Ngong Ping, Lantau Island

Sleeping in the shadow of the Buddha

Here’s your chance to go camping in Hong Kong and hang out by one of its top attractions at the same time – Lantau Island’s 34-metre-tall seated bronze Tian Tan Buddha – after the daytime tourist hordes have cleared out. The well-equipped campsite is in a wooded valley a short walk from the so-called Big Buddha and adjoining monastery, part of a highland area about 400 metres above sea level, next to the majestic Lantau Peak. It’s reachable by public transport and you get views of the sea, mountains and equally impressive Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The adjoining tourist village of Ngong Ping has ample shops and eateries.

How to get there: take the MTR to Tung Chung, then either bus 23 to Ngong Ping or the Ngong Ping 360 cable car – the glass-bottomed cabins afford particularly lovely views of steep forested hillsides, sea and airport; or take the ferry from Central to Mui Wo and bus 2 to Ngong Ping.