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The main ferry from Hong Kong Island to Lantau docks at Mui Wo, or Silvermine Bay as the British named it. It’s a good starting point from which to explore the island, though not the most beautiful spot on Lantau. Most of the restaurants and bars and a supermarket are just around the corner from the ferry pier. There is also a beach five minutes’ walk to the northeast. Enjoy a beer and a game of snooker or stock up for a picnic before walking or beachcombing.

China Bear Pub, Lantau

Lying on the far western coast of Lantau, the pretty village of Tai O is a trek from Mui Wo but it’s worth the effort. Sitting in a tidal estuary, this is one of the last places in Hong Kong where you can see the traditional stilt housing of southern Chinese fishing villages. Some are as small as dolls’ houses. For an authentic Hong Kong consumable, buy a jar of shrimp paste, a powerful type of fish sauce created by fermenting shrimp and spices in a barrel in the sun. It’s actually much better than it sounds.

Tai O fishing village

For the reasonably fit, Sunset Peak offers the finest views on Lantau. The 934-m (3,063-ft) high mountain, Hong Kong’s second highest, commands great views across Hong Kong, down onto the international airport, Po Lin Monastery and the lovely wooded valleys of this sparsely inhabited terrain. Hardy souls stay at the nearby Youth Hostel and head up the peak for Hong Kong’s most spectacular sunrise. Obviously all this only applies in clear conditions.

The chapel, next to a dilapidated old dairy farm, is open to visitors willing to observe the silence of the monastery. Apart from that, there’s not much to see at the monastery itself, but it’s a good excuse for a gentle woodland walk to or from Discovery Bay. The monastery is also served by a ferry pier with infrequent Kaido services to Discovery Bay and the island of Peng Chau (see Peng Chau), which has many seafood restaurants.

Don’t expect many sights in Lamma’s main area of development on the east coast. Sok Kwu Wan is known mainly for its quarry and wall-to-wall seafood restaurants along the harbour front. The seafood tanks are a sight in themselves, however, with some monster-sized fish and crustaceans. There’s not much to differentiate most restaurants, although the standard is generally very good. Have a look at the pretty Tin Hau Temple at the end of the main street. The lovely 3-mile (5-km) circular walk to the sleepy, remote village and beach at Yung Shue Ha is recommended for the reasonably fit.

Lamma’s western coast also has a harbour, with lots of bars and eating choices along the village’s endearingly ramshackle main street. Watch villagers, resident expats and fellow visitors wander by, before hitting the well-kept beach at Hung Shing Ye, a 20-minute walk to the southwest.

Getting to this craggy, barely inhabited outcrop of rock south of Hong Kong Island is a logistical challenge (without a hired junk only feasible on Sundays). It’s worth the effort, however, for secluded walks and spectacular cliff views over the South China Sea, rounded off with a meal at the island’s only restaurant, the Ming Kee (see Ming Kee Seafood, Po Toi).

To the north of the Sai Kung Peninsula, tiny Tap Mun, which means “grass island”, is another remote destination with only a couple of daily connections with the mainland. The rewards are striking rock formations, pounding seas, a herd of cattle and relative seclusion. The island’s Tin Hau Temple is surprisingly large and beautiful. Take a picnic, as there are few eating opportunities. Nor is there any accommodation on the island, so be sure to catch that last ferry

This tiny island nestling off the coast of Lantau, opposite Discovery Bay, remains in many ways a traditional Hong Kong coastal community. You wander among its narrow alleys, tiny shops and temples to the gentle soundtrack of a distant game of mahjong or the sound of Cantonese opera leaking from an old radio set. But there’s no beach, and few eating choices, although the seafood is cheap.

This former pirate haven retains much of its traditional character, from the small-scale shipyards at the harbour’s edge to the old temples and shrines that dot its narrow alleys. With many of its inhabitants still being fishermen, it’s a good destination for cheap seafood. There are also a couple of excellent beaches (see Cheung Chau Island).