Ngong Pin 360 is one of Hong Kong's "must see" tourist attraction in Lantau Island. It is a natural ecological environment featuring the culture of the said Island and Buddhism. Ngong Pin 360 is also the home of the tallest seated outdoor bronze Buddha, the Tian Tan Buddha Statue. It's a thrilling experience to visit Ngong Pin because it's refreshing to the body and enlightening to the mind.
We left our hotel early in the morning to go to Ngong Pin 360 before lunch because queue could pile up going up the mountains and it can waste 1-2 hours of your precious time.
How to get there? To go there via MTR is the fastest and most efficient way for me. Just go to Tung Chung Station and walk towards Exit B which is just about 2 minutes. Tung Chung Stations is very near the Disneyland Resort and the International Airport but quite far from the main city.
Ngong Pin Cable Car for me is the highlight of the day. The 5.7km cable car journey is such a feast in your eyes and senses. You're actually traveling between Tung Chung Town Center and Ngong Pin on Lantau Island. Some of the sceneries you' will be seeing are the following: the panoramic view of Hong Kong International Airport, South China Sea, the Tian Tan Buddha Statue and the flora and fauna of North Lantau Country Park.
There are three kinds of cabin to choose from--standard, private, and crystal. Standard is when you're with other people inside one cabin. Maximum per cable is about 8 so in our case we're just 4 and we were joined by 1 more family of 4 who were foreigners as well. Private cabin is of course private! and crystal cabin is pretty scary since all sides are glass--no chairs and no view distractions. If you're the adventurous type then go and buy the crystal one but for budget conscious, stick to the standard it's okay only difference is the glass bottom anyway.
Visit the Ngong Pin website for ticket options. If you can, better to book your tickets online to avoid the long queue. You get additional discounts as well if you do.
Before your cable car leaves, make sure you take a quick photo op from the official photographer and wait for your photo at the end of the ride. There are options for printing. You can have it printed in a shirt, mug, put it in a frame, keychain or just print it out in a card board. It's a nice souvenir you can take home.
This is the whole Ngong Pin Map. It takes one whole day to visit every area in this Island but you can just go to the usual tourist spots like the shopping strip, temples and the Buddha which will probably take you half day. I learned you can opt not to ride the cable car and instead walk/jog on the Ngong Pin trail or go there via bus but again it will take a lot of time unless you're that type of traveller.
It's nice to go here during the Christmas holiday too because it's very festive. Look at that cute snowman!
Ngong Pin is about the Chinese culture catered to tourists. You will learn a lot about Buddhism and get a chance to make a wish on the famous Bodhi Wishing Tree. So far, most of my wishes came true after visiting this tree the first time in year 2010.
To go up the Big Buddha, you need to climb 268 steps to be exact. Going up is the hardest especially because it's chilly up there so don't forget to bring a bottle of water with you.
Going up is a nice experience and going inside the Buddha is another. If you're into fengshui like me and my sisters then you'll love the stores inside. We bought a lot of gem bracelets because the quality is really nice plus a bonus that all items were blessed and cleansed by the monks personally.
Disclaimer: This is an old post from my Blogspot account dated October 15, 2013.
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