Visit Hong Kong’s floating village “Tai O”  Riverside cafés & dolphin spotting

Photos & Text byUnrestrained

The first time I visited Tai O, it was just a few hours before my flight back to Taiwan at the end of the trip. I didn’t expect the impression it left on me to be so wonderful, so I returned with friends to this beautiful little fishing village. The weather that day was overcast and rainy, with light rain falling off and on. The scenery in Tai O lacked the golden hues we enjoyed during our previous visit at sunset on a clear day, but the stilt houses, sampans, and waterways remained the same, now with an added sense of understated serenity. We took a boat ride to see the floating village, went to the estuary to look for pink dolphins, wandered through the alleys, then found a stilt-house café to sit and daydream while chatting about life’s little details—such a perfect way to steal a bit of leisure time.

Getting to Tai O

There are different transportation options to reach Tai O from various locations. On my first visit, Unrestrained departed from Kowloon, taking the MTR to “Tung Chung Station,” then transferring to “Bus 11” which goes directly to Tai O. The whole journey took about 2 hours (based on a departure from Mong Kok).

Tai O is located on Lantau Island, so some travelers may want to combine this trip with visiting the Ngong Ping Cable Car and the Big Buddha on the same day. In that case, you can take “Bus 21” from the bus stop next to the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car station, which goes directly to Tai O.

But this time, I didn’t start the journey from Kowloon or the Ngong Ping Cable Car. Instead, I began from Hong Kong Island and went straight to Central Pier to take a ferry.

Central Pier has several docks. If your destination is Tai O, go to Pier 6 to take a ferry to “Mui Wo Pier” on Lantau Island, then transfer to “Bus 1” to get to Tai O directly (the entire trip takes about 2 hours).

Second Visit to Tai O

After rocking along on the bus for forty or fifty minutes, we finally arrived at the big bus stop and saw Tai O village, nestled between mountains and sea. Many boat operators offering stilt-house tours and dolphin-watching trips were soliciting customers right at the entrance to the village.

It was raining nonstop that day, and there were very few tourists. The boat operators’ businesses were also quiet. On my last visit to Tai O, I had seen lots of tour boats coming and going, and I thought to myself that I must take a tour boat this second time around (how easily influenced can one be?). So when a boat operator came up to promote his service, I immediately agreed.

The boat ride cost 25 HKD (about 100 TWD). The boat captain first took us to the side of Tai O that faces inland, toward the mountains. The boat traveled along the river mouth, passing by sampans tied with ropes swaying with the waves, fishing nets hanging on wooden frames, and the slightly faded stilt houses on both sides—that’s the daily life of the locals here. It’s all very ordinary, but there’s a feeling of peaceful seclusion.

After cruising around the stilt houses near the river mouth, we headed outward toward the sea. Due to the light rain and some wind and waves that day, the captain said we couldn’t go too far from the shore, and that it would probably be hard to see any dolphins.

So we only stayed in the shallow offshore area for a short time before heading back to shore early.

The entire boat trip lasted only about 20 minutes, and the captain didn’t really give much commentary either, which was a bit different from what I had expected. But for just 100 TWD, it’s hard to ask for more. Just sitting on the boat and enjoying the scenery was quite nice.

Back on shore, we strolled through Tai O Market. Actually, there are only two main roads in Tai O, and no matter how you walk, you’ll eventually end up back where you started—no worries about getting lost.

Last time I visited, I saw many shops selling fresh seafood, but this time, only a few shops were open, mostly selling cold drinks, snacks, and dried seafood.

In Hong Kong, every product has Chinese characters on it, but often you can’t guess what they mean. This next one, “Yin Gu Tea Fruit,” is a good example.

There isn’t much to see in the market, really. Walking along the market, you’ll find residential homes on both sides, often with bicycles parked out front. In this area, you won’t see any cars or motorcycles—the sampans by the river and the bicycles in the alleys are the everyday transport for the residents.

A handwritten missing person notice, simple and unadorned, yet charmingly honest.

Emerging from the alleyways, the stilt houses built high above the river are photogenic no matter how you shoot them—especially this one painted in bright colors and decorated with lush potted plants. I remember my camera used up some memory on my last visit here, too.

After exploring this area, we crossed over to the other side via the small blue bridge shown in the photo below.

This pale blue bridge pier, called the “Tai O Chung Pedestrian Bridge,” has been in use for about 20 years. Before it was built, crossing from the left bank to the right bank of Tai O required taking a manually operated, specialized sampan on the water’s edge (also called a “horizontal ferry”), which had a bit of a water taxi vibe. It used to be a major tourist attraction in Tai O, but with the opening of this pedestrian bridge, the horizontal ferry disappeared—kind of a pity, really.

Standing on the Tai O Chung Pedestrian Bridge, the views in both directions are stunning.

The street on the other side of the pedestrian bridge initially has many shops and restaurants, but the further you go inward, the quieter it becomes.

You’ll occasionally spot cats and dogs playing in the alleys.

There’s a little stall here selling scones. I personally think they’re even better than the ones from Tai Cheong Cake Shop in Central—so fluffy and pleasantly chewy. Highly recommended.

The houses on this side don’t have as much of an old-time charm as those on the first side we saw. Some are decorated in a rather minimalist, fresh style.

After walking for not long—just about ten minutes or so—you’ll reach the end. Turn a corner and you’ll see a red bridge. Actually, this spot also leads to the opposite bank you just visited.

The view from the bridge.

Tai O is small, so taking a leisurely stroll, you can pretty much cover the whole place within two hours. If you get tired, just like us, find a waterside café or restaurant to grab a bite and a drink.

The unassuming “Sulu” coffee shop in the photo above is where we took a break. There’s no overly deliberate decoration—simple and unpretentious, without any sense of oppression. From the front door, you can see straight through to the back door, which is quite unique. The space feels very airy, which is actually a characteristic of houses in Tai O.

The outdoor seating is right by the river, and there are also open-air seats upstairs, accessible via the stairs.

Here’s what it looked like when we were sitting by the river. The weather was overcast, but after the rain stopped, a gentle breeze blew—it was really cool and comfortable~

Here, the main attraction is the riverside scenery. What you eat or drink doesn’t seem all that important. The food and drinks offered are quite simple: a few types of pancakes, toast, chicken wings, Hong Kong-style dim sum, coffee, herbal teas, and the like.

We ordered honey pomelo tea, espresso, and salty lemon with 7-Up—the flavors were pretty good.

If you have the chance, do come here and sit for a while~ The shop also offers free postcards at the entrance. If you’re a postcard collector, don’t forget to take one as a souvenir Up.

※ Transportation Information to Tai O
■ From Hong Kong Island: Take a ferry from “Central Pier No. 6” to “Mui Wo Pier” on Lantau Island, then transfer to “Bus No. 1” to Tai O. (The whole journey takes about 2 hours.)
■ From Kowloon: Take the MTR to “Tung Chung Station,” then transfer to “Bus No. 11” to Tai O. (The whole journey takes about 2 hours, based on departure from Mong Kok Station.)
■ From Ngong Ping on Lantau Island: Take “Bus No. 21” from the bus stop next to the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Station to Tai O.

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