Archive for the ‘Hainan Travel’ Category

Top 10 Sanya Attractions, Top 10 Things to Do in Sanya

Sunday, January 30th, 2011
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Plan your Sanya tour? Sanya is a city in southern Hainan province of China. Covering an area of 1920 square kilometers with 209 kilometers long coastline, Sanya has many natural advantages.

Sanya has bright sunshine, blue water and wide beaches. It attracts many international travelers as can be seen by the many Russian and English signs throughout the city. In recent years Sanya has become a common tourist destination from Hong Kong and other parts of the world.

No. 01: Tianya Haijiao
Tianya Haijiao scenic spot situates at the foot of Xiamaling Mountain in Tianya Town, about 23 km from Sanya City. Tianya Haijiao has unique scenery rarely found anywhere else. Walking into the touring area, your eyes will get caught by a couple of huge high standing caesious rock measuring over 10m high and 60m long.

The four Chinese characters “tianya” and “haijiao” are carved respectively on the two stones, meaning the edge of the whole world and the sea, hence the name “Tianya Haijiao”. Here the seawater and the sky share the same color, with mist-covered sea, sailing boats, coconut trees and grotesque stones together composing a gorgeous picture.

Entrance Fee: CNY 89
Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00
How to get there: take Buses No. 2 or 4 to the terminal, then transfer Taihe Special Tourist Bus to Tianya Haijiao; or take a minibus untitled with “Tianya” or “Nanshan” from the downtown area

Tianya Haijiao

Tianya Haijiao

No. 02: Asian Dragon Bay
Asian Dragon, or Yalong Bay, is situated in the southernmost part of Hainan Province, 25 kilometers away from Sanya.
Asian Dragon Bay is different from other bays in Asia.
The 7-kilometer Asian Dragon Bay is the best beach in Sanya. The bay covers 50 square kilometers of sea-area and has five islands.The coastline along the bay is 20 kilometers long and the seaport is about 8 kilometers wide. In the north of Yalong Bay is the site of Butterfly Valley, which is classified into five halls that present the most precious species of butterflies in China and other countries as well.
Entrance Fee: CNY 54
Opening Hours: 07:30-18:00
How to get there: take the double-decker Special Tourist Bus in the downtown area; or take Bus No. 15 to get there

Asian Dragon Bay

Asian Dragon Bay

No. 03: Butterfly Valley
Sanya Butterfly Valley is located near Longtan Lakes near stunning Yalong Bay of Sanya, the 1000 square meters of Butterfly Valley is filled with vibrant colors butterflies flying around.

In the Butterfly valley, an open air flight cage will ensure that visitors are able to interact closely with butterflies. In the large-scale exhibition hall, there are over 2000 kinds of specimens of butterflies and insects on display, among which the Golden Kaiser is the only classified as state protection butterfly in China.

The valley also displays some of China’s most rare and precious butterflies, including Peking Papilio.
Entrance Fee: CNY 33
Opening Hours: 07:30-18:00
How to get there: take Taihe Special Tourist Bus to the Butterfly Valley

 Butterfly Valley

Butterfly Valley

No. 04:Luhuitou Park
Luhuitou Park is located high on a hill overlooking Sanya and provides visitors with sweeping vistas of the city, its surrounding area and the South China Sea.
The Luhuitou Park features a 12-meter-tall statue commemorating the legend of a brave young hunter and a mountain deer that transformed into a beautiful young girl.

Inside the Luhuitou Park, there are winding paths, Halley’s comet observation station built on the mountain, white wave-hearing pavilion, red Guanghai kiosk, the lover’s island, and other scenic spots like the Monkey Mountain, Deer House, Hut of Li People, Turtle’s Heaven and the Immortal Pond.

Entrance Fee: CNY 45
Opening Hours: 07:00-22:00
How to get there: take Bus No. 2 to Luhuitou Station; or take a Special Tourist Bus to get there

Luhuitou Park

Luhuitou Park

No. 05: Dadonghai
Dadonghai is located 3 kilometers southeast of downtown Sanya, between Mt. Tuziwei and Mt. Luhuitou.
The beach, surrounded by mountains on three sides, is fringed with rows of coconut trees while crystal clear seawater laps the white sandy beach.

Compared with Yalong Bay and Sanya Bay, the beach is only 10 minutes’ drive from downtown Sanya, so it is the most popular and lively beach in the area.About three or four hundred meters east of the beach, there is a coastal park, where you can stand on a hill and look out over the gorgeous land and seascape.

Entrance Fee: free
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: take Buses No. 2, 4, 102, 202 or 204 to Dadonghai

Dadonghai

Dadonghai

No. 06: Wuzhizhou Island
Wuzhizhou located at  Linwan Zhen  in Sanya, 2.7 km after the sea off the coast of the village. As the island is in a tropical marine zone, the climate is temperate and pleasant all year round. It is an ideal place for vacation, winter swimming as well as entertainment.
There are over 2,700 plant varieties on the island, including the tall trees and dense bushes.
Entrance Fee: CNY 168 (the entrance fee and boat free are included)
Opening Hours: 08:30-16:00 (get in the island); 09:00-18:00 (get out of the island)
How to get there: take Bus No. 23 to the corner of Wuzhizhou Island, then take a tricycle to the port of Wuzhizhou Island

Wuzhizhou Island

Wuzhizhou Island

No. 07: Nantian Hot Spring
Embedded in Hainan Province Nantian State Farm and faced with Wuzhizhou Island, Nantian Hot Spring is conveniently in the proximity to Hainan Nanwan Monkey Island, Yalong Bay, Tianyahaijiao, and the highway.

Nantian Hot Spring is abundant in Minerals that is healthily beneficial and therefore developed into a tourism spot filled with tropical atmosphere. The Resort is a 5-star complex incorporating services of hotspring holidays, recreations, health presering, beauty build-up and commerical events. It is a notable hot spring attracting lots of tourists.

Entrance Fee: CNY 198
Opening Hours: 08:00-24:00
How to get there: Nantian Hot Spring faces Wuzhizhou Island across the sea. Take Bus No. 23 to the corner of Wuzhizhou Island, take a tricycle to the port of Wuzhizhou Island, then take a boat to Nantian Hot Spring.

Nantian Hot Spring

Nantian Hot Spring

No. 08: Nanshan Temple
Situated 40 kilometers from Sanya City, Hainan Province, the Nanshan Temple ranks as one of the attractions in the Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone.

With its total floor space of 40,000 sq meters, Nanshan Temple boasts several replicas of Tang Dynasty architecture. The Renwang Gate, the entrance to the temple, has two figures of Buddha standing there as guards.As well, seven Buddhist figures are enshrined in the Doushuai Adytum.

The Maitreya Buddha is in the middle of the Hall with two Bodhisattvas on each side. The temple is part of an area known as the Nanshan Buddhism Cultural Tourism Zone.Entrance Fee: CNY 150
Opening Hours: 08:30-17:00
How to get there: There are Special Tourist Bus from the downtown area to Nanshan Mountain.

No. 09: Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone
The Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone is located 40 kilometers southwest of Sanya City, Hainan Province.

Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone covers an area of 50 square kilometers, and its major sites include Nanshan Temple, an important Buddhist temple, the Gold & Jade Kwanyin (Avalokiteshvara, Goddess of Compassion) Statue, which costs 192 million yuan, and is built with gold, pearls, jade and various gemstones including diamonds, and an 108 meter tall Kwanyin Statue on the South Sea. Other sightseeing options are available.

Entrance Fee: CNY 150
Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00
How to get there: There are Special Tourist Bus from the downtown area to Nanshan Mountain.

Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone

Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone

No. 10: Monkey Island
Monkey Island is located in the south of Lingshui Li Nationality Autonomous County.
The Monkey Island is home to about 1800 endangered Macaque monkeys whose habitat you get to roam freely through.

Be careful, these monkeys will jump on humans (playful) or attack for sweet drinks or food!There are also some circus-style comedy shows featuring monkeys doing stunts.

Entrance ticket is ¥68 and a round-trip ride on the gondola is another ¥60, but well worth the quiet, long, and smooth ride over gorgeous ocean-top fishing villages and jungle.Entrance Fee: CNY 128
Opening Hours: 08:30-16:30
How to get there: take a Special Tourist Bus from Haikou

Monkey Island

Monkey Island

Tip:  Hassle-free Sanya Guided Tours

06611If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for Sanya Guided Tours:


Sanya Cruise Port Day Tour  from US$105 p/p
Sanya 5 Day Leisure Tour  from US$365 p/p

Sanya Car Rental with driver from US$49

Further Readings


Top 10 Attractions in Haikou
Haikou Taxi

Sanya Taxi

Any questions, just drop a line.

 

Top 10 Haikou Attractions, Top 10 Things to Do in Haikou

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011
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Plan your Haikou tour? Haikou is the capital city of Hainan Province which is situated on the north-east coast of Hainan island. With the sea on three sides Haikou enjoys a long coastline that features excellent bathing beaches and sea-side resorts.

Haikou has a number of important sites of historical interest. The Wugong Temple (The Five Official’s Temple), the Tomb of Hai Rui and the Xiuying Emplacement each serves as reminders of the historical importance of Haikou.

No. 01: Holiday Beach (假日海滩)
Holiday Beach is a typical place for touring and having leisure at the beach. The Holiday Beach is located at the side of Qingling Road of the west in Haikou, and the total length of the Holiday Beach is 6 kilometers.

The whole beach can be divided into four areas: sun bath area on the beach, sport area in the sea, ocean food area and holiday area. There are also many sports and performances around the beach. All of them are for free. The golden sunshine, blue seawater, yellow beach and green coconut trees form a great picture of the seashore. You can’t miss it!

Entrance Fee: Free
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: there are Special minibuses to Holiday Beach in the downtown area of Haikou; or you can take Buses No. 40, 28, 29, Y1 or Y2 to get there

Holiday Beach

Holiday Beach


No. 02: Volcano Crater Park (石山火山群国家地质公园)
Located 15 kilometers from Haikou in the Shishan town, Volcano Crater Park is a natural volcano geology museum in Haikou, Hainan Province. The eruption of the ancient Qiongbei Volcano left the most intact volcano craters here.

The park has the volcano cultural garden, ecological garden, the green corridor, and the crater’s garden, attracting visitors from both home and abroad. Visitors can also enjoy the rustic flavor of the local people, try the country house food, and purchase the local handiwork too.Entrance Fee: CNY 60

Opening Hours: 08:00-15:30
How to get there: take the minibus from Kaikou West Station to Dunchang and get off at the Volcano Crater Park

Volcano Crater Park

Volcano Crater Park


No. 03: Hairui Tomb (海瑞墓)
Hairui Tomb is in the Binya Village, in the west suburbs of Haikou. It is a historical and cultural relic under state protection. Hairui was an uncorrupted minister in the Ming Dynasty.

He was a man of justice and helped the common people to get the right. After his death, a pavilion and a temple were built over the tomb to honor him by the local people.

Later the Tomb of Hairui has become a popular place for the visitors too. The constructions of the tomb buildings are majestic. A memorial archway stands right at the front of the gate, with the words of “Justice of Hainan” engraved on it.

Entrance Fee: CNY 10
Opening Hours: 09:00-17:00
How to get there: take Buses No. A, 2, 16 or 19 to Hairui Tomb

Hairui Tomb

Hairui Tomb


No. 04: Hainan Tropical Wildlife Garden (热带野生动植物园)
At the Dongshan lake front which is 27 kilometers from Haikou city, in Dongshan town, Qiongshan district, Haikou, Hainan Tropical Wildlife Garden is the first theme garden on tropical wildlife in China.

This is actually a tropical zoological garden which imitates the environment of the wild, covering total area of 1.3 square kilometers, in which visitors can take a look at various kinds of tropical animal in their relatively wild state.

Altogether about 200 tropical wild animals are fed in the wild here in the garden including some of the rare species. Visitors can also just enjoy themselves by the lake in the vocational area.

Entrance Fee: CNY 95
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: There are shuttle buses at Mingzhu Square to Hainan Tropical Wildlife Gardenm, and they are for free.

Hainan Tropical Wildlife Garden

Hainan Tropical Wildlife Garden


No. 05: Tropical Ocean World (海南热带海洋世界)
Tropical Ocean World is located on the West Coast of Haikou. Tropical Ocean World is the first general theme part which can represent tropical ocean culture in China.

The Tropical Ocean World Part includes Merry Ocean, children amusement park, tropical rain forest area, the Millennium Tower, etc. The Merry Ocean contains 30,000 colorful tropical fish.

There are a lot of game in the children amusement park, such as shooting, sliding board, shaking board and manual rail cars. The tropical rain forest area can be divided into four parts: Tropical Tree Garden, Tropical Flower Garden, Tropical Rain Forest Garden and Tropical Fruit Garden.

Entrance Fee: CNY 65
Opening Hours: 08:30-17:00
How to get there: take Buses Y1, Y2, 28 or 40 to the World of Tropical Ocean

Tropical Ocean World

Tropical Ocean World


No. 06: Five Ministers’ Temples (五公祠)
Five Ministers’ Temples, or Wugong Temples, with the total area of 66,000 square meters, are located at Guoxing Street of Qiongshan in Haikou, Hainan.

Wugong Temples are travel spots integrate traditional architectures, ancient sites and gardens. “Wugong” means five temples, and refers to five well-known officials of the Tang and Song dynasties.

Their names are Li Deyu, Li Gang, Li Guang, Zhao Ding and Hu Quan. They did a lot to the culture and economy of Hainan. In order to remember them, Hainan people built the Wugong Temples.

Entrance Fee: CNY 25
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:30
How to get there: take Buses No. 1 or 11 to get there

Five Ministers' Temples

Five Ministers’ Temples


No. 07: Mangrove Forest in Dongzhai Port (东寨港红树林自然保护区)
Haikou Mangrove Forest in Dongzhai Port is one of the major tourist attractions in Haikou which has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative List.

The Mangrove Forest in Dongzhai Port is about 50 miles long, covering an area of about 4000 square kilometers. It includes six rivers, and the coastline is very irregular and includes numbers of bays and tidewater gullies.

Mangrove is a tropical evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Rhizophora, having stilt-like roots and stems and forming dense thickets along tidal shores. It is not only a good place of interest to visitors but also a place of scientific research to the scientists of home and abroad.Entrance Fee: CNY 25

Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: take a minibus leaves for Binfeng or Qukou and get off at Hongshulin

Mangrove Forest in Dongzhai Port

Mangrove Forest in Dongzhai Port


No. 08: Xixiu Beach Park (西秀海滩)
Xixiu Beach Park is 6 kilometers from the center of Haikou city. The coastline is almost 1,200 meters long. View of Qiongzhou channel and ships shuttle in the sea could be viewed here from far.

It has the international windsurfing training and is also the competition base and international yacht club. The public seashore sanatorium and the aquatic sports center performance hall invites European and American professionals to perform water ballet and diving every year.

It has seafood for dining, leisure vacation guesthouse, etc. It also has musical fountain square, ecology square, parking lot, skating rink, cactus garden, child activity center and so on.

Entrance Fee: free
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: take Bus No. 37 to the Xixiu Beach

No. 09: Nanli Lake (海口南丽湖)
The Nanli Lake is a famous scenic site in Haikou City, Hainan Province, which is located in Dingan County, about 40 kilometers far away from Haikou.

The Nanli Lake covers 46 square kilometers and the area of the lake is 12.3 square kilometers. There are 13 islands and five peninsulas in all.

The shapes of the islands are varied, such as the square, oblong and round ones. Among them, the largest one covers 39,600 square meters.

Additionally, as a scenic site, Nanli Lake provides splendid service of accommodation, catering and entertainment and the facilities are ample, including sumptuous hotels, restaurants, villas, the golf course and some facilities of entertainment above water.

Entrance Fee: CNY 70
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:30
How to get there: take the special bus of “Haikou – Ding’an – Nanli” and get off at its destination.

Nanli Lake

Nanli Lake


No. 10: Xiuying Gun Emplacement (秀英古炮台)
Xiuying Gun Emplacement is situated in Xiuying Village, about 6 kilometers from Hai Xiu Road in the suburbs of Haikou. In 1890, Zhang Zhidong, an important official of the Qing Government ordered to build the Xiuying Emplacement in order to resist the invading of the French Army.

The whole emplacement plus with the annex totally covers an area of 10,000 square meters. It has all together built five emplacements with the Gongbei, Zhendong and Dingxi as the big ones and the Zhenwu and Zhenwei as the small ones.

It has witnessed the history of the brave Haikou people resisting the foreign invaders hundred years ago.

Entrance Fee: CNY 15
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
How to get there: take Buses No. 31 or 32 to get there

Xiuying Gun Emplacement

Xiuying Gun Emplacement

 

Tip:  Hassle-free Haikou Guided Tours

06611If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for Haikou Guided Tours:

Haikou Highlight Day Tour
Haikou Sanya 7 Day Leisure Tour
Haikou Car Rental with Driver from US$

Further Readings


Top 10 Attractions in Haikou
Haikou Taxi


Any questions, just drop a line.

Sanya Taxi: Sanya Taxi Fares, Tips and Phones

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
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Plan your Sanya tour? Traveling by taxi is also a good way to get around while in Sanya as it is  convenient and inexpensive. At the time of my writing, Sanya has more than 1,500 taxi. The present number of taxis in Sanya is enough to meet the need of the market demand.  So, it is convenient and comfortable in Sanya.56032-20011If you want to rent a car with driver to visit Sanya on your own way, check out the link for more information: Sanya Car Rental.

 
Taxi Models in Sanya
There are mainly three mainly models of taxies in Sanya such as Xiali, Jietta, and Elysee equipped with intelligent system.

Sanya Taxi Fares:
• RMB 8 for the first 2km
• RMB1.5 or 1.3 per each km due to different types of taxies.
•Taxi fare involved an added 20% on top of the base fare from 01:00-05:00
• RMB2 per km after 2km base

Taxi Call in  Sanya
Tel: 0898-88899911
Tel: 0898-38285555

Hailing a Sanya City Taxi
•The best places to hail a taxi is near the Station, Scenic Spots, Hotel.
•It is very easy to hail a taxi on the streets. People prefer to hail a taxi near a bus stop instead of those taxi stands.

Sanya Taxi rider’s rights
As a taxi rider, you have the rights below:
Direct drive to your destination and no compulsory car pooling
Go to any destination in and beyond Sanya
Your car driver knows the streets in Sanya and the way to major destinations in Sanya;
Your driver should know and abide by all traffic laws;
Air-conditioning on demand;
A radio-free trip;
No Smoking
A clean passenger seat area;
A clean trunk
A driver uses the horn only when necessary to warn of danger;
No Tipping

Sanya Taxi Stands
You will find some taxi stands on the main road in Sanya, however, passengers prefer to hail a taxi anywhere they feel convenient. The taxi stands have always been ignored.

Sanya Taxi Complaints
If you have any problem with a taxi in Sanya, please contact the following:
•Sanya Taxi Complaining No.: 0898-88276703

Sanya Taxi Useful Information
•Using a meter instead of bargaining with the cab driver
•Sanya Phoenix International Airport –Sanya Downtown: RMB30-40
•Sanya Phoenix International Airport –Dadonghai Bay: RMB60-80
•Sanya Phoenix International Airport –Yalong Bay: RMB80-100
•Sanya Downtown – Yalong Bay: RMB40-60
•Dadonghai Bay – Yalong Bay: RMB40-60


Tip:  Hassle-free Sanya Guided Tours

06611If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for Sanya Guided Tours:


Sanya Cruise Port Day Tour  from US$105 p/p
Sanya 5 Day Leisure Tour  from US$365 p/p

Sanya Car Rental with driver from US$49

Further Readings


Top 10 Attractions in Haikou
Haikou Taxi

Sanya Taxi

Any questions, just drop a line.