Hong Kong Big Buddha
The Hong Kong Big Buddha is Lantau Island's major cultural attraction sitting atop a hill beside the Po Lin Monastery and now its is even easier to reach the heights of enlightenment with the skyrail cable car 360
The Po Lin Monastery was built in the 1920s as a quiet mountain retreat for Buddhist monks. Since the bronze Big Buddha statue was unveiled in 1993, it's become one of Hong Kong's major tourist draws.
It's located high on the Ngong Ping plateau but the new Ngong Ping Skyrail gets you up there easily, providing panoramic views along the way. There is also now a theatre, retail and dining outlets on the site, in addition to the 'Walking With Buddha' experience, which is an educational tour offering visitors a helping hand on the path to enlightenment.
Visit the exhibition gallery underneath the Buddha and round off with a vegetarian lunch at the Po Lin Monastery.
You need to climb a long flight of steps to reach the serene-looking Buddha's outdoor platform. He is surrounded by elegant bodhisattva figures carved in stone and there are three exhibition halls underneath the pedestal. The Buddha is open 10:00-18:00.
You should take a look around the Po Lin Monastery while you are here. East from the monastery lies Hong Kong's only tea farm. A little further uphill you'll find the Wisdom Path - a small garden in which 38 wooden obelisks stand, each inscribed with a calligraphic verse from the Heart Sutra, an important Buddhist text.
To access the site take buses 2 or 23 from Mui Wo or catch the Ngong Ping Skyrail from the terminal near Tung Chung MTR.
Ferries from Central HK dock at Mui Wo (also called Silvermine Bay for the abandoned mines which can still be found at the head of the valley). There are waterfalls further uphill. Following the South Lantau Road, the next stop is PuiO, which has a wide sandy beach. A herd of wild water buffalo live in the estuary here.
The road carries on past Cheung Sha, across the dam of the giant Shek Pik Reservior, and then forks carries on past: uphill to Pon Lin and the Hong Kong Big Buddha and downhill Tai O.
See the Hong Kong Big Buddha from the Air
Helicopter tours operate from rooftop helipad of the Peninsula Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon offers various tours including 15 minutes journey around Hong Kong Island, 30 minute tours of Hong Kong Island and New Territories and an hour around the Lantau Island, including the big Buddha and the airport.
Each helicopter takes up five passengers. There are also services like Fly-and-Dine packages which include 15 minutes sightseeing and followed by dinner in one of the Peninsula's swish restaurants.
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