Lantau Island, Hong Kong

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If you have time while in Hong Kong, the Bid Buddha statue on Lantau Island is well worth a visit. It's such a amazing statue that can be seen well before you reach it. The eyes, lips, incline of the head and even the right hand raised to deliver a blessing to all is so awe inspiring, whose very glance brings calm to those who look into those seemingly all-seeing eyes. The majestic figure of the seated Buddha (or Tian Tan) is 34 metres high, was cast in China and took 10 years to complete. Weighing 220 tonnes, it was unveiled in 1993 amid deep religious ceremonies. Besides attracting Buddhists from all over Asia, the magnificent figure with its compelling presence almost instantly transformed the remote Po Lin Monastery with its devout monks into a must on tourist schedules.

Tai O is often referred to as the Venice of the Orient. It is a fishing village by the mountain where ppl live on houses built on stilts over the river. Although many ppl have moved onto land, there are still many of these stilt houses by the river.

Dried seafood, especially salted fish, is the local specialty, since many ppl catch fish or shrimp for a living. It's not difficult to see ppl drying fish or baby shrimp on a bamboo rack outside their home. You can also take a boat tour around Tai O.

There is a lookout about a 15 min walk from the main street of the village, where you can have a good view of the south end of the airport on a clear day.

To get to Tai O, take bus 11 from the bus terminal in Tung Chung in Lantau Island or bus 21 from Po Lin Monastery

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A great daytrip out of Hong Kong is to visit Lantau Island. One of the popular things to see on the Island is the worlds biggest outdoor seated buddha, and also very close to that is the Po Lin Monastery, which is just absolutely spectacular.
Go inside the main building and see the amazing details, and the beautiful buddhas.
Even the outside of the building is fantastic and very detailed.

If you want to feel a world away for a day, a delightful escape from the city is Lantau Island. It is here that the world's largest outdoor seated buddha calls home. What a sight! There is also an active monastery located here as well. Such a gorgeous environment.

To reach Po Lin, you take the ferry from the Outlying Islands pier to the port town of Mui Wo and from there, you ride a bus to the monastery.

A nice alternative (and certainly less crowded) is visiting the Tsing Ma bridge visitors point. You can see the Tsing Ma bridge connecting the New Territories to Lantau Island. There is a tiny visitors center showing information regarding the construction of the bridge.
The little park where the visitors center is located is very well kept. Certainly also worth visiting at night!

this is a beach at Lantau Island, it's not touristy, mainly filled with local people. a hiking trail passes through this beach, and there is a camping ground right attached to this beach. it has a very beautiful view, and there is also a football ground nearby, there are also some restaurants within walking distance.

Natasha took us on a ferry trip to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha, and I have to say it was impressive.
We'd just come back from Europe, where a 1 hour boat ride on a lake in Switzerland cost us over $40, so it was amazing to get a 1 hour journey for only the equivalent of $A2!

It was a hot and humid day, but Paul and Natasha still managed to climb all the steps to the big Buddha.
Afterward, you could explore the temple there, and have a traditional vegetarian lunch together in a big room, served by monks, if I remember them correctly.
An interesting and nice cultural experience, especially away from all the crowds of the day before.

Discovery Bay is on Lantau Island. and a lot of expats live here. Once you could only get to Discovery Bay by ferry and all your household items had to be taken that way as well. Now with the Tsing Yi Bridge from the mainland to the airport, you can travel both ways.