Overnight in Skycity Marriott in Lantau Island
Big Buddha (Tian Tan Buddha Statue) – Located in Lantau Island, this 34m high Big Buddha was built in 1993 and took 12 years to complete. Surrounded by green forest, the huge statue of Buddha looks astounding, both up close and seen from a distance.
Travelling to Big Buddha –
- To visit this site, you have to first get to Tung Chung MTR station from where you have 2 options –
- you can take the Ngong Ping cable car – ride lasts for 25 minutes, carrying you alongside mountaintops, shimmering waters, skyscrapers. You can also see planes take off from the nearby Hong Kong International Airport, as well as the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge which is the world’s longest sea bridge, at a length of 55 km.
- or take #23 bus – ride lasts for 45-50 minutes.
Our hotel had a free shuttle running every half hour to Tung Chung MTR station, from where we were going to take the Ngong Ping cable car. On the day we visited, the cable car was not operating due to bad weather warning. We had to take the #23 bus. The line to take the bus was pretty long but moved fairly fast. This particular bus takes cash or Octopus card (no Credit card). After about 50 minutes in the bus, we reached the small village of Ngong Ping. From the bus stop, it was a 3 minute walk to the base of the Tian Tan Buddha. We then had to climb 268 steps to reach one of the world’s largest sitting statues on the planet.
We spent about 40 minutes at the top taking a walk around the Buddha statue. You also get a great view from the top of the surrounding landscape, South China Sea, and the Po Lin Monastery. There is also a gift shop and an exhibition at the top.
Po Lin Monastery – Located a few meters from the plaza at the base of Big Buddha, this monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks visiting from Jiangsu Province on the Chinese mainland and was initially known simply as The Big Hut. It was renamed to its present name in 1924. The main temple houses three bronze statues of the Buddha – representing his past, present and future lives – as well as many Buddhist scriptures. Big Buddha statue completed in 1993, is an extension of the monastery.
Po Lin Monastery also has a restaurant serving vegetarian meals.
Ngong Ping village – The village is a central point for the Big Buddha (Tian Tan Buddha) and Po Lin Monastery. It features a two-story complex with over 20 shops and restaurants offering a variety of souvenirs, Chinese arts and crafts, and food.
Tai O fishing village – A lot of people combine a visit to Tian Tan Buddha with a visit to Tai O fishing village. We did not have time to do so as the bus ride and waiting in line took a lot of our time. If time permits, it would be worth making a visit to the fishing village.