Sanya Travel Guide: Five Days of Beaches, Islands and Temples

Sanya, at the southern tip of Hainan Island, is China's main winter beach city, and planning it well comes down to geography. The sights sit along a coast more than a hundred kilometres long. To the west are Tianya Haijiao and the Nanshan Buddhist park; in the middle, downtown, Dadonghai beach and Luhuitou hill; to the east, Yalong Bay and, offshore in Haitang Bay, Wuzhizhou Island. Group your days by direction and Sanya is easy; zigzag across the city and you spend your holiday in taxis. Five days covers everything at a beach-holiday pace: one for the city beach and sunset, one for the western sights, one each for Yalong Bay and Wuzhizhou, and one spare for swimming, rain or a typhoon. Come between November and April for dry, sunny weather and warm sea, but avoid the Spring Festival weeks, when prices peak.

The name Sanya comes from the Li language and is usually explained as "egret field". The city was long called Yazhou, and is also known as Lucheng, Deer City, after the legend of Luhuitou. January averages a little over 22°C and June, the hottest month, 29.5°C.

Getting in and where to stay

Most visitors fly into Sanya Phoenix International Airport, west of downtown, with direct flights from most large Chinese cities, including Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. High-speed trains run around Hainan's coast from Haikou, the provincial capital on the north shore, taking roughly one and a half to two hours on the eastern line.

Where you stay shapes the trip:

Dadonghai or downtown for a sightseeing trip: walkable beach, cheaper hotels, lots of restaurants and short taxi rides west and east.
Yalong Bay for a resort holiday: the best sand, quiet evenings, and longer transfers to everything else.
Haitang Bay for big resorts and the shortest ride to the Wuzhizhou pier.
Sanya Bay for a long promenade and sunset views, close to the airport.

When to come

Sanya has a tropical climate with an annual average of 26.5°C. The year splits into two seasons:

November to April, the dry season. Clear days, calm seas, comfortable swimming even in January. This is peak season, and it peaks hardest around the Spring Festival, when hotel and flight prices can double or triple. Book early if you must travel then.
May to October, the wet season. Hotter and more humid, with most of the year's roughly 1,400 millimetres of rain falling in short heavy afternoon storms. Typhoons are possible from June to October and can close beaches, stop the Wuzhizhou ferry and delay flights. The reward is fewer people and much lower resort prices.

The October National Day holiday is the other crowded week.

Places worth visiting

Tianya Haijiao

Tianya Haijiao, "edge of the sky, corner of the sea", is a stretch of shore west of the city with carved granite boulders: Tianya, cut in 1733 by Cheng Zhe, prefect of Yazhou; Haijiao, carved in 1939; and Nantian Yizhu, the "pillar of the southern sky", from 1909. For centuries Hainan was a place of exile, and the rocks marked the end of the empire. Entry has been free since 1 June 2023. Go early or late to avoid tour groups and midday glare. The walking route is on the Tianya Haijiao page.

Nanshan

The Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, farther west, is a Buddhist park built around a 108-metre statue of Guanyin with three faces, standing on an islet joined to the shore by a bridge. Work began in 1999 and the statue was consecrated on 24 April 2005; the zone became a 5A scenic area in 2007. Recent listings give 129 yuan from October to April and 108 yuan from May to September, plus a 30-yuan cart that you will want, since the grounds are large and hot. Have the vegetarian lunch. The visiting order is on the Nanshan page.

Dadonghai

Dadonghai is the beach closest to downtown, a crescent about a kilometre long between green headlands, free to use, with rentals on the sand and restaurants behind it. The water stays around 20°C in winter. It has rip currents and eddies, and there have been drownings, so swim only inside the marked zone while lifeguards are on duty. It is the natural arrival-day beach. Safety tips and timing are on the Dadonghai page.

Luhuitou

Luhuitou is the headland park next to Dadonghai, named after a Li legend of a deer that turned its head at the sea's edge and became a girl who married the hunter chasing her. The summit sculpture, by the Hainan sculptor Lin Yuhao, shows the moment. The view over Sanya Bay, Dadonghai and the city at sunset is the best in Sanya. Recent listings give about 45 yuan for entry, with a cart or a thirty-minute walk to the top. Sunset timing is on the Luhuitou page.

Yalong Bay

Yalong Bay is a seven-kilometre crescent of fine white sand east of the city, lined with resort hotels and partly within the Sanya Coral Reef National Nature Reserve. The public beach is free. Snorkelling, jet skis, parasailing and sailing are all on offer. The Tropical Paradise Forest Park on the hill behind has boardwalks and a rope bridge with views over the bay, at 158 yuan in peak season including the shuttle. Give it a full day. Beach and forest-park planning are on the Yalong Bay page.

Wuzhizhou Island

Wuzhizhou Island lies 2.7 kilometres off Haitang Bay, a 5A scenic area of 1.48 square kilometres with the clearest water and best diving around Sanya. The official ticket with return ferry is 144 yuan for adults; boats run out from 8:30 to 16:00 and back until 19:30. Much of the island can only be toured by electric cart, sold separately, and dives and water sports cost extra. Ferries stop in rough weather. Booking and the day plan are on the Wuzhizhou Island page.

Eating in Sanya

Seafood is the main event. The classic way to eat it is at the First Market (第一市场) downtown: buy fish, prawns, crabs and shellfish from the market stalls, then take them to one of the surrounding processing restaurants, which cook them to order for a fee. Agree the price per jin (500 grams) and the cooking fee before anything is weighed or cooked, and watch the weighing. In high season some stalls inflate prices; restaurants with printed prices avoid most disputes.

Hainan dishes worth ordering:

Qingbuliang, a cold coconut-milk dessert with red beans, taro, watermelon and jelly.
Baoluo rice noodles, a Hainan breakfast with a thick savoury sauce, pickled bamboo shoots and dried beef.
Coconut rice, sticky rice steamed inside a coconut.
Hainan chicken rice, usually made with Wenchang chicken.

Fruit stalls sell mango, jackfruit, rambutan, wax apple and coconuts. Buy whole fruit and ask the seller to cut it.

How to arrange the route

Day one: city beach. Arrive, check in around Dadonghai, swim in the afternoon inside the flags, then go up Luhuitou for sunset. Dinner on the streets behind the beach.

Day two: the west. Tianya Haijiao first thing in the morning, then Nanshan from late morning to mid-afternoon with the cart and a vegetarian lunch. Back to town for seafood at the First Market.

Day three: Yalong Bay. Swim and snorkel in the morning, rest at midday, then water sports or the forest park in the afternoon.

Day four: Wuzhizhou Island. An early ferry from Haitang Bay, diving or snorkelling in the morning, the island cart after lunch, and back on a late-afternoon boat.

Day five: spare. A last swim, a walk along Sanya Bay's 22-kilometre seafront, or the day you need when weather cancels the island. Fly out in the afternoon.

What to cut if short on time

With three or four days, choose between Nanshan and Wuzhizhou: Nanshan for culture and the statue, Wuzhizhou for clear water and diving. Tianya Haijiao is short and free, so keep it if you go west. Luhuitou only needs an evening.

Going further

Haikou, the provincial capital, has the old arcade streets and volcano parks on the north coast. Danzhou on the west coast has the Dongpo Academy, linked to the Song poet Su Dongpo's exile on Hainan. For another southern coast, Beihai in Guangxi has Weizhou Island, a volcanic alternative to Wuzhizhou.

Confirm before you go

Typhoons: June to October. Check forecasts and flight status, and expect the Wuzhizhou ferry to stop in rough seas.
Rip currents: swim only in marked zones with lifeguards, especially at Dadonghai.
Peak weeks: the Spring Festival and National Day push hotel and flight prices sharply higher. Book early.
Prices: ticket and cart prices quoted here are from official sites and recent listings in 2026. Check before you go.
Sun: tropical UV is intense all year. Reapply sunscreen every two hours and wear a hat.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do I need in Sanya?

Five days for the main beaches, the western sights and Wuzhizhou at a relaxed pace. Three or four if you choose between Nanshan and Wuzhizhou.

When is the best time to visit Sanya?

November to April, the dry season. Avoid the Spring Festival weeks if you want lower prices.

Should I stay at Yalong Bay or Dadonghai?

Dadonghai or downtown for a sightseeing trip with easy evenings. Yalong Bay for a resort beach holiday.

Wuzhizhou or Yalong Bay?

Wuzhizhou for diving and clear water, Yalong Bay for a long sandy beach and resort calm. They are on the same side of the city but a separate day each.

Is Tianya Haijiao free?

Yes, since 1 June 2023. The internal shuttle and some services charge.

Sources

The background facts in this article were checked against the following Chinese Wikipedia entries, retrieved August 26, 2026. Ticket prices were checked against official sites and recent listings on October 13, 2026.

Sanya (city) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/三亚市
Tianya Haijiao https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/天涯海角
Yalong Bay https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/亚龙湾
Wuzhizhou Island https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/蜈支洲岛
Dadonghai https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/大东海
Luhuitou https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/鹿回头
Sanya Bay https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/三亚湾
Wuzhizhou Island official ticket page: https://www.wuzhizhou.com/ticket/
Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park official site: https://park.ylwpark.com/

The Chinese Wikipedia entry for the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone is incomplete; its 5A status, the statue's height and the consecration date were verified through additional web research, and Nanshan and Luhuitou ticket prices come from 2026 visitor listings.

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under CC licenses or public domain; re-use requires attribution where noted.

sanya-tianya.jpg from File Tianya_Haijiao.jpg, by 钉钉 (Dingding), taken January 9, 2017, CC BY-SA 4.0
sanya-nanshan.jpg from File Guanyin_of_the_South_Sea_of_Sanya,_China.jpg, by 钉钉 (Dingding), taken January 9, 2017, CC BY-SA 4.0
sanya-luhuitou.jpg from File Luhuitou.JPG, by Brookqi, taken June 2008, public domain
sanya-dadonghai.jpg from File Dadonghai_09.JPG, by Huangdan2060, taken May 7, 2013, CC BY 3.0
sanya-yalong.jpg from File Yalong_Bay_2007.JPG, by Shizhao, taken December 2007, CC BY-SA 3.0
sanya-wuzhizhou.jpg from File Wuzhizhou_Island.JPG, by 我乃野云鹤 (Yeyunhe), taken October 9, 2016, CC BY-SA 4.0