Sanya, which is praised as China's tropical answer to Hawaii, is a world-famous beautiful coastal city with amazing white and soft sand beaches, endless seascapes, tropical plants, quiet and romantic islands and a pleasant weather all year around, plus the dizzying choices of upscale resorts and hotels, Sanya is really an ideal place for holiday!
If you are planning a trip to Sanya and looking for where to go and what to do after stepping out your Sanya hotel, this Sanya Attractions Guide is going to help. Let's check 10 Bets Things to Do in Sanya to get inspired, including Tianya Haijiao, Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone, Yalong Bay, Wuzhizhou Island, etc.
Sun and Moon Stones of Tianya Haijiao
Couple Tree at Tianta Haijiao
Tianya Haijiao, in Chinese, means the Edge of the Sky and the End of the Sea, which implies the love of you and your beloved will last forever till the end of the earth. Thanks to such sweet legends and best wishes, Tianya Haijiao has attracted thousands of people from all over the world to visit it, especially couples. Landmarks of Tianya Haijiao include Tianya Stone, Haijiao Stone and One Pillar in the South Stone standing on the tiny beach. There is also a wedding hall settled in the middle of the scenic area. If you like, you can even hold your wedding here.
Tianya Haijiao does not only welcome couple, but also all the coast fans. In addition to the love blessing, Tianya Haijiao is also featured in picturesque coastal landscapes. Being one of the firstly operated tourist sites in Sanya, it has somewhat the best-protected beach, sea and coconut forest. It also provides many on-the-sea activities, such as Jet Ski. The entire scenic area is settled on the west end of Sanya Bay. It is only 8.5 kilometers away from Sanya Phoenix International Airport, which only takes 15 minutes or so if you go with a taxi or car.
Guanyin Statue in South Sea
Holy Nanshan Temple
Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, also being known as Nanshan Temple, facing the South Sea is located about 40 KM southwest of Sanya City, with Tianya Haijiao and Sanya Phoenix International Airport settled in the middle way. Here, you will find the world's tallest Guanyin (Guanshiyin) Statue in the Sea, which stands magnificently in the sea in serenity and with an aura of benevolence.
Guanyin (Guanshiyin), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, is perhaps the most beloved of Buddhist deities in China. If you are also people of Buddhist faith, you should never miss this site. In addition to the statue of Guanyin, the tourism zone also has Buddhist temples, gates and halls for you to get a strong Buddhist atmosphere. There may sometimes held celebrities to welcome the New Year and the god of fortune. Guanyin Festivals are held in the 29th day of 2nd lunar month, the 19th day of the 6th month and the 19th day of the 9th lunar month, which are considered as Guantin's birthdays, the days to get enlightment and the days to be a nun respectively.
The whole scenic area consists of three parks - Nanshan Buddhist Culture Park, Felicity and Longevity Culture Park and Nanshan Custom Park. The highlight, the 108-meter-high Guanyin Buddha Statue, is located in the Nanshan Buddhist Culture Park.
Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park
Yalong Bay Golf Club
Yalong Bay is renowned as the "best bay in China" and the "No.1 Bay in the World". It stretches a length of about 7.5 KM, which is 3 times of the length of that in Hawaii. The quality of sands on the beach there is considered to be the best in Sanya and even the entire China. If you are heading to Sanya mainly for the beach fun, Yalong Bay is your best pick. By the side of the beach, there are many upscale resorts. If you choose one of them to stay overnight, everything is steps away from your hotel, including pure and blue sky, bright and warm sunshine, fresh and humid air, wild and quiet mangrove forest, fine and soft beach and colorful seascapes under water. Here, sunbathing, diving and more on-the-sea activities are all available. Yalong Bay Golf Club, the best golf club in Sanya, is also only 1~3 kilometers away from the beach. Not very far away from the east shore of Yalong Bay there has also a tropical forest park, namely Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Tourist Area.
A Panoramic View of Wuzhizhou Island
Our travel consultant Sean visited Wuzhizhou Island
When it comes to be the best island in Sanya, Wuzhizhou Island at Haitang Bay always tops the list. This island is also praised as the "Lover Island", because it is hot chosen for honeymoon vacation for couples.
Sanya is considered to be the best place for diving in China, while Wuzhizhou Island in Sanya is the best of best. The sea water below is gin-clear, with a visibility down to 27 m (90ft), which is perfect for not only snorkeling but also scuba diving. While you go deep down the water, you will surrounded by fish and more sea life. Also, you are available to make adventurous diving to explore shipwrecks. What an amazing experience! In addition to diving, the island is also rich in on-the-sea activities and land activities. Any item you could imagine can be found there, including Jet Ski, skateboard surfing, rafting with banana-like ships, etc. If you are tired of playing, you can hop on a sightseeing bus to travel along the coastline.
Sanya Dadonghai Bay December
Dadonghai Beach
Dadonghai Bay is only 5 KM or so south of Sanya downtown. If you ask a taxi or car to get there, the time usually won't longer than 15 minutes. Such a short distance to Sanya downtown makes it the best choice for those staying overnight at a resort or hotel in city center area and looking for some beach escapes. The beach there is in a lovely semilunar shape. The entire length of the beach is only about 3 kilometers around, which is much shorter than those in Yalong Bay, Sanya Bay and Haitang Bay. However, the quality of sands there are very excellent, so does the sea views. Diving, surfing and more activities are also available there. Therefore, Dadonghai Bay is still a popular choice, especially for those who have chosen an upscale resort or hotel near the bay.
Sanya Duty-Free Shopping Mall
Atlantis Sanya (5-star Hotel)
Haitang Bay is the easternmost bay in Sanya. It is the farthest bay area of this region, and thus enjoys a secluded location that away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Amongst all the popular bays in Sanya, Haitang Bay is the newest opened, so does the hotels around it. Therefore, this region has many newly built upscale resorts for you to choose, most of which have their own private beach for you to have fun.
Besides the beach and resort, other two reasons make Haitang Bay standout are Wuzhizhou Island and Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Mall. Wuzhizhou Island in this bay is the most popular holiday island in Sanya. And Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Mall is the world's largest duty free mall.
Luhuitou Scenic Area at Night
Panorama View from Luhuitou Scenic Area
Luhuitou Scenic Area, or called Luhuitou Park, is located on the Luhuitou Peninsula southwest of Sanya downtown. It is composed of fiver peaks, with the tallest altitude of 181 meters above the sea level. The park is surrounded by the sea on its three sides, and the rest side facing Sanya Downtown. It is long been praised as the best place in Sanya to get a panorama view of both the city and sea. Sunset and sunrise view over the sea there is also stunning. The sculpture stop the park with a deer looking back to a Li ethnic girl is one of the most vital symbols of why Sanya is so-called Deer City and is also a landmark of Sanya.
Luhuitou Scenic Area is close to Sanya Downtown, Phoenix Island, Dadonghai Bay and Sanya Bay. If you stay at a resort or hotel in the city center or the above bays, you can get to Luhuitou Scenic Area by a short driving. The scenic area also opens at night before 22:30. If you want to admire the broad night view of Sanya, it is really a good choice.
Amazing West Island
Jet Ski Joyment on West Island
Different from other islands and villages in Hainan that have more Dongbei people or Sichuan people than local Hainan people. West Island is mainly inhabited by indigenous Hainaner. Therefore, it gives you a stronger taste of the real Hainan. There are also some primitive fishing houses with coral stone walls waiting for your exploration.
In addition to the fishing houses and Hainan flavor, West Island is also a paradise for diving, surfing and other on-the-sea and underwater activities. Compared with Wuzhizhou, West Island is little known by visitors, and thus gives you a quitter environment to have water spree.
Yanoda Rainforest Area
Yanoda Rainforest Area
There is more to tropical Sanya than sun, sea and beach. Sanya also has some good rainforests! The most popular one must be Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Tourist Area. Besides that, Yanoda Rainforest Area is also good. The scenic area is 44 Km and 1.5 hours away from Sanya downtown by car.
Yanoda means one, two and three in Hainanese dialect. Once you visit the scenic area, the stuff there will insist on bellowing "YANODA" every time they see you. Don't be panic, they are welcoming you. In the scenic area, you can make adventurous trekking in the jungle following the wooden trails, stones and rope bridges. You will meet with tropical trees, waterfalls, streams and valleys. Everything is fresh and charming. If you like, you can also try cliff bungee jumping and slip rope there.
Adventurous Jungle Trekking at Binlanggu
Intesting Performances at Binlanggu
Binglanggu, or called Betelnut Valley, is the best place to be visited in Sanya for those culture lovers. A trip to Binlanggu will certainly give a different flavor from laying on the beach. Here, you can hear about the local minorities such as Li and Miao by visiting their museums, playing games with them, admiring their performances and trying their food. It is extremely a unique chance to have up-close admirations of their custom, instruments, dance, songs and ethnic fishes.
Binglanggu is located on the way to Yanoda Rainforest. Similar to Yanoda, it is actually located in Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County instead of Sanya. However, many visitors explore it from Sanya side. We would suggest you to visit it from Sanya too, because the driving to Binglanggu from Sanya takes less than one hour.
Best Time to Visit Sanya: October ~ Next May
Places to Visit: Various bays, Betelnut Valley, Nanshan Buddhism Cultural Park, Yanoda Rainforest Park
How to Get There: International flights from London, Singapore, Seoul, Jakarta, Moscow, Novosibirsk, etc., and domestic/regional flights from most major cities like Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, etc.
Generally, a Sanya tour can be short or long, and many travelers choose to stay in Sanya for about 4~7 days. We suggest you visit at least one bay for a real "holiday", such as Yalong Bay, Sanya Bay, Dadonghai Bay or Haitang Bay where you can immerse yourself in the relaxing atmosphere by taking a sunbath, strolling on the soft beach, viewing the coastal scenery, etc. It is also available to spend several hours or more time experiencing some watersports, such as diving, surfing, yacht, fishing, etc. For travelers interested in the primitive nature of tropical forests, Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park or Yanoda Rainforest Park, which needs 0.5~1 day, is worthwhile. Besides, Nanshan Temple (0.5~1 day) with the world’s largest statue of Avalokitesvara - Nanhai Guanyin is also recommended if you have a Buddhist faith or want to appreciate a religious savory. For travelers needing an in-depth tour, Binglanggu is a nice option for local minorities exploration!
☛ 4 Days Sanya Beach Resort Tour
☛ 6 Days In-depth Luxury Sanya Tour with Two Free Days
Want to escape the crowds and explore Hainan? Don't miss Haikou - the capital city with lots of culture fun. A classic Haikou tour takes about 2 days. The top highlights include informative Hainan Museum, old buildings in Qilou Old Street, Volcanic Crater Park, etc. Besides, you can spend 1~2 days exploring the undeveloped bays and uninhabited islands, 1~2 days appreciating the peaceful town of Boao and its unique natural landscapes, 1~2 days involving in the sunny homeland of minorities in Lingshui, etc.
Notice: The pictures on this page, except for additional remarks, are all from the official websites.
Top 3 Sanya tours chosen by most customers to explore Sanya in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.
Start planning your tailor-made holiday to China by contacting one of our specialists. Once inquired, you’ll get a response within 0.5~23.5 hours.
Customize a Trip
“Very good experience”
“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”
“Awesome China tour from northeast to southwest”
1,580+
Reviews
