Lantau Island

Lantau Island is Hong Kong's largest island, about 147 km² at the mouth of the Pearl River west of Hong Kong Island. It holds the airport, Hong Kong Disneyland, the Tian Tan Buddha and the stilt-house village of Tai O, yet most of it is country park, so it suits sightseers, hikers and beachgoers who can give it at least a full day.

From fishing villages to airport island

For centuries Lantau supported small farming and fishing communities, salt making and Buddhist monasteries in the hills. Until the 1990s most of it was reachable only by ferry, and many villages still have no road. That changed with the airport. Hong Kong International Airport opened in July 1998 on reclaimed land at Chek Lap Kok off the north coast, and the Lantau Link, with the Tsing Ma and Kap Shui Mun bridges, brought road and rail across. Tung Chung grew into a new town, and Hong Kong Disneyland opened at Penny's Bay in September 2005.

Lantau Peak and the protected country parks

Most of the island is protected. Lantau South Country Park, designated in 1978, covers 56.4 km² and was then the largest country park in the territory; Lantau North Country Park and its extension cover much of the rest of the uplands. Lantau Peak, at 934 m, is Hong Kong's second-highest summit after Tai Mo Shan and a popular sunrise climb from Pak Kung Au. Sunset Peak, a little lower, is another favourite hike. The Lantau Trail runs 70 km in 12 stages, starting and ending at Mui Wo and crossing both peaks. Wild campsites at Kau Ling Chung, Tai Long Wan and Lo Kei Wan serve hikers, and Shek Pik Reservoir, now Hong Kong's third largest, sits below the southern slopes.

Tian Tan Buddha by cable car or bus 23

On the Ngong Ping plateau, the Tian Tan Buddha, a huge seated bronze figure, looks over Po Lin Monastery. The Ngong Ping 360 cable car climbs there from Tung Chung in about 25 minutes, and bus 23 is the road alternative.

Stilt houses at Tai O and Cheung Sha beach

Tai O, on the west coast, is a fishing village of stilt houses, known as pang uk, over tidal creeks. Boat trips leave from the village to look for the Chinese white dolphins that live off the coast. The south coast has the island's longest beach at Cheung Sha, along with Pui O, and Mui Wo keeps a quiet village feel near its ferry pier.