The Big Buddha in Hong Kong

A couple of weeks ago I went to Hong Kong with some friends.

Hong Kong has been one of the countries I visit frequently since my brother lives there but it was only during a recent trip in July 2015 that I had a chance to actually see the Tian Tan Buddha statue (informally known as the Big Buddha) at Lantau Island upclose.

It was quite an experience for us as we decided to take the cable car located near Tung Chung train station to go to Ngong Ping, Lantau Island. 

Cable car ride to Ngong Ping, Lantau Island

A view of the HK airport from the cable car

Taking a cable car to go there is one way to see the beautiful greenery and view from above but it is not the best way to go there if you have fear of heights like one of my friends who felt so tense during the cable car ride. It takes around 25 minutes to go to Ngong Ping via cable car.

In case your have fear of heights, it is best for you to take bus number 23 from Tung Chung station's bus terminal, if you plan to visit the Big Buddha. It goes to Ngong Ping and back to Tung Chung station and takes around 45 minutes.

What is certain though is that you get to feel a peaceful vibe once you go to Ngong Ping to visit the Big Buddha even if there are a lot of tourists going there.

The view of the Big Buddha as we approached Ngong Ping
via cable car

You get to walk around the area going towards Po Lin Monastery and the staircase to go to the Big Buddha. It takes around 10 minutes to walk from the cable car station drop-off area to the staircase area towards the Big Buddha.

Several statues can be seen as you walk to the
 staircase to the Big Buddha

You really know your are in Hong Kong when you see that some monks
walking around the area are taking calls on their mobile phone

It is quite a climb and a good workout to go up to the Big Buddha. It is good that we already had lunch prior to going there.

You need to climb the 268 steps in order to get to the top, get
a closer look at the statue and a sweeping view of the
mountains and the sea at Lantau Island

The Big Buddha statue is 34 meters high and has
been in Lantau Island since 1993

The statue cost HKD60 Million and faces north towards mainland China

The Big Buddha sits atop a lotus throne a. It took 12 years to
complete the statue.

From the viewing area near the Big Buddha,
 you will get a nice view of the Po Lin monastery which is
dubbed as the "Buddhist World in the South"

The body of the Tian Tan Buddha is made of 160 bronze pieces.
 It glitters and glows under sunlight. The statue sits in the same
position assumed by Sakyamuni Buddha when he attained
enlightenment under the famous bodhi tree.

To maximize your time, you may opt to do the Big Buddha visit at Lantau Island on the same day that you  are going to Tung Chung to do your shopping at the City Gate outlet stores since the cable car station and bus terminal going to Ngong Ping are both conveniently located a few steps outside the City Gate outlet mall.