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The beach at Tung O Wan is a secluded and unspoiled stretch of sand, punctuated by chunks of driftwood and other flotsam.

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LANTAU

Eating Click here; Drinking Click here; Sleeping Click here

Hong Kong’s largest island Lantau is home to some of the region’s best and most remote beaches, plus traditional fishing villages, wilderness trails, glimpses of a Neolithic past, monasteries and monuments, including the giant Tian Tan Buddha. Part of its appeal is its generous dimensions, ruggedly beautiful terrain and small population.

Lantau (Cantonese for ‘broken head’; Map) is also called Tai Yue Shan or ‘Big Island Mountain’ in Chinese – a name that refers both to its size and elevation. It is home to more than 200,000 people (and counting), yet at 144 sq km it is almost twice the size of Hong Kong Island. Its highest point, Lantau Peak (Fung Wong Shan; 934m), is almost double the height of Victoria Peak. More than half of the surface area – 78.5 sq km, in fact – is designated country park and there are several superb mountain trails, including the 70km Lantau Trail (Click here), which passes over both Lantau Peak and Sunset Peak (869m).

Lantau is the last inhabited island west of Hong Kong Island; the next stops are Macau and the Zhuhai SEZ. Lantau has many small villages dotting the southern coast. From east to west the main ones are: Mui Wo, the ‘capital’ and the place where most of the ferries dock; Pui O and Tong Fuk along South Lantau Rd; and Tai O on the west coast. The largest settlement is the ever-growing New Town of Tung Chung on the north coast, which is accessible from Mui Wo by buses that climb steep Tung Chung Rd. Discovery Bay, a self-contained ‘bedroom community’ to the northeast, can be reached from Mui Wo by ferry. Not everyone on Lantau resides here of their own accord: the island is home to three prisons.

Rock carvings discovered at Shek Pik on the southwestern coast of Lantau suggest that the island was inhabited as early as the Bronze Age (3000 years ago), well before the arrival of the Han Chinese; a stone circle uncovered at Fan Lau may date from Neolithic times. The last Song-dynasty emperor passed through here in the 13th century while fleeing the Mongol invaders. He is believed to have held court in the Tung Chung Valley to the north, which takes its name from a local hero who gave up his life for the emperor. Tung Chung is still worshipped by the Hakka people of Lantau, who believe he can predict the future.

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SNAKES ALIVE

Take care when bushwalking, particularly on Lamma and Lantau Islands. Poisonous snakes, the most common being the bamboo pit viper, are a hazard, although they will not attack unless surprised or provoked. Go straight to a public hospital if bitten; private doctors do not stock antivenom. Other fauna to be aware of in the New Territories are wild boars, which can be hugely dangerous if they choose to attack. Steer well clear if you spot one and back off slowly if you’ve already got too close.

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Like Cheung Chau, Lantau was once a base for pirates and smugglers, and a trading post for the British long before they showed any interest in Hong Kong Island.

There are some interesting traditional villages, such as Tai O on the west coast; several important religious sites, including the Po Lin Monastery and the adjacent Tian Tan Buddha, which is supposedly the largest outdoor Buddha statue in the world; and some excellent beaches, including Cheung Sha, the longest in Hong Kong.

Until the Lantau Link (the combined road and rail transport connection between Kowloon and Lantau) opened in 1997, the island was accessible only by ferry. Today you can reach the island from the rest of the territory by MTR, the Airport Express, a fleet of buses and by taxi.

HSBC ( Map; 2984 1639; Mui Wo Ferry Pier Rd) has a branch in Mui Wo and there’s an HSBC ATM (Tai O Market St) in Tai O, which you’ll see as you cross the footbridge