s “winter” in Asia right now, but it wasn’t cold at all (by my standards) in HK. The day we went to Lantau was sunny but cooler – perfect for exploring!
It looks great and would definitely make a perfect day trip! Can’t wait to go there one day soon.
Yeah it was great!
Hong Kong is one of the few places in Asia that I actually want to visit, so I am bookmarking this. Looks like a lovely day trip!
It’s a must-do day trip if you have enough time!
How beautiful! I loved Hong Kong so much and I was bummed that I was not able to visit Lantau Island. Your photos are so beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
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You’ll have to be sure to go next time!
I loved Lantau Island – you’re right, it’s just so peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong! You were lucky with the weather too by the looks of it 🙂 When I was there unfortunately the cable car was undergoing renovations so we had to take a cab… after forty minutes I had never been so glad to see the steps up to the Giant Buddha, I was convinced we were going to the middle of nowhere!
Aww bummer! The cable car was one of the best parts!