Most people picture Hong Kong as neon signs, packed MTR trains and towers squeezed against the harbour. So it surprised me how quickly the city disappears once you head out to Lantau Island, the biggest island in Hong Kong and the one you see from the plane window when you land. In a single day my friend and I rode a cable car over the mountains, climbed up to a giant bronze Buddha and ate fish balls in a fishing village built on stilts. It was easily my favourite day of the trip.
We went on a weekday in late summer, which meant heat, humidity and a sky that changed its mind every hour.
Getting to the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car
The day starts at Tung Chung MTR station, at the end of the Tung Chung line. Leave through Exit B and the escalators up to the cable car terminal are right there. It is also close to the airport, so some travellers do this trip on their first or last day.
We bought the 360 Tai O pass online the night before. It bundles the cable car, a return bus between Ngong Ping and Tai O and a short boat ride in Tai O, and works out cheaper than paying for each part separately. At the counter you swap your voucher for paper tickets and a map. Keep every ticket safe, because you need the bus ticket again for the ride back.
The cable car opens at 10 am on weekdays and 9 am on weekends and holidays, closing around 6 pm. We turned up right at opening and walked straight on.
Standard, Crystal or Crystal+?
There are three types of cabin: the normal Standard cabin, the Crystal cabin with a glass floor, and the Crystal+ cabin, which is see-through almost all the way round. We booked Standard and paid a little extra at the station to upgrade our ride up to Crystal. Watching the trees slide past under my shoes was terrifying for two minutes and then completely addictive.
The line is about 5.7 kilometres long and the ride takes around 25 minutes with no stops. First you cross Tung Chung Bay with the airport behind you, then the cable climbs over ridge after ridge of green hills. Because it was early, we had a cabin all to ourselves.
View from the cable car over the green mountains of Lantau Island towards the sea
Tai O Fishing Village: Stilt Houses and Pink Dolphins
At the top you arrive in Ngong Ping Village, a strip of souvenir shops, cafes and a convenience store. A tip I read before the trip turned out to be gold: check the bus timetable to Tai O first. We caught the next bus 21 from the bus station beside the village and left the Buddha for the afternoon, so we never had to rush. The ride takes about 20 to 25 minutes. If you skip the cable car entirely, bus 11 runs from Tung Chung to Tai O in about 50 minutes.
Tai O is one of the oldest fishing villages in Hong Kong and feels like a different world from Central. Families here built their homes on wooden stilts over the tidal creeks, which is why people call it the Venice of the East. It reminded me a little of the floating villages in the Mekong Delta back home, only with steep green mountains behind the rooftops.
The Boat Ride
The boats leave from a pier next to the redemption booth as soon as they are full. First the boat weaves slowly between the stilt houses, so you can see how they are built, each with its own little deck over the water. The roof of the boat can be lowered, and our captain dropped it every time we squeezed under a bridge.
Wooden stilt houses of Tai O seen from a small boat on the water
Then the boat heads out to open water to look for Chinese white dolphins. Despite the name, they are actually pink, and seeing a few surface near our boat made everyone onboard go quiet. My phone could not catch them, so you will have to trust me. The whole ride took about 20 minutes.
Stilt houses lining the waterway in Tai O with green hills behind
Snacks in the Village
Back on land we wandered lanes full of stalls selling dried fish, salted shrimp and other seafood. We snacked on sa yung (fried sugar puffs), huge fish balls and a bowl of silky tofu pudding. Food in Tai O is cheaper than up at Ngong Ping, so I would eat lunch here. There are also lots of cats lazing around who do not care about tourists at all.
Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery
In the afternoon we took the bus back to Ngong Ping, which was much busier by then. The Tian Tan Buddha, usually just called the Big Buddha, is a seated bronze figure about 34 metres tall on a hilltop above the village. You reach it by a long, steep staircase, a real leg workout in summer, but the closer you get the more impressive it becomes. There is an indoor hall under the statue if you need a break from the sun.
The bronze Tian Tan Big Buddha rising above the trees on its hilltop
Next to it is Po Lin Monastery, founded in 1906 and one of the most important Buddhist sites in Hong Kong. Before the cable car, pilgrims faced a long, tiring journey to get up here. The courtyard is full of incense burners and potted lotus plants, and the colourful halls are beautiful even if you just walk around quietly.
On the way down the Standard queue was long while the Crystal queue was short, and we were moved into a Crystal cabin for free. A lucky end to the day.
Tips for a Day on Lantau Island
- Start early. Arrive at Tung Chung before the cable car opens, especially on weekends.
- Check the weather. Summer is typhoon season and the cable car can be suspended in strong wind. Low cloud can also hide the Buddha in the morning.
- Do Tai O first. Check the bus times at Ngong Ping, go down to the village, then come back for the Buddha.
- Bring water and sunscreen. The Buddha stairs and the village lanes have little shade.
Final Thoughts
Lantau showed me a side of Hong Kong I did not expect: quiet hills, a peaceful monastery and a village where people still live above the water. If you have one free day and you are tired of shopping malls, ride the cable car, eat your way through Tai O and climb up to say hello to the Big Buddha. Just wear comfortable shoes.
