14 Days in Hainan: the Whole Island, Both Coasts

The mid-1800s arcade quarter of the provincial capital — tea, temple courtyards and the harbor clock tower; start slow, the island rewards it.

1. hainan haikou qilou old street

The Shishan craters of the Leiqiong geopark (UNESCO-listed volcanic field since 2006) south of town, then a boat through Dongzhai's mangrove channels.

1. hainan shishan volcano park
2. hainan dongzhai mangrove

East by rail about half an hour; the launch site's first flight came in June 2016, its pads watched from Longlou's beaches, then the Dongjiao coconut forest.

1. hainan wenchang launch site
2. hainan wenchang coconut forest

The forum town of annual gatherings since 2001; the Yudai spit walks between the Wanquan River and the open sea.

1. hainan boao yudai beach

International surfing events at Riyue Bay; coffee, cacao and spice rows at the Xinglong garden since 1957.

1. hainan riyue bay
2. hainan xinglong botanical garden

Tanka fish rafts at Xincun port and the 2,100-metre cableway to Nanwan's macaque reserve.

1. hainan xincun danjia rafts
2. hainan nanwan monkey island

One declared Sanya day — Yalong Bay in the morning light, the 108 m Nanshan Guanyin by afternoon; the city guide takes over from here.

1. hainan sanya nanshan

A few hours by road into the island's spine — the five-fingered peak tops out at 1,867 m inside the tropical rainforest national park formally established in October 2021; the Li villages here weave the famous brocade, and Wuzhishan has its own guide.

1. hainan wuzhishan rainforest

A full day on the park boardwalks among giant ferns and mountain streams; the town's cool evenings surprise visitors who know only the beaches.

1. hainan wuzhishan rainforest

A half-day mountain drive to Jianfengling's 1,412 m rainforest massif in Ledong; boardwalks, lookouts and the island's wildest interior green.

1. hainan jianfengling

Down to the dry west coast — Dongfang's Yulinzhou lighthouse on its headland, wind turbines turning behind the dunes, sunset over the fishing fleet.

1. hainan dongfang yulinzhou

North along the coast to Qiziwan, where smooth pebbles line crescent beaches and the tide hums through them at dusk.

1. hainan changjiang qiziwan

The lava-stone salt pans of Yangpu, worked by the same method for more than a thousand years — shallow troughs cut in volcanic rock, still evaporating brine today; then the west HSR line back to Haikou by evening.

1. hainan yangpu ancient salt fields

One last arcade-street breakfast and a look at the harbor you first met — then the airport, with both coasts of the island in your notes.

1. hainan haikou qilou old street