Hong Kong/Lantau



Lantau (Chinese: 大嶼山; Cantonese: Daaih Yùh Sāan) is the largest island in Hong Kong. Despite having the airport and Disneyland, it offers quiet mountains and villages that seem a world away from the busy pace of life in Kowloon.

Understand
With the opening of the Lantau Link, a road and rail connection between the airport and central Hong Kong in 1997, Lantau Island is now firmly connected to the mainland of the Kowloon peninsula. The new airport at Chek Lap Kok has led to the establishment and rapid expansion of a new town, Tung Chung, and the improved transport links have brought further development in the shape of Disneyland, a cable car to Ngong Ping monastery, and an entire new road to southern Lantau. Sizeable sections of Lantau Island are country parks, though the island seems poised for more development.

There are four sizeable communities on Lantau:


 * Discovery Bay – a resort-style residential district approximately 30 minutes by boat from Central District, 20 minutes by bus from Tung Chung and 10 minutes by bus from the nearest MTR metro station (Sunny Bay). It is home to about 15,000 people, including a large portion of expatriates.
 * Tung Chung – brand new apartments close to the airport
 * Mui Wo – large, quiet village popular with expatriates who are not taken with the sterility of Discovery Bay
 * Tai O – traditional fishing village, with most houses on stilts in the river. Very scenic and crowded with tourists on weekends.

From the airport
Lantau Island is adjacent to, and linked to the airport island by two short bridges. The best ways from the airport are taxi and bus. There is no train service from the airport to Lantau, and it is probably cheaper to take a taxi than to take the Airport Express train to Tsing Yi and come back via the standard MTR.

Blue coloured taxis from the airport to anywhere in Lantau are relatively fast and pleasant, however they can be in short supply on weekends. (You can call a number displayed at the taxi stand to try and get one faster). Red and green taxis are (only) allowed to take you to Tung Chung and Disneyland on Lantau, although their use for short distances is generally discouraged by the airport staff and despised by the drivers.

Alternatively, there are frequent buses that travel towards Tung Chung MTR station, including S1, S56 (express), S64 (less direct) and N64 (night service) from the airport terminal. Although you can use the A35 or N35 (night service) for traveling to Mui Wo directly from the airport, the frequency of this particular route is sparse. It's usually better to change on to local buses at Tung Chung MTR interchange, where you can find buses to most destinations across Lantau island.

It's about a 5-km walk from the airport to Tung Chung. The main (northern) bridge is a highway that doesn't allow pedestrians, but there is a nice walkway over the southern bridge. Considering the bus fare is around $4, you shouldn't have to consider this option.

By train
The Tung Chung MTR line is the fastest way to get to Lantau if you are going to the north of the island. The Tung Chung line also connects with special rail services at Sunny Bay that take visitors directly to Disneyland.

The trip to Tung Chung takes around 30 minutes all the way from Hong Kong station and costs $22.4-25.5. Children 11 years and under get a 50% discount.

There is a monthly ticket for this line available at the MTR stations, although you would have to use it every day to make much saving from it.

By boat
The obvious way of getting to the island is to take a ferry. Ferries depart from the Outlying Islands pier in Central, to the west of the Star Ferry terminal. The largest operator is the Sun Ferry.


 * Discovery Bay: Pier 3, $31 (fast only), every 10–30 minutes. Ferry Link
 * Mui Wo: Pier 6, $13.00 (slow), $25.50 (fast), every 40 minutes.

Ferries to the island, and buses to/from/within the southern parts, impose a 50% surcharge for travel on Sundays and public holidays. It's cheaper, and less crowded, to visit during the week or on Saturdays.

Tuen Muen->Tung Chung->Tai O: There is a small ferry that runs between Tuen Muen in the New Territories to Tung Chung on Lantau to the touristic fishing village of Tai O on Lantau every day in the mornings and afternoons. If you are visiting Tai O then this ferry might be a nice way back to Tung Chung. (The Tung Chung ferry pier is however a long walk from the MTR/Bus station; a feeder bus service 37S is provided on Saturday, Sundays and public holidays.)

By bus
There are buses from all parts of Hong Kong that go to the Airport, and are cheaper than taking the Airport Express. (A bus from the airport to Hong Kong Island will cost around $21–40, compared with $110–115 for the AE.)

Tung Chung has some bus connections to Hong Kong as well. Although slightly slower, they are usually a cheaper and more comfortable option than taking the MTR train. Worth noting are:
 * the E11/E11A to Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay
 * the E21/E21A to Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok
 * the E22/E22A to Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong
 * the E33 to Tuen Mun
 * the E34A to Tin Shui Wai (via Wetland Park)
 * the E34B to Yuen Long
 * the E41 to Tai Po
 * the E42 to Sha Tin

On Sundays and public holidays there are direct services (route 1R) from Hung Hom Ferry Pier in Kowloon to Ngong Ping via Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po.

By car
Whilst you can drive your car onto Lantau, the road system is limited and much of the island is zoned as a country park and is off-limits to normal vehicles. If you really want to see Lantau you should get out of your car. The Disneyland is however still accessible by car and connected by the Lantau Link expressway.

From Mainland China

 * Airport: There are many buses connecting the bus stations in Terminal 2 of Airport to various locations on the mainland, including Shenzhen and Guangzhou
 * Tung Chung: There is a frequent direct bus connection between the Citygate Shopping outlet in Tung Chung and the Huanggang border crossing in Shenzhen

From Macau
There is a ferry between Macau and the Hong Kong International Airport a few times a day, although it appears you can only use this if you are going to board a flight and not to disembark on Lantau itself.

By bus
On Lantau seemingly short distances on a map (e.g. Tung Chung to Ngong Ping, less than 6 km by cable car) can take a while by road, due to the twisty mountain roads and their circuitous routes.

The major bus interchange in Lantau locates nearby the Tung Chung MTR Station. New Lantau Bus serves many bus routes which connect to most of the attractions and villages along the Lantau Island. Bus routes traveling within south Lantau region connect places including Tai O and Mui Wo.

A few routes worth knowing are:
 * 1 (and its night service N1) connecting Mui Wo and Tai O;
 * 2 connecting Mui Wo and Ngong Ping;
 * 3M (and its night service N35) connecting Tung Chung and Mui Wo;
 * 11 connecting Tung Chung and Tai O;
 * 21 connecting Tai O and Ngong Ping; and
 * 23 connecting Tung Chung and Ngong Ping.

By taxi
Blue taxis are allowed to take you anywhere on Lantau Island. There are not so many of them, so be careful to rely on them during busy times. The fares are slightly cheaper than the red Hong Kong taxis.

Red taxis are allowed to serve Lantau except the roads in southern Lantau and Tung Chung Road. Green taxis can only pickup/drop off passengers at the airport, Disneyland and Hong Kong Section of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

By bicycle
Mui Wo: There is at least one bicycle shop in Mui Wo (just opposite the main bus station), where you can rent bicycles hourly or for the whole day.

Yat Tung: There are a few bicycle shops in Yat Tung (close to Tung Chung) with bikes for rent.

By foot
If you are not going too far, there are generally convenient footpaths all over the island. There are paved paths all around Mui Wo to some of the villages, many of which are within a 30-minute walk or less.

Most routes do not have any amenities and it can get very hot in summer months. Hiking between June and October is not recommended, although people do it.

Popular routes include:


 * Tung Chung -> Mui Wo: 3–4 hours with easy climb through the countryside
 * Tung Chung -> Tai O: 4 hours walking around the coastal path. (Note very limited facilities and exit points on the trail itself)
 * Discovery Bay -> Mui Wo: 3 hour hike past the Trappist Monastery
 * Tung Chung -> Ngong Ping: 4–5 hours. Very difficult climb following the cable car route. Walk past the Yat Tung estate and follow the path to Tai O. The trail directly up the mountain should be obvious and is well signposted.

By cable car
Ngong Ping 360 is a spectacular 5.7-km cable car journey between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping on Lantau Island, which is easily accessible from Tung Chung MTR station.

A single trip costs $160 ($235 round trip) on normal days and more on special days. The cabins glide over the South China Sea and the verdant mountainous terrain of the North Lantau Country Park for 20–25 minutes and provide some of the best panoramic views in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong International Airport and the Tian Tan Buddha Statue.

This is one of Hong Kong's main tourist attractions, and lines can be very long. Tickets can be purchased online.

Watch out for people trying to sell you tickets outside the station. The latest trend was to sell you a single tour on the cable car and an all-day pass for the Lantau bus system. While it might be nice to take the cable car up to the Buddha (the line for the cable car can be long), and the bus back, the all-day pass for the bus is probably a waste of money.

See













 * Chinese White Dolphins. In the waters just off Tung Chung on Lantau Island, live the Chinese White Dolphins. These dolphins are naturally pink and live in the wild, but their status is threatened. Their population is estimated to be 100–200. Take a boat trip with Hong Kong Dolphinwatch to see these pink dolphins, and if you're lucky you can watch them jumping and playing.
 * Chinese White Dolphins. In the waters just off Tung Chung on Lantau Island, live the Chinese White Dolphins. These dolphins are naturally pink and live in the wild, but their status is threatened. Their population is estimated to be 100–200. Take a boat trip with Hong Kong Dolphinwatch to see these pink dolphins, and if you're lucky you can watch them jumping and playing.

Do

 * Cheung Sha beach which is about a 20-minute bus ride away has windsurfing and canoe rentals.
 * Hikers may wish to try the 70-km Lantau Trail, which does loops around the island. The full route would take several days but is divided into a dozen stages, some of which take less than an hour. There are many other hikes on Lantau, some of which are listed below.
 * Mui wo-Discovery bay trail, 1-1½ hr. Crosses several hills and valleys, the tops of which can give views of the Hong Kong skyline on clear days.
 * Sunset Peak, 869 metres, 1½-2 hrs, about 7 km. This hike starts at the Nam San base station (approx. 300 m altitude), an outdoor area with picnic tables, a vending machine and flushing toilets. Follow the sign for the Nam San tree walk, a relatively flat trail through a forest with signs describing the trees seen along the route. About 5 minutes into this walk, you will come to a junction. Here you can either take the tree walk back to Nam San, or follow the trail marked "Sunset Peak". The trail first follows some switchbacks through the forest, then ascends above the treeline and runs along a ridge. On clear days, the summit offers spectacular views of the whole of Lantau Island and the southwestern new territories. There are cabins at the summit, which can be rented by following the URLs painted on the side.
 * Swim at Silvermine Beach in Mui Wo or at any of the other beaches around the island.
 * Have a BBQ on the beach
 * Discovery Bay : This expat community has some special events and festivals worth seeing, including Dragonboat races (around May/June), Halloween Festival (October) and the Multi-Cultural Festival (usually in November).
 * Discovery Bay : This expat community has some special events and festivals worth seeing, including Dragonboat races (around May/June), Halloween Festival (October) and the Multi-Cultural Festival (usually in November).

Buy
Tung Chung: There is a large mall called CityGate Outlets, next to the MTR Station, that has many 'factory shops' of many famous clothes and fashion brands, such as Adidas, Esprit, Giordano, Levi's, Nike, Quiksilver and Timberland. This mall is very popular with mainland Chinese tourists. The prices are cheaper, although the items for sale may not be the latest. The cheapest prices are during the end-of-season sales. In most shops in City Gate there is no refund policy. Next to CityGate is a more downmarket mall called 'Fu Tung Plaza', which has a limited number of local shops, many local restaurants and a Hong Kong style wet market.

Tai O: There are lots of tourist shops selling local food and delicacies.

Mui Wo: There are some novelty and food shops, although generally not a great deal here.

Discovery Bay: At the heart of the community lies the commercial centre, DB Plaza, where residents and visitors gather for socializing or functions. As a residential district, most shops serve residents' needs - including supermarkets, banks and chemists; but there also exist a sizable number of independent and novelty shops. For the tourist there is very little here.

Eat

 * The Po Lin Monastery's vegetarian restaurant is well worth a visit for a taste of Chinese vegetarian food, an art form devoted to turning soybean products into very passable imitations of meat and fish, even if you are not a vegetarian. Meals served from 11AM-4:30PM. A regular meal is $60, a deluxe meal is $100, enquire at the Big Buddha ticket booth.
 * The Po Lin Monastery's vegetarian restaurant is well worth a visit for a taste of Chinese vegetarian food, an art form devoted to turning soybean products into very passable imitations of meat and fish, even if you are not a vegetarian. Meals served from 11AM-4:30PM. A regular meal is $60, a deluxe meal is $100, enquire at the Big Buddha ticket booth.

Mui Wo

 * Bombay Cafe, Mui Wo. Great Curries at a reasonable price.
 * Bombay Cafe, Mui Wo. Great Curries at a reasonable price.
 * Bombay Cafe, Mui Wo. Great Curries at a reasonable price.

Sleep
There are some guesthouses (a few of which call themselves hotels) and two hostels on Lantau. Lantau also has 10 campsites. When you get off the ferry pier in Mui Wo, there are some booths were you can rent apartments for the weekend. There are several small cabins for hikers at Sunset Peak which go for $300 per cabin/night (sleeps about six people, but very old). There is also accommodation at Disneyland, at the Disneyland Hotel, the Disney Hollywood Hotel, and the Disney Explorer's Lodge.



Go next
Take the ferry, bus or train back to Central. There are also inter-island ferries to Peng Chau and Cheung Chau.

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