The Big Buddha on Lantau island is one of the Top 5 places to see when you visit Hong Kong or when you live here. This huge Asian statue of Buddha is however not that old (1993) and the village at the entrance of the attraction will make you think of an amusement park as it is very clean, modern with only pedestrian and food shops.

We visited the Big Buddha (34 meters high) in June 2016 when my friend Audrey was in Hong Kong with L. and Mahé (see her fashion portrait here). We took the Ngong Ping cable car (of course) and were very lucky to not line up to take it (we’ve decided to go an early Saturday afternoon, after a #rainy morning). The view and the sensation from the cable car were great even if surprising. You can even take a cable car with transparent floor to enjoy the view from the top.

When we arrived at the entrance of the Big Buddha, we were quite disappointed as we expected something very local and old but we got the feeling we were in some kind of Disneyland park. But fortunately, it was just the entrance.

We enjoyed walking the large alley to get there, taking pictures with buffalo and with Chinese astrological signs. Then, we arrived at the bottom of the Big Buddha. You have to climb a fair number of steps (286 exactly) to get to the Buddha statue, so breath! The small museum in the Buddha is not of much interest except that I discovered the Buddha was not that old (built in 1993 only…).

You can then enjoy the quietness of the Po Lin Monastery just opposite the statue and of some hidden places with stones colons and statues before coming back by bus. Be careful about bus schedules and enjoy the ride back to Lantau admiring the surrounding nature. When you arrive in Lantau at Tung Chung Station, wander in the big shopping mall with many (luxury and sport) outlet stores to do some #shopping.