No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a visit to the world's tallest, outdoor, seated bronze Buddha which sits serenely atop Ngong Ping plateau amid the spectacular mountain scenery of Lantau Island.

The eyes, lips, incline of the head and even the right hand (raised to deliver a blessing to all), combine to lend great depth of character and dignity to this extraordinary statue.

The majestic figure of the seated Buddha is 34 metres high, was cast in China and took over 10 years to complete. Weighing 250 tonnes, it was unveiled in 1993 amid deeply religious ceremonies.

The Ngong Ping 360 experience starts with a 25 minute cable car ride from Tung Chung to a culturally themed village high atop a mountain plateau on Lantau Island. It's here at the Ngong Ping Village, that your family can enjoy two great attractions and a choice of shops and eateries, all on this picturesque 1.5-hectare site.

From Po Lin Monastery it's a short walk to the Wisdom Path, an outdoor replica of the centuries old Heart Sutra, one of the world’s best-known prayers that is revered by Confucians, Buddhists and Taoists alike. The sutra is displayed on wooden pillars placed in the form of a figure "∞" to symbolise the idea of immeasurable splendour and infinity.

Visitors can climb the 268 steps to reach the platform where the Buddha is seated. Besides attracting Buddhists from all over Asia, the magnificent figure with its compelling presence almost instantly transformed the remote Po Lin Monastery with its devout monks into a must-visit on tourist schedules. The Po Lin Monastery is set amid spectacular mountain scenery on the 520-metre high Ngong Ping plateau.