Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Central, Kowloon and Mong Kok, Lantau Island is by far my favourite place in Hong Kong. This island has a fantastic mix of beaches, mountains, big attractions and small towns that offer a glimpse into Hong Kong’s past.
What to Do
Whether you want to hike big peaks, drink beers at the beach, or visit ancient monasteries, Lantau has you covered. The famous Po Lin monastery and Big Buddha at Ngong Ping make a great day trip by themselves, but don’t leave too quickly. Tai O is a historic fishing village known for unique houses on stilts, tofu pudding and some awesome seafood.
At the other end of the island lies Discovery Bay, a modern resorty town complete with a shopping mall, ice rink, golf course and beaches. Just watch out for people zipping about in golf carts–cars are quite restricted on Lantau to keep pollution down.
How to Get to Lantau Island
Getting to Lantau really depends on what you want to see once you’re there, it is possible to bus around or take a local taxi, but it’s a pretty big island and some of the towns, like Discovery Bay and Tai O–at opposite ends of the island–are a good hour apart.
For Discovery Bay and Mui Wo, there are regular ferries from the central ferry piers that take 30 and 50 minutes, respectively, but the journey is very scenic with views of the harbour and the little islands that break the big blue.
Disneyland has its own train station and Disney-themed trains–you just have to connect at Sunny Bay.
For the big Buddha at Ngong Ping, you have a couple of choices that both start by taking the MTR (metro) to Tung Chung. From Tung Chung station, you can cross the road and take the Lantau Island cable car or walk over to the bus station and get a coach to the top. The latter is a cheaper option and my preferred way up. Don’t get me wrong, the cable car has spectacular views, but on the bus you get to see all the little villages on the way up and, if you’re lucky, Lantau’s famous wild cows.
Discovery Bay, Lantau Island
The ferry to Discovery Bay takes you right into the centre of things at the plaza, an upmarket shopping mall with restaurants, supermarkets and an ice rink.
Discovery Bay has more residential buildings and complexes than other towns on Lantau and seems to be a popular expat spot. Living 30 minutes on the ferry from central by a beach surrounded by nature is a pretty good deal.
From Discovery Bay, you can hike up into the hills and all the way across to Mui Wo. It’s a great trail that passes a small abbey across a stream and gives great views of the small islands that surround Lantau.
Mui Wo
The next town south of Discovery Bay, Mui Wo, has an older feel to it, with lower buildings and long beaches. This is where we stayed last year on Lantau and thoroughly enjoyed it. The main part of town around the ferry terminal has everything you need–supermarkets, 7-11, bars and restaurants serving great seafood.
Around the bay from the main part of town lies Silvermine Beach, a long sandy beach that I imagine gets busy in summer. In winter, it was very peaceful, the old resorts were half empty, and only a few locals walked along the promenade.
Lantau South Country Park is accessible by little trails at the edge of town, and there is essentially endless hiking. If you wanted to, it’s possible to walk all the way from Mui Wo to Lantau Peak and Ngong Ping–I did not make it that far on my morning runs. There are also campsites dotted around the island–all of which are well marked–as are the trails in general.
Tai O
Located on the western side of the island, this old village has to be my favourite place on Lantau. Tai O dates back to the Ming dynasty, when fishermen began to settle in the area and started producing traditional seafood like salted fish and dried cuttlefish. To this day, there are tonnes of small shops selling all sorts of cool seafood, and of course, tofu pudding–my personal favourite.
Today, Tai O is beginning to develop with bigger buildings on the edge of town, but the “Venice of the East,” part of town around the canals, still serves traditional food with little shops selling seafood and plenty of street food. Tourism is definitely supporting Tai O, but when we visited, on a weekend in winter, the town was lively but not crowded. It does take a good 40 to 50 minutes on a bus to get there from Tung Chung, and coaches are restricted.
From the main part of town, we walked about 20 minutes to the Tai O Heritage Hotel, a converted colonial police station looking out into the harbour. Along the way, there are plenty of little shops making shrimp paste and dried seafood.
Ngong Ping and Big Buddha
There is no shortage of things to do in Lantau Island, but Big Buddha is at the top of most people’s list. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great day out, just be sure to get up early to avoid the endless coaches ferrying in thousands from mainland China every day.
After getting the bus or coach up to Ngong Ping, a replica of a small traditional village with gift shops and a few cafes, you walk up to the bottom of the Big Buddha, a giant metal statue perched atop a hill.
Up into the bush, behind Ngong Ping and lies the Po Lin Monastery, a beautiful working monastery with monks, incense and lots of Buddhas. For the Adventurous, this is the starting point to climb the peak, or for a more relaxing time, follow the wisdom path behind the monastery.
Lantau Island: a Day Trip or More
There is plenty to keep you busy on Lantau for a day, but if you have the time, I would recommend staying for at least a night–accommodation is far more spacious than what you would get for the sme price in Central and places like Mui Wo and Discovery bay make a great base to explore from.
On our final day in Lantau, we decided to go straight to Macau before heading back to Central. Why? Well, the buses to Macau leave from the artificial airport island right next to Lantau, so rather than it being a two-hour journey from central, or an expensive ferry ride, it took us just over an hour to get the bus across the massive bridge to Macau.
So next time you are in Hong Kong, hop on a boat and explore! It’s hard to get bored with so many different things to see, and a bit of nature in one of the world’s most densely packed cities certainly won’t hurt.
