EXPLORING a place on your own can be exciting and frightening, at the same time. But for backpackers like me, a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) travel means adventure and seeing a place at a lesser cost. Plus, I also prefer wandering at my own pace and schedule.
For my recent trip to Macau, which I blogged in detail at my site, my sister and I toured the city by public transport. To come up with your own itinerary, here are some tips you can consider.
One, always check the bus routes so you can plan which bus to take from one point to another. Two, be flexible and adjust your itinerary based on weather and circumstances. Three, have a list of possible landmarks you want to see. You might not be able to visit them all, but if you know where they are located you can prioritize which ones you want to see first. Four, divide Macau in various regions. With that, you can focus on one area and go to the next as you go along. For now, let’s start from the southernmost part of Macau.
Coloane
Roam Coloane Village on foot and see the ancient temples and the quiet life in this fishing village. You can also head to the HacSa Beach or Cheoc Van Beach for some seaside relaxation. Coloane is like Macau’s countryside and you can indeed commune with nature here.
Trek to the Coloane Height Park were walking trails can be traversed, not to mention the A-Ma Statue and Tin Hua Palace that you can visit at the top. And if you are an animal lover, The SeacPai Van Park has an aviary and a mini-zoo where you will also find the Pavilion of Rare Animals and the Macao Giant Panda Pavilion. Best time to go here is in the morning till early afternoon.
Taipa
Old colonial houses and shops, the Macau Jockey Club, and churches and temples are some of the attractions in Taipa. The Old Taipa Village is a good place to look for souvenir items to bring home to friends and family. There are also rows of restaurants offering various cuisines. You can spend lunch and the whole afternoon to go from shop to shop and from temple to temple in this part of Macau.
Cotai Strip
Known for the rows of hotel resorts and casinos, it is great to come here late in the afternoon just when the sky changes color so you can see this strip at daytime and also during nighttime when the neon lights come alive. But if the weather gets too hot, this is also a good place to spend your late morning and early afternoon here as a refuge from the scorching heat of the sun. Hotels are connected by walkways and they are air-conditioned, so it’s nice to do some hotel hopping at Cotai Strip.
Southern part of Macau Peninsula
You can go around the Nape and the downtown area. Explore the Historic Centre of Macau, a Unesco World Heritage Site, from the A-Ma Temple to the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The landmarks are near to each other, one you can reach on foot. It may be a large area but you can allot one whole day if you really want to have a closer look of each of the monuments in this part of Macau. One thing for sure, this is one part of Macau that you should not miss.
Northern area of the peninsula
From the Border Gate, there are many parks and attractions in the northern part of the Macau Peninsula. There’s the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Municipal Park, the Mong Ha Municipal Park, and the Lou Lim Ioc Garden, to name a few. But more than just visiting the landmarks, also get inside the local markets and explore the small alleys that most tourists do not frequent. Enjoy Macau and experience it at your own style.
All photos are by this author. Claire Marie Algarme blogs at http://firsttimetravels.com. Follow her as @firsttimetravel on Twitter and Instagram and like her Facebook page First-time Travels.