Big Buddha and the Wisdom Path

A short hike from Ngong Ping to find the best views of the Tian Tan Buddha

Big Buddha and the Wisdom Path
A short hike from Ngong Ping to find the best views of the Tian Tan Buddha

At a little over 147 square kilometres, Lantau is Hong Kong’s largest island, but apart from the airport and the area around Tung Chung, on the northern side of the island, it remains mostly undeveloped. It is a rugged, mountainous place sculpted by volcanic eruptions that took place about 146 million years ago. Lantau Peak, or Fong Wong Shan in local parlance, is at 934 metres, the second-highest mountain in Hong Kong.

To the west of Lantau Peak at an elevation of about 430 metres, give or take a bit, is Ngong Ping. Home of the Po Lin Monastery and the Tian Tan “Big” Buddha, one of Hong Kong’s best-loved tourist sites. It does look majestic, perched on its hilltop overlooking the monastery, but from Ngong Ping itself, it is difficult to get a satisfying view of it in its bucolic surroundings.

Since Lantau boasts numerous excellent hiking trails, I decided to look for a location where I could get a better view. It was not difficult to find. I followed a four-kilometre loop which takes in the monastery, the Buddha, and the Wisdom Path, and follows sun-dappled forest trails and open mountain sides.

The route starts at the Ngong Ping cable car terminal. To get there, you can take the cable car or the number 23 bus from Tung Chung. The cable car and bus terminals are next to each other. Alternatively, the number 2 bus starts from Mui Wo, next to the ferry terminal.

The hike doesn’t follow a single path but rather takes advantage of the converging and crossing of them, and it is a fairly easy walk. Ngong Ping Village is a purpose-built tourist village with coffee shops, eateries, and souvenirs. A little footbridge, which offers a good view of the Buddha across the rooftops of the village, can be accessed by a lift on the right or by a flight of stairs on the left.

Incense is burned at the entrance to the Po Lin Monastery (left) and the monastery, seen from the top of the Tian Tan Buddha.

Leaving the village behind, turn left through the paifang, a traditional Chinese archway, and into Ngong Ping Piazza. This is a broad, open space leading directly to the Po Lin Monastery. It is impossible to miss the Tian Tan Buddha, which sits at the top of a long flight of steps on the right. The steps, 260 of them, may look daunting, but a climb to the top is rewarded with grand views of the monastery and the surrounding countryside.

The monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks visiting from China. The main temple is home to three bronze Buddha statues representing his past, present, and future lives. Construction of the bronze Tian Tan Buddha was completed in 1993 and is thirty-four metres tall.

Near the steps is another paifang in front of which is a small lane branching off to the right. Just before the lane comes to an abrupt end, there is a path to the right that continues to a little T junction. There is a signpost here that points left towards Lantau Peak, the Ngong Ping Fun Walk, and the Wisdom Path. Following this leads past a few small abandoned buildings to a fork in the trail. The Wisdom Path is about 300 metres along the right-hand fork.

Wisdom Path

This winds up and down the hillside in a loop. Along its route are thirty-eight tall wooden pillars, tree trunks that have been split down the middle. Carved onto the smooth inside are verses from the ancient Heart Sutra. Viewed from above the pillars it would be seen that the pillars are arranged into an infinity symbol. If you are lucky enough to be there early, when there are not too many people, it is surprisingly serene and just a little bit surreal at the same time.

The Wisdom Path features tall wooden pillars with verses from the Heart Sutra carved onto them.

At the end of the Wisdom Path, there are two paths to your right. The first one leads down through the forest to the Shek Pik reservoir, the path next to it, up to the summit of Lantau Peak itself. The Ngong Ping Fun Walk is sometimes labelled the Ngong Ping Tree Walk. The rationale for this can be seen as it continues, straight ahead, through the pleasant, shady forest. There are numerous panels describing the species that can be seen along the way. After crossing a small bridge, the trail reaches a junction.

The Fun Walk turns left here and makes its way back towards the Buddha. To the right is the Tei Tong Tsai Country Trail. Straight across is the Nei Lek Shan Country Trail. This path is a circuit that runs around the 751-metre hill that it is named after. The path climbs for about 180 metres until it comes to another junction.

Tian Tan Buddha from the Nei Lek Shan Country Trail.

Turn left here and continue climbing. There is breathtaking scenery off to the left, and presently, the Tian Tan Buddha comes into view across the valley. The path continues, sometimes in the forest, sometimes open. At one spot, there is a bench where you can sit for a while in quiet contemplation. A little further along, there is a viewing platform with an information board pointing out all the features that can be seen.

Shortly beyond this, the path veers to the north, and the cable cars come into view. Finally, it drops down a flight of steps where it rejoins the path that skirted around the other side of Nei Lek Shan. A left turn here leads gently downhill back towards Ngong Ping again and more views of the Buddha. Finally, the path meets the cable car and continues beneath it for the last few metres back into Ngong Ping village.

The Buddha statue is illuminated on the first and fourteenth day of the lunar month only, i.e., the new moon and the night before a full moon. If you stay, it is worth remembering that the last buses and cable car tend to leave quite early.

If you do miss them, it takes about thirty minutes to walk down the hill (2.3 kilometres) to the main road where the number 11 bus operates between Tung Chung and Tai O about every 15-20 minutes. The number 1, to Mui Wo ferry pier, at about 50-60 minute intervals. Download the New Lantao Bus Company app for your phone.

Related: Salt, Fish and the Battle of Tai O Bay

Exploring Hong Kong’s New Territories

The New Territories represents around 85% of Hong Kong’s total land area. It is an area of coastal wetlands and mountains boasting a history of more than a thousand years. There are many ancient monuments, well-maintained hiking trails and outlying islands with old fishing communities. Yet to most visitors, it remains largely unknown.

I spent the Covid years researching, writing and photographing it. Exploring Hong Kong’s New Territories is 332 pages with around 400 colour photographs plus maps and directions. More information here