A-Ma Cultural Village: Coloane Travel Guide (4.4★)

A temple built for the goddess of the sea

Macau takes its name from A-Ma. Most visitors only see her older temple on the peninsula, at Barra. Up here on Alto de Coloane, the island’s high ground, is a newer tribute: a temple complex dedicated to the goddess, with a museum and memento shops.

The nearby A-Ma Statue is a pale stone figure about 20 metres tall. She faces out over the water, and you can see her from much of the hillside. The village itself follows classical Chinese temple design: tiled roofs, red columns and halls arranged up the slope. Expect steps between levels.

Reaching the hilltop

The address is Estrada do Alto de Coloane, a road that winds up through forest away from Coloane’s coastal villages. A taxi is the simplest way up. Ask for the A-Ma statue, Ma Zu Xiang in Mandarin or Ma Tsou Tchong to a Cantonese-speaking driver, and show the written address too.

If you like hiking, the Coloane Trail network runs across these hills, so you can walk up and come down a different way. Bring water, because the climb is steep and much of it is unshaded. Taxis are scarce at the top, so before you get out, sort out how you will get down.

Allow about an hour for the temple, the museum and the views. Combine it with:

• Coloane Village: the Chapel of St Francis Xavier and the waterfront lanes
• Hac Sa Beach: black sand on the island’s southeast coast
• Seac Pai Van Park: home to Macau’s giant pandas

Inside the halls: offerings and manners

This is a working place of worship, so behave as you would in any Chinese temple. Step over the raised threshold at a hall’s entrance, not on it. Keep your voice low near the altars. Don’t point a finger at the deity figures, and never take a photo of someone while they pray.

If you want to make an offering, buy incense where it is sold on site. Light it and hold it in both hands. Bow three times towards the altar, then plant the sticks in the large burner outside. The museum covers A-Ma’s legend as a protector of fishermen and sailors. It helps to know that story before you climb the halls.

Prices for incense, museum entry and souvenirs are posted on site. Shoulders don’t have to be covered, but beachwear looks out of place.

Beating the weekend tour groups

Few visitors make it up here, which is much of the appeal. On weekdays the place stays quiet from opening at 9am right through to the 6pm close, so you can come whenever you like.

Weekends work differently. It is calmest between 9am and 11am. Try not to arrive between 11am and 5pm, when the crowds build and the area around the statue fills with groups taking photos.

Arriving early also gives you the clearest air for the view. Mornings on the hill are usually quieter, and you have time to come down for lunch in Coloane Village. The gates close at 6pm every day, so if you’re arriving late, leave enough time to walk the full complex before closing.