Hong Kong Travel - Lantau

Lantau

The Outlying Islands are the 235 islands that surround Hong Kong. The biggest and most famous of them is Lantau island.
Lantau Island is twice as big as Hong Kong Island but far less populated, and thus more tranquil.
Lantau offers a few tourist attractions that you should not miss.

Getting to Lantau Island

There are three options to get to Lantau.

Subway and buses

This is my recommendation - use the great Hong Kong subway which service major destinations on Lantau Island from Hong Kong and Kowloon.
On Lantau island the subway rides above ground in most areas, providing the tourists with nice views of the island.
Once on Lantau, you can also use the buses that can get you anywhere around the island.

Ferry from Hong Kong to Lantau

The ferry service to Hong Kong island is fast and fairly regular, but it is more expensive than the subway route.

Getting to Lantau by plane

Actually, the airport is located at the west side of Lantau, so you can get out of the airport and into the island, but most people head strait from the airport to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island, and if they return to Lantau it is by the ferry or subway.

Lantau guided tour

A simple way to see Lantau is to take a guided tour. The island is not big and in one day tour you can see the important sites.

Hotels in Lantau

There aren't many options in Lantau, most tourists stay at HK or Kowloon. If you want to get away from the busy life of those areas then staying at a hotel in Lantau is a good choise.
I recommend Silvermine Beach Hotel. It's in a good location, a few minutes walk from the main ferry pier at Silvermine Bay, with nice views of the beach and ocean. It also not expensive, about 550 HK dollars a night.

Lantau Attractions and Landmarks

Po Lin Monastery and The Giant Buddha

Po Lin Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located on Ngong Ping Plateau, and is Hong Kong's major center for Buddhism.
The major attraction here is the enormous Tian Tan Buddha statue, located near the monastery. It is the tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha statue in the world.
Below the Buddha status there are exhibition halls. Entrance fee of HK$60 (includes a vegetarian meal served on the monastery grounds and a souvenir card with an image of the statue).
Use the following bus routes to get to Ngong Ping:
NLB No. 2: from Mui Wo (ferry station)
NLB No. 23: from Tung Chung (MTR station), 16-25 HK$.

Ocean Park

If you travel to Hong Kong with children, you can take them to this water based attraction.
Ocean Park is a very big complex of swimming pools and other water related activities, that hosts big aquarium, water slides, animal shows etc. To get to Ocean Park, use the bus or take the MTR (subway) to Admiralty Station.

Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland is a great attraction park for children, don't miss it.

Tai O (a characteristic fishing village built on stilts)

This fishing village is one of the most famous outlying islands in Hong Kong, where you can see how local Chinese used to live in the past in this area.
To get to Tai O, take a ferry to Mui Wu. Another option is to take the MTR to Tung Chung and from there continue with a bus.