Lantau Island

Lantau Island is the largest island in Hong Kong, where you can find The Chek Lap Kok International Airport, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tian Tan Buddha and Tai O etc. My daytrip destinations were the Tian Tan Buddha and Tai O. Lantau Island used to be accessible only by ferry. Along with the construction of the airport came the Tung Chung MTR subway line, connecting the island to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. From Tung Chung, we took a 1.5hr bus ride and crossed over a few mountains to reach the Giant Buddha at Ngong Ping. (A new cable car service will be in operation this year - Ngong Ping 360 that connects Tung Chung to Ngong Ping)


Tian Tan Buddha


For lunch we had an awesome vegetarian meal in the Po Lin Monastary. After climbing 268 steps to reach the Buddha, under its shadow we took in the breathtaking 360 view of the surrounding, including the Po Lin Monastary and Shek Pik Reservoir.


Tai O - a fishing village


A 10-min bus ride from the Giant Buddha we reached Tai O, aka "Venice of Hong Kong" for the houses in this fishing village are built on stilts along the small river. The most memorable about Tai O is the little "ferry" that used to take people across the river. The 30-sec trip costed 30 cents! Unfortunately the ferry service was replaced by an ugly steel bridge and this "Tai O" experience is documented in books and photographs.


Well-known dimsum in Tai O - 茶果 "Cha Gwoh"
Glutinous rice ball with peanut/sesame filling



Local Specialty - Sun-dried Seafood


Being my very first visit to Tian Tan Buddha the day trip was another memorable experience. From a relatively rural setting Lantau Island has been very well developed with many great infrastructure and facilities. With the touristy addition of Ngong Ping market and cable car, the setting of the Monastary and the Buddha remain very peaceful and serene. My last visit to Tai O dated more than ten years ago, even after the fire in 2000, it is still a very attractive daytripping destination that lives up to its many nicknames - "Venice of HK", "Village on Stilts".


Tian Tan Buddha on Wikipedia
Tai O on Wikipedia