Lantau Island is the largest island in Hong Kong, and while it’s not the hub of city life, the island has a lot to offer! It’s home to the Hong Kong airport, Disneyland, a giant Buddha, several mountain peaks, and a little fishing village.

I ventured out for a day trip and could have easily spent more time there.

How To Get To Lantau Island

Take the orange Tung Chung metro line all the way to Tung Chung. The Po Lin Monastary, Big Buddha, and Ngong Ping village are on the top of a mountain, so you have a few options for getting up. The most popular option is the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, which offers a 25 minutes gorgeous ride up the mountain. You can even pay extra and take the Crystal Car up which has a clear floor to see through.

Another option is to take bus 23 from the bus terminal next to the metro. Its takes a little longer (about 50 minutes) but it’s much cheaper (17-27 HKD depending on the day) and has a nice scenic tour around view the island. When I got to Lantau around 7:45 am I didn’t want to wait for the cable car to open at 10, so I went with the bus option.

Tian Tian Big Buddha

Po Lin Monastery

Lantau Trail and Peak

If you’re feeling extra energetic you can take the Wisdom Path from the monastery and hike up to Lantau Peak, one of the highest views in all of Hong Kong.

The day I went was super foggy, but I pushed through with the hike anyways because it was my only day to do it. I made it to the top in an hour after lots of climbing (SO MANY STAIRS). It was definitely much more challenging than Dragon’s Back or Lion Rock.

On the trail up you can see the big Buddha and Wisdom Path

At the top I was greeted by a Hong Kong couple. “We don’t see it sunny up here very often” they told me cheerily, munching on their apples and ready to hike off on their next adventure.

I was a bit disappointed to make it up and not see anything at the top because the views are supposed to be incredible! (I wanted to insert a pic of what it’s supposed to look like but don’t want to make myself sad about it all over again so you should Google it, but don’t tell me about it). I’m still glad I did it though, and it gives me motivation to come back another time and try it on a sunny day!

On the way back down I caught some great views of the Island – better than the top haha.

I had to head back into Chinese mainland so I was on a bit of a time crunch and didn’t spend much time on the island. I’d love to come back to explore the Ngong Ping village and try the Cable Car. I’d also like to try Lantau Peak again and possibly Sunset Peak, the mountain next to it!

Lantau Island is definitely worth a trip out to see – hopefully my next trip will be a bit sunnier!

Check out my other posts about Hong Kong: