Hong Kong / Lantau & the Outlying Islands / Lantau IslandLantau Island
Ngong Ping 360, the Big Buddha and Tai O's Stilt Houses
Hong Kong's biggest island, where the airport is, and mostly country park. From Tung Chung, next to the airport, the Ngong Ping 360 cable car rides 5.7 km over the hills (about 25 minutes) to the Tian Tan Buddha, the giant bronze Big Buddha up 268 steps, with Po Lin Monastery below it, whose restaurant serves Buddhist vegetarian meals, and the Wisdom Path. A bus runs on to Tai O, a fishing village of houses on stilts over the creek, where small boats go out to look for the pink Chinese white dolphins. Lantau Peak, Hong Kong's second-highest, is a hard sunrise climb from Ngong Ping, and Cheung Sha on the south coast is the longest beach in the territory. The hotels are in Tung Chung and at the airport, which makes this an easy first or last night; Tai O has one small heritage hotel.
Highlights
- Ngong Ping 360 cable car (or the glass-floored Crystal Cabin)
- Tian Tan Buddha
- Vegetarian meal at Po Lin Monastery
- Wisdom Path
- Stilt houses of Tai O
- Boat trip to look for pink dolphins
- Sunrise on Lantau Peak
- Cheung Sha Beach
Things to do
- Ngong Ping 360 cable car to the Big Buddha and Po Lin MonasteryMorning · 4h
- Buddhist vegetarian lunch at Po Lin MonasteryAfternoon · 1h
- Wisdom Path walkAfternoon · 1h
- Tai O stilt-house village and a dolphin-spotting boatAfternoon · 3h
- Lantau Peak sunrise climb from Ngong PingMorning · 4h
- Afternoon on Cheung Sha BeachAfternoon · 2h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: October – December
Worth knowing
Typhoon Season
July to September is the height of the typhoon season. When the Hong Kong Observatory raises the No. 8 signal, almost everything shuts for hours to a day or two: ferries stop, the cable car, Disneyland, Ocean Park and most shops close, buses thin out, the MTR runs a reduced service and flights are cancelled. Watch the Observatory's app, keep a spare day before your flight home, and book refundable rooms and tickets.
Heads up
Typhoon Risk
Typhoons can reach Hong Kong from May to November, less often than in high summer. If the No. 8 signal goes up, ferries, theme parks and most sights close until it comes down: keep plans flexible and check the Hong Kong Observatory's app.
Worth knowing
Heat and Storms on the Trails
Summer days are 31-34 °C and very humid, and the Dragon's Back, Lantau Peak and Sai Kung's trails have little shade. Start at dawn, carry two litres of water a person, and turn back if the Observatory issues a red or black rainstorm warning or a thunderstorm warning: hill paths flood and landslips happen.
Heads up
Chinese New Year Closures
Over Chinese New Year (6 February 2027) small shops and family restaurants close for a few days, and the theme parks, the cable car and the islands are busy with holiday crowds. Book tickets ahead.
Worth knowing
Golden Week Crowds
Mainland China's National Day holiday, 1-7 October, brings Hong Kong's biggest crowds of the year: hour-long queues for Ngong Ping 360, the Peak Tram, Disneyland and Ocean Park, packed MTR trains and higher hotel prices. Avoid that week if you can, or book every ticket online for a fixed time.
Heads up
May Day Holiday Crowds
Mainland China's May Day holiday, in the first days of May, brings a shorter rush of visitors: expect queues at the cable car, the Peak Tram and the theme parks, and book tickets ahead.
- Buddha's Birthday — A public holiday. Po Lin Monastery below the Big Buddha on Lantau holds the ceremony of bathing the Buddha, and Chi Lin Nunnery and the other monasteries are busy with worshippers; expect long queues for the cable car.
- Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat Festival) — Dragon boat races at Stanley Main Beach (the biggest, with crowds and stalls on the sand), Aberdeen and many other harbours, and in Tai O on Lantau a traditional water parade of the fishing community's gods. Rice dumplings wrapped in leaves are eaten everywhere.