Full-Day Private Tour of Lantau Island including Big Buddha and Tai O
Description
Lantau Island is often referred to as the ‘Lungs of Hong Kong’ because it is so green and underdeveloped. Take a full-day private walking tour of Lantau with your personal tour guide and visit the awe-inspiring Big Buddha and the wonderfully quaint stilt village of Tai O. Your tour includes a ride on the Ngong Ping cable car to the Big Buddha and a ride in a boat at Tai O. Tours last 7 to 8 hours. Available in English,and Cantonese & Mandarin Chinese. All guides are native speakers. NOTE: weekend pricing will be applicable for Lantau Tours booked on the public holidays listed below: 2024 December 23 to December 31st 2025 January 01, 29,30, 31 April 04, 18, 19, 21 May 01, 05, 31 July 01 October 01, 07, 29 December 23- 31
Tour Options
Itinerary
Lantau Island is often referred to as the ‘Lungs of Hong Kong’ because it is so green and underdeveloped. Take a tour of Lantau with us and visit the awe-inspiring Big Buddha and the wonderfully quaint stilt village of Tai O. Our Private Lantau Tours last 7 hours, 8 with a hotel pick-up. Your Lantau private tour starts with a ride on the Ngong Ping Cable Car. You will be treated to the most wonderful views of Lantau Country Park and the airport as you travel over the back of the island for 25 minutes. Our destination is the famous Big Buddha. Here you will learn about Buddhism, climb the 268 steps to the Buddha, visit the Po Lin Monastery and the hall of 10,000 Buddhas. From Ngong Ping, it is a 20-minute bus ride to Tai O, affectionately known as the Venice of Hong Kong. Tai O is one of the few remaining places in Hong Kong where you can still see stilt houses over the water. Tai O used to be a big community but due to the decline of the fishing industry it, like Venice, is now primarily a tourist destination, for both overseas visitors and Hong Kongers escaping the hustle and bustle of the city. Tai O is still known for its traditional production of shrimp paste and for its colourful seafood market.
Soar through the sky in Ngong Ping 360 cable car for an astonishing bird's-eye-view of some of Hong Kong's greatest natural and historical sights. As you step out of the cable car, you will be greeted by the culturally themed 1.5-hectare Ngong Ping Village, where a wide array of shops and eateries offer a delightful shopping and dining experience.
The remote Po Lin Monastery, hidden away by lush mountains, became a popular attraction when the extraordinary Tian Tan Buddha statue (informally known as the Big Buddha) was erected in 1993. Po Lin Monastery is one of Hong Kong’s most important Buddhist sanctums and has been dubbed ‘the Buddhist World in the South’. Home to many a devout monk, this monastery is rich with colourful manifestations of Buddhist iconography and its pleasant garden is alive with birdsong and flowery scents.
Tian Tan Buddha or the Big Buddha is the second largest outdoor sitting bronze Buddha statue in the world. Sitting 34 metres high and facing north to look over the Chinese people, this majestic bronze Buddha draws pilgrims from all over Asia. The eyes, lips, incline of the head and right hand, which is raised to deliver a blessing to all, combine to bring a humbling depth of character and dignity to the massive Buddha, which took 12 years to complete. Climb the 268 steps for a closer look at this remarkable statue, and to enjoy the sweeping mountain and sea views that can be seen from its base.
Tai O is home to the Tanka people, a community of fisher folk who’ve built their houses on stilts above the tidal flats of Lantau Island for generations. These unusual structures are interconnected, forming a tightly knit community that literally lives on the water. Their enchanting world is a photographer's paradise. The manually operated drawbridge that spans the narrow creek dividing the town replaced a rope-drawn ‘ferry’ that operated for over 85 years.
A visit to Heritage Hotel, dating from 1902, this building was formerly the Tai O Police Station and one of the earliest police stations built in the New Territories. It is situated on a small hill next to the Tai O Ferry Pier. The building was revitalised and converted into the Tai O Heritage Hotel in 2012. The hotel includes nine colonial-style rooms and suites with sea views and a roof-top restaurant serving Tai O specialties. The surrounding cannons, searchlight and guard towers have all been restored. Here you will be served lunch at the end of your tour.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Meeting Time for 7-hour tours starting at Tung Chung: Monday to Friday - 09:40 am. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays - 8:40 am. Meeting time for 8-hour tours with a hotel pick-up: Monday to Friday - 09:00 am. Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays - 08:00 am.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children aged 2 or under join for free
- This tour requires you to be physically fit. You will be walking between 5 and 10km over the course of the day. How far you walk will depend on how much walking you want to do at Tai O. You will be going at a slow pace, across flat land but you do need to be in reasonable health. If you wish to visit the Big Buddha up close you will need to be able to climb up 268 steps!
- Occasionally the cable car is closed for maintenance. If it is closed on the day that you would like to tour, your tour guide will refund you the price of the cable car tickets and you will use the bus instead.
- Please also inform us if you are travelling with children under 12 years of age.
- Tours will be conducted in English unless requested otherwise at the time of booking.
- Tours are available in Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese.
- Cancellation Policy: If you cancel more than one week (more than 168 hours) in advance we will give you a full refund (excluding credit card processing charges. If you cancel between 7 days and 2 days (between 167 and 48 hours before) we will give you a 50% refund (excluding any service charge). There are no refunds if you cancel less than 48 hours' notice.
- Weekend pricing will be applicable for Lantau Tours booked on the public holidays including December 23 to December 31st, January 01
- For 2026: Please note that all bookings made for dates between February 16–21 are subject to a Chinese New Year (CNY) surcharge due to the holiday period in Hong Kong. This surcharge can be paid after booking via invoice. If you would like to check the surcharge amount before confirming your booking, please feel free to send us a message and we’ll be happy to assist you.
Reviews(82)
I did a private tour with Hotel Pickup. My guide Andy was very knowledgeable and informative. We moved thru public transportation to the sights with ease highly recommend the tour. Andy found off the beaten path for lunch and later a coffee to give you a true feeling TaiO
Hi Scott, thank you so much for your lovely review! 😊 We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed your private tour with hotel pickup and that Andy took great care of you. Exploring by public transport is a wonderful way to experience the city like a local, and we’re glad you loved the off-the-beaten-path lunch and coffee in Tai O. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again soon!
We had an incredible tour with Sinclair—truly the best guide we’ve ever had. He was knowledgeable, funny, and super accommodating to our group’s needs. His energy made the entire experience unforgettable. From the Big Buddha to the rest of Lantau, every stop was made better by his insights and humor. 10/10—Sinclair is the best!
Hi Oscar, thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear you had such an unforgettable experience with Sinclair. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to him. Hope to welcome you on another adventure soon!
Sinclair was a wonderful guide. He provided great information and insight into what we saw on the tour. Made the experience much richer than if I had done these sights on my own. Well worth the expense.
Thank you for the kind words! We're so glad you enjoyed your tour with Sinclair. Hope to see you again!
Kiyo was a great guide for our full day visit to Lantau Island! I would highly recommend that if Lantau Island, Big Buddha, Tai-O and the Monastery are in your plans, hire a guide and ask for Kiyo!
Hi Tracy! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! We're thrilled to hear you had a great time exploring Lantau Island with Kiyo. He’s passionate about sharing the island’s rich history and hidden gems, and we're so glad that came through during your tour. We’ll be sure to pass on your kind words to him!
We had the most fabulous time with Alfred. He was well on time, friendly and enthusiastic about the day ahead. We went straight to the cable car station via the metro and were able to upgrade to a Crystal cabin which he helped us arrange. He took lots of photos for us and was very knowledgeable about all aspects of Hong Kong, past and present and great to chat to. The cable car ride is a must, as is Big Buddha and the Lotus Temple is beautiful. The bus ride to Tai O was comfortable and short and the village is very interesting. We enjoyed the boat trip and meal at the Hotel which is included and returned to our hotel a little tired but very happy. I can’t recommend this trip enough and would ask for Alfred again if we ever come back to Hong Kong.
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear that you had a fabulous time with Alfred and that he made your day so enjoyable. The cable car ride, Big Buddha, and Tai O are definitely highlights, and we’re glad Alfred helped make the experience smooth and memorable—including arranging the Crystal Cabin upgrade and capturing great photos for you. We truly appreciate your kind recommendation and would love to welcome you back to Hong Kong in the future. We’ll be sure to pass along your compliments to Alfred—he’ll be delighted to hear them! Wishing you many more amazing travels!
We had an amazing day with our guide Alfred who was very knowledgeable and attentive and made the trip very enjoyable. Lantau is definitely worth a trip if you are in Hong Kong. The Big Buddha is a wonder, and the trip to Shek-O was also very interesting. Alfred showed us some different temples and explained the different religions and beliefs in detail. He also took lots of photos for us. Lunch was very good too. Our only issue was the listing, which we found misleading. We booked when we were already in Hong Kong so assumed that the price shown was in HK dollars, however it was actually in US dollars which we only realised when the cost appeared on our bank statement. Since we were in Hong Kong when we booked, and are UK based it never occurred to us that the price would be in US dollars, and the listing didn't show this - it just showed the dollar sign, not which dollars we would be paying. This made the cost a lot more than we had anticipated. Having said that, we had a great day, and would definitely recommend Alfred as a guide.
Thank you for your review! We're so glad to hear you had an amazing day with Alfred and enjoyed exploring Lantau Island, visiting the Big Buddha, and learning about the temples and different religions. Alfred will be delighted to know you appreciated his attentiveness, detailed explanations, and the wonderful photos he took for you. It’s also great to hear you enjoyed lunch! Regarding the pricing issue, we’d like to clarify that Viator has control over the currency displayed on each traveler's webpage. We recommend contacting them directly to address this matter, as we understand how this could have been confusing. We’re thrilled that the tour itself met your expectations, and we truly appreciate your recommendation of Alfred. We hope to see you again for more memorable experiences in the future
Excellent trip with fantastic guide. I really enjoyed the cable car ride and the trip to the fishing village. The lunch at the old police station with the view of the bay was the best.
Thak you very much! we are glad you have a lovely time on your Private Lantau Tour! Until next time!
Kiyo was so. Pleasant and knowledgeable about so many aspects and subjects relating to Hong Kong. He is one of the best tour guides we have hired. Will definitely recommend him to my friends when they pass through Hong Kong.
Hi Amel, Kiyo says thank you for the lovely review and recommendation! Stay Safe!
The entire trip was amazing. Our guide Sinclair was knowledgeable and professional. We got to know a lot about the local culture and history during the trip. I will definitely recommend to anyone in the future. Thank you for the experience.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so happy to hear you had an amazing trip and enjoyed learning about the local culture and history with Sinclair. Your recommendation means a lot to us. We hope to see you again for more adventures in the future!
We had a fabulous day, we were very lucky to have Sinclair as our guide. He was amazing, he had some much knowledge, made the tour fun and he took lots of great pictures. He met us at our hotel and we took the underground train to the cable car. We had our own cable car and travelled up to the site of the Big Buddha. We climbed the steps to see the Buddha and also went inside. Sinclair talked us through the history. We then visited the monastery and temple before traveling by bus to the fishing village. We then took a boat around the harbor and searched for the white dolphin. We finished our day with a visit to the local shops and a delicious traditional meal. Sinclair made it a very memorable day.
Hi John, thank you for sharing your fabulous day with us! We're thrilled that Sinclair made your tour so memorable with his knowledge and fun spirit. It sounds like you had an amazing adventure, from the Big Buddha to the fishing village and the delicious meal. We're glad Sinclair could capture those great moments for you. Hope to see you again soon!
