The 6-Day (Haikou & Sanya) China Group Tour: Volcanoes, Coconut Palms & Tropical Island Life

Itinerary Summary: Arrive in Haikou – Transfer to Hotel – Free Time

Hotel Star Rating: 4-Star Hotels

Meals Included: No Food

Arrive in Haikou, the capital of Hainan province and the gateway to China‘s tropical south. Your driver will meet you at the airport and take you directly to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to rest or explore. Haikou moves at a slower pace than the mainland’s big cities – the air is warmer, the streets are lined with coconut palms, and the pace of life is noticeably more relaxed. Take a walk along the waterfront, find a local seafood spot, or simply settle in. Tomorrow, the island begins to reveal itself.

Itinerary Summary: Qilou Old Street – Leiqiong Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark – Xixiu Beach – Cloudscape Library

Hotel Star Rating: 4-Star Hotels

Meals Included: Lunch

Start your morning at Qilou Old Street, a preserved arcade district built by overseas Chinese returning from Southeast Asia in the early 20th century. The architecture is distinctly Nanyang – covered walkways, ornate facades, and shuttered windows. The street is free to enter and open 24 hours a day. It‘s still a working commercial street, so you’ll see locals going about their day among the heritage buildings. From there, head to the Leiqiong Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark – a UNESCO-listed site with 101 dormant volcanoes, 40 volcanic cones, and over 30 lava tunnels. You can hike to the crater rim and look down into the extinct volcano‘s bowl – now filled with tropical vegetation. In the afternoon, stop at Xixiu Beach, a long stretch of sand popular with locals for evening walks and kite flying. End the day at the Cloudscape Library – a futuristic concrete pavilion designed to look like a cloud, perched on the edge of the sea. It’s free to enter but requires advance booking via the official WeChat account. If you can‘t get a reservation, the exterior is still worth seeing at sunset – the building glows as the light shifts.

Itinerary Summary: High-Speed Train to Sanya – Tianya Town (Blue-and-White Fishing Village) – Coconut Dream Corridor Sunset – First Market Night Market

Hotel Star Rating: 4-Star Hotels

Meals Included: Lunch

Morning high-speed train from Haikou to Sanya – about 1.5 to 2 hours. The train runs along the eastern coast of Hainan, with sea views on one side and tropical hills on the other. Upon arrival in Sanya, your guide and driver will meet you at the station and take you to Tianya Town, a blue-and-white fishing village that locals call “Sanya’s Santorini.” Every alley in the village ends at the sea. The streets are painted in shades of white and blue, and the entire town is free and open 24 hours. Walk through the narrow lanes, find a café with a sea view, and watch the local fishing boats come and go. In the late afternoon, drive along the Coconut Dream Corridor, a 20-kilometer coastal road lined with coconut palms – one of the best places in Sanya to watch the sunset. End the day at the First Market Night Market, where you can sample fresh seafood grilled on the spot, tropical fruits, and local Hainanese snacks. Bargaining is expected – start at about half the asking price.

Itinerary Summary: Wuzhizhou Island Full Day – Lover’s Bridge – Sunrise Rock – Swing – Beach Area (Optional: Snorkeling, Jet Skiing)

Hotel Star Rating: 4-Star Hotels

Meals Included: Lunch

Today is a full day on Wuzhizhou Island, one of China’s most famous tropical islands, about 20 minutes by ferry from the mainland. The island is open 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Tickets are around 133–144 RMB depending on the season, with online booking recommended to save time and money. The island is surrounded by crystal-clear water and coral reefs – the water visibility is excellent, making it a top spot for snorkeling and diving. Highlights include Lover’s Bridge, a wooden pier stretching out over the water; Sunrise Rock, the highest point on the island with panoramic views; and the beach area, where you can swim or simply relax under an umbrella. Optional water activities – snorkeling, jet skiing, parasailing – are available at an additional cost. The island can get crowded, so the earlier you arrive, the better. Your driver will pick you up at the end of the day and return you to your hotel.

Itinerary Summary: Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park – Yalong Bay Beach – Sun Bay Road

Hotel Star Rating: 4-Star Hotels

Meals Included: Lunch

Start the day at the Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park, a 1,506-hectare mountain park overlooking Yalong Bay. The park is open 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Tickets start from around 104–148 RMB, including entry and the round-trip sightseeing bus. The bus is essential – the park is built on a steep mountain, and walking between stops would take hours. The park is famous for its suspension bridge (the same one featured in the film If You Are the One), its glass walkway, and the views from the Dragon’s Head Rock – which offers a 360-degree panorama of the bay and the South China Sea. In the afternoon, head down to Yalong Bay Beach – arguably the best beach in Sanya, with fine white sand and calm, clear water. It‘s a good spot for a swim or just to lie in the sun. End the day with a drive along Sun Bay Road, a 6-kilometer coastal highway that hugs the cliffs. One side is mountain, the other is the open sea. Stopping is not permitted on most of the road – but the view as you drive is worth the trip. There’s a viewing platform where you can pull over for photos.

Itinerary Summary: Departure from Sanya – Airport Transfer

Hotel Star Rating: N/A

Meals Included: No Food

Your driver will pick you up from the hotel and take you to Sanya Phoenix International Airport for your departure flight. Six days, two cities, one island route that started in the historic arcades of Haikou and ended on the tropical beaches of Sanya. You‘ve seen volcanoes, walked through a blue-and-white fishing village, swam in the South China Sea, and driven along a cliffside road with the ocean on one side. That’s Hainan – and that‘s the point. Safe travels.