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Tour Feature: Local Experience

Shore Excursions

While your ship is in port, make the most of your visit by taking a private car shore excursion around Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula with your very own driver guide. We take all the stress out of your visit with our door-to-door service, collecting you from and returning you to your cruise ship terminal.

As well as offering comfort and convenience, we are one of the few tour companies licensed to access the restricted access zone of Lantau Island by car. Our knowledgeable and friendly guides all speak excellent English and will ensure you make the most of your time in Hong Kong.

We have a number of shore excursion car itineraries. The first is a classic Hong Kong Highlights tour taking in several better-known destinations. We often recommend this to first time visitors as it takes in many of Hong Kong’s best known and most iconic spots.

However, if you would prefer to go further off the beaten track to see another side of Hong Kong, we would recommend our Explore the New Territories tour. There are plenty of fascinating spots that are difficult to access by public transport and also tend to be a little less crowded.

Listed below are some of the options we could include in your itinerary depending on your interests and time constraints. Your itinerary is completely flexible and can be tailored to suit your needs. If you have a destination in mind that is not listed, please enquire and we will accommodate your request if possible.

Hong Kong Highlights Shore Excursion

Hong Kong Island:

Kowloon:

  • Wong Tai Sin Temple – Make a wish at Hong Kong’s most vibrant temple
  • Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery – Enjoy a beautiful garden and tranquil retreat
  • Mongkok’s Markets: Bird Garden, Flower Market, Goldfish Market, Ladies Market

You can view our tour booking page here for a shore excursion of Hong Kong and Kowloon 

Lantau Island for Big Buddha & Tai O Shore Excursion

Lantau Island:

  • The Big Buddha
  • Po Lin Monastery
  • Tai O Fishing Village
  • HKZM Bridge

You can view our tour booking page here for a shore excursion of Lantau Island for Big Buddha and Tai O

Explore the New Territories on a Shore Excursion

  • Sai Kung for the National Park or the seafood promenade.
  • Tai Po District: Wet market, floating fishing village in Sam Mun Tsai, Tsz Shan Monastery* and Guan Yin Statue.
  • Kadoorie Farm.
  • Abandoned villages and fortified walled communities in Sha Tin.
  • The 10, 000 Buddhas Monastery in Shatin.
  • Monkey Mountain the native (and very tame) Macaques monkeys. *Please do not feed the monkeys under any circumstances.
  • Jat’s Incline: An amazing panoramic view.
  • Shopping at Sum Ngai Brass Factory or Yuet Tung China Works

*A visit to the Tsz Shan Monastery must be booked at least four weeks in advance.

You can view our tour booking page here for a shore excursion of the New Territories

Cruise ships we receive booking for 2023-24: Celebrity Solstice, Westerdam, Costa Delizoiza, Costa Serena, Celebrity Millennium, Diamond Princess, Queen Mary II, Serenade of the Seas, Mein Schiff 6, Insignia, Royal Princess, MSC Bellissima, Norwegian Spirit, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, Coral Princess, Seabourn Encore, Seabourn Sojourn, Seven Seas Explorer, Silver Muse, Silver Nova, Viking Orion

Lantau Island Full Day Tour

Lantau Island is known as Hong Kong’s green lung, and you can imagine stepping back in time 50 years when you visit. Most of this stunning island is untouched and can only be accessed by public transport. I will navigate you seamlessly through the highlights in this 8 hour private tour. Highlights include, a private car transfer from your accommodation to the cable-car, skip the line access at the cable-car (I am a licensed guide and so you will avoid the long lines), the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery and Tai O fishing village.

I will help you to understand the meanings of the stories that make this place so special, and how the teachings weave their way into Chinese culture and society on this experience. We will arrive by cable-car via skip-the-line access and enjoy the stunning and dramatic landscapes of Lantau on the 24-minute panoramic ride. Once we arrive to the top of the mountain, we will continue by foot to explore all corners of this uniquely different part of Hong Kong. Many times travellers visit this area as a first introduction to Buddhism, let me open it up for you! There are many things to see, but not that easy understand, such as Buddha’s story, a visit to the memory palace connected to the Big Buddha statue, and the word “emptiness” in relation to the faith – perhaps the most misunderstood word in Buddhism. I can also show you a hidden place where you will be able to “speak” directly to the Buddha. These are the things that you will not learn from a guide book.

This is an in-depth look at Tai O village. This is a must-see for anyone interested in visiting the real Hong Kong. This relaxing village is one of the best preserved places on Lantau Island, indeed the whole of Hong Kong, largely owing to the efforts of the local community… and a place to just really slow down. Situated at the end of the Pearl River Delta, where it meets the South China Sea, its history and culture are intrinsically linked to its geographical location. We will take a small boat ride to view the stilted houses for a close up look at how people live in this small enclave. There is a chance to view the Hong Kong- Macau – Zhuhai bridge from the open estuary and maybe a pink dolphin or two. Then we will visit the Tai O Heritage hotel, a former colonial police station which was converted in 2013. This has a story all on its own. Finally, we will wander through the market streets, say hello to the villagers who live there, and see all the home-made produce (much of which is linked to the preservation of fish).

Read more on this unique corner of Hong Kong on our blog – Tian Tan Buddha

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