Western Hainan

Hainan's west coast, made up of Danzhou, Lingao, Changjiang and Dongfang, with fewer tourists and unspoiled bays, Su Dongpo heritage sites and ancient salt fields.

Under the five-region tourism division of Hainan, the Western Hainan region includes Danzhou City, Lingao County, Changjiang Li Autonomous County and Dongfang City, the relatively less developed west coast of Hainan Island. It lacks the dense resort hotels of Sanya but retains a more unspoiled coastline and rural character, suiting travelers who like off-the-beaten-path routes. Core highlights include Qizi Bay in Changjiang, with its long coastline and scattered rocks, famed for wide sea views and sunsets; in Danzhou, the Dongpo Academy and Zhonghe Ancient Town carry the historical memory of Su Dongpo's exile in Hainan, and the thousand-year-old ancient salt fields of Yangpu still use age-old salt-drying methods; Yulinzhou's sea views in Dongfang and Lingao Cape are also distinctive. Bawangling on the eastern side of the region belongs to Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park and is known for its tropical rainforest and gibbon conservation, and it can be combined with Qizi Bay. A classic plan is to link the cities and counties along the west-line expressway or the western section of the round-island high-speed railway, using Danzhou and Qizi Bay as bases; three to four days are recommended, and it can also be one leg of a round-island self-drive. For transport, visitors usually fly in and out via Haikou Meilan or Sanya Phoenix airports and then take the western section of the round-island high-speed railway to Danzhou, Dongfang and other stations; distances between sights are long and public transport is inconvenient, so self-driving is the most flexible. The sun is intense in the west, so wear sun protection and drink plenty of water; some bays have no lifesaving facilities, so do not swim rashly.

Destinations

Itineraries