Attraction & Sightseeing In Macau
A-
Ma Temple - Black Sands Beach -
Camoes Grotto and Gardens
Coloane Island- Cheoc Van
Beach - Kun Iam Temple
 A-Ma
Temple is the oldest of Macau's Buddhist temples. Situated in the
southeast of Macau, in the Barra district and at the base of Pehua
hill, the temple is dedicated to the god A-Ma (Mother and Queen of
the Sea) whom Macau is named after.
There are numerous legends about
A-Ma, the most popular on Macau is that she was a beautiful young
girl from Fujian province who saved a ship from sinking on route to
Guangzhou by giving it her blessing. She vanished on return to
Macau, and a temple was built at the spot where she later reappeared
as a goddess.
Parts of the temple are more than 600
years old and were built before the arrival of the Portuguese.
Today, the temple complex consists of Ming dynasty shrines, prayer
halls, pavilions and gardens creeping up the hillside. It is a
fascinating and atmospheric working temple and is particularly
interesting and vibrant in April and May during the festival of
A-Ma, when this is a popular place of pilgrimage. It is busy too, at
Chinese New Year when the sound of firecrackers is deafening.
Address: Calcada da Marra, south of
Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro.
--To the Top
 Black
Sands Beach (Hac Sa) is an enormous crescent-shaped beach and the
largest and most popular of Macau's beaches. The sand here is black
and gray and the water (although it looks dirty) is very clean and
lovely to swim in. This a great beach with fantastic facilities,
including jet skiing and windsurfing and the view from the beach
over to Lantau island is spectacular.
The beach is adjacent to
the Hac Sa Sports and Recreation Park. This is a great place with a
nice pool, tennis courts, golf course and various other facilities.
Prices vary for the different facilities but the park is open
between 10am and 9pm every day.
How to get there: Take Bus
No.21A from the center of town.
--To the Top
 Camoes
Grotto and Gardens were founded in memory of the famous 16th century
Portuguese poet, Luis de Camoes. Legend has it that Camoes wrote his
epic Os Lusiadas by the rocks in Macau and a bust of the poet stands
in the gardens today.
The gardens cover a large
area but are delightful for relaxing and walking. The park is filled
with locals who bring caged birds here to sing and the small windy
paths are discreet enough for visitors to lose themselves among the
rockery and trees. The trees here provide welcome shade from the
heat of the sun in the summer months.
The Luis de Camoes Museum
is also situated in the park.
How to get there: Take bus
No.17 from the Lisboa Hotel.
--To the Toppp
 Situated
approximately 1.5 km from Coloane Village, Cheoc Van beach is a
pleasant sandy stretch where you can swim in the sea or in the pool
in the nearby park. There are numerous water sports facilities here
including yachting and canoeing. The beach is surrounded by leafy
woods with a stream passing through and the woods provide welcome
shelter from the sun in the summer months.
Recently, development on the entire island has begun but as yet, it
is still an attractive and undeveloped area despite the European
style villas and health clubs which are shooting up around these
parts.
Opening hours: The pool and park are open daily 8am-9pm except on
Saturdays when they are open until midnight.
--To the Top
 Kun
Iam Tong Temple is one of Macau's most interesting Temple complexes.
The Temple is dedicated to the God of Mercy, Kun Iam, and was first
built in the 13th Century although the present building only dates
back to 1627.
Today, the Temple complex contains pictures and scrolls dedicated to
the God of Mercy, beautiful terraced gardens and numerous fortune
tellers. It is a lively and active temple and a great place to do
some people watching and soak up some of the peninsula's atmosphere.
The temple also has important historical relevance as it was the
spot where the first Sino-American treaty was signed in 1844.
Address: Avenida do Coronel Mesquita.
--To the Top
Sightseeing
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