Hong Kong is always a vibrant and bustling international city, however, in this place, there are still plenty of places that you can enjoy the beauty of nature. And the best place to explore the tranquility, to escape from the noisy, bustling lifestyle of Hong Kong, one of the most developed cities of Asia is Ngong Ping. Located on Lantau island, when coming to this destination, you can have a chance to experience the cable car and visit Ngong Ping village with the beautiful landmarks such as Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery, and Tai O fishing village. So let’s escape from the modern lifestyle of Hong Kong and come to Ngong Ping right away with Ngong Ping itinerary — What to do in Ngong Ping and how to enjoy a day in Ngong Ping Hong Kong.
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How to get to Ngong Ping Hong Kong?
There are many ways for you to get to Ngong Ping from the center of Hong Kong, including boat and bus. However, the most attractive and interesting way is traveling by cable car. Why? First of all, because it is very convenient, the departure point is in Tung Chung, where there is an MTR station which is always available there.
That’s why all you need to do is just following the orange line, buying a ticket, getting on the train, and waiting a few minutes to get to Tung Chung. Also, you should remember to buy Octopus card (like the EZ card in Singapore) to save your time and money while traveling.
To find Ngong Ping 360 cable car station, once you have arrived at Tung Chung MTR Station, you just need to follow the signs outside the station (exit B), then pass Citygate Outlets, and there you are in Ngong Ping 360 cable car station. There will be many other travelers find the way to Ngong Ping 360 cable car station, so you don’t need to worry about getting lost here.
Experience Ping Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car
Tips to avoid waiting in long queue in Ngong Ping 360 cable car station
Here are some tips for you when coming to Ngong Ping 360: you should buy tickets online beforehand if you do not like to queue and spend a whole day long just to wait in queue, I also advise you to go to the cable car station as soon as possible (cable car starts operating from 10 am to 6 pm every day) so that you can spend as much time in Ngong Ping as possible.
Choose the glass-bottom cabin or a normal one? If you don’t have any problem with health or height, then it’ll be much better to choose a glass bottom cabin. This will help you avoid waiting in long queues. Because with the normal cabin, the price may be a bit cheaper but you’ll also have to wait in a much longer queue. Especially in the tourist season, if you choose the normal cabin, the long queue will be as long as snakes.
A cabin is often enough for from seven to eight people, so you’ll have to be prepared to share the cabin with some strangers if your group is less than that. After queuing and getting on the cable car, it will take you 25 minutes and 5.7km to reach Ngong Ping village, with stunning and breath-taking views like one of the bird on the green scenery of Lantau Island.
Experience Ping Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car
Ngong Ping attractions and things to do in Ngong Ping: Experiencing an escape in one day at Ngong Ping
1. Ngong Ping Village
Ngong Ping Village is the stopover after getting off from the cable car. Many people think that this place is not worth a visit at all because there are mostly souvenir shops and restaurants here. However, actually, this village still has many interesting tourist attractions such as 360-degree theater, a walking journey with the Buddha. And the vegetarian food of this place is also very delicious!
2. Tai O
Although there are many other tourist sites such as the Big Buddha located quite close to Ngong Ping, you should visit Tai O first, even though it’s a bit further than other destinations, in order to limit the delay (as if it happens) on your way back to Central Hong Kong. Especially if you are considering that the cable cars may stop running at 6 pm (6:30 pm on weekends and public holidays).
Please go by bus number 21 (even you must wait for an hour for a trip) from the bus station outside Ngong Ping village. Your Octopus card will be extremely useful once again and you will be in Tai O in less than 25 minutes.
Tai O is a unique fishing village that is less-known and therefore has fewer tourists coming than Ngong Ping village (especially on weekdays). The main attraction of Tai O is the stilted houses where fishermen live.
As a traditional fishing village, the nature of street markets in Tai O is, therefore, a great place to buy something special related to seafood, such as dried fish and shrimp. Even if you do not intend to buy anything here, the market is also an interesting place to visit and wander around.
Street food in Tai O is also something not to be missed when coming here, with many seafood BBQ vendors, Chinese pizzas, tofu, egg waffles and a lot more other tasty dishes. Egg waffles baked on charcoal on Kat Hing street is a very famous dish here. And in our opinion, this dish is really delicious, just like the way people still talk about it, the waffle is very crunchy and sweet, really worth for waiting in line to buy it.
Another major attraction of Tai O is the pink dolphins that you can sometimes see in this area. There are many boat trips that you can find at Tai O, which bring many groups of visitors to the bay to admire these rare dolphins.
3. Big Buddha
Back to Ngong Ping village (take the 21 bus once again and you will be driven to the right place), it’ll just take a few minutes from the bus stop to the Big Buddha statue and Po Lin Monastery. On the cable car to Ngong Ping, you may also be able to see the Big Buddha located on one side of the mountain.
There are 268 steps that you’ll have to climb to get to the top which is also the foot of Big Buddha statue, so the fact is that you should consider carefully climbing or not. Many visitors who reached the top had to spend 5 minutes to breathe or some even give up before they get to the top as they feel exhausted and unable to move forward anymore. However, the “results” for your climbing effort will be extremely worth, because you can have a panoramic view on four sides.
4. Po Lin Monastery
Po Lin Monastery is located near the Big Buddha statue and is sometimes used to admire the structure and architecture of this Buddhist complex. When coming here, visitors can also participate in many Buddhist ceremonies, such as praying, offering and helping.
If you like to enjoy a vegetarian meal, then the monastery also has a kitchen that specializes in vegetarian dishes. The price for a meal is also varied for $138 for many dishes. With some picky eaters in the family, you should consider carefully in eating here. But if everyone loves vegetarian foods and wants some new culinary experience, you will find the foods here pretty good.
5. Wisdom Path
For those who crave tranquility and peace (because both Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery are popular attractions which are crowded with tourists), take a 15-minute walk and you will reach the Wisdom Path.
38 wooden pillars forming the path with excerpts from the Heart Sutra (wise advice of the Great Buddha). The seclusion of this path will definitely help you really enjoy this beautiful natural setting without being disturbed.
With all of the above, to completely visit Ngong Ping will probably take most of your day. Once you get on the cable car to get back to Tung Chung, you can end your day by visiting Citygate Outlets – the largest outlet center in Hong Kong. And there you had an awesome day in Ngong Ping Hong Kong.
Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Hong Kong you can refer to
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