Fun things to do in Hainan Sheng

2 more images

Sanya is surrounded by lush, humid greenery.

Lots of unique, oddball looking flowers throughout the area.
Don't be afraid to go hiking, and hit the mountains surrounding the city.

Just take water, it's hot and humid.

4 more images

Armed with a minimal of information, I went looking for some caves I had heard about.
I ended up here.

Not what I expected, but definately fun nevertheless.
A park showcasing some of the local 800 year old history.

It even had a couple small caves.

There is a plethora of trails covering 22.5 km, with many historical sights to see, hills to hike, and views to partake in. The tourgroups stick to the lower trails, so head up to avoid the marbleheaded masses.
You will get a trailmap when you go in, with sights highlighted.
Was a bit touristy, but was a nice hike.

See the Grotto.
Watch out for elderly Korean women smoking inside. Not supposed to smoke in the park, so groups of them do it in the cave where nobody can see, and stink it up.

Nearby to the Grotto is Lucky Rock. It's aparently lucky to rub your hand on it as you hike past.
I rubbed my bum on it, not so lucky for whoever touched it next...

Quite a few Dragon trees about. Neat plant.
They date back to the Cretacious period.

See "The Immortal Turtle of the South Sea!"
Made of copper, it supports heaven and earth.

pics -->

Definately take some snacks and water, you are hiking.
It was humid as fook, and I sweat my bag off. Keep hydrated.
There are a few touristy shops along the lower area that sell food and water if you run out, or if you want icecream.

It is worth heading up to the top, close to the "Fairy Ladder". It is a bit steep, but the view is nice. You won't see much for other hikers in that area, too. Most of them stick to the bottom parts. A couple neat suspension bridges throughout the park, too, as well as unique flora.

Enjoy!

As with the plants and trees on Hainan, the number of endemic species of mammals is quite low with just two: the endangered Hainan moonrat (Neohylomys hainanensis - a member of the hedgehog family) and the Hainan flying squirrel (Hylopetes electilis).
Better known species include the thamin, an endemic subspecies of Eld’s deer (Cervus eldi hainanus) as well as black gibbons and Asiatic black bears.

Two endemic bird species are known on Hainan, the Hainan leaf warbler (Phylloscopus hainanus) and the endangered Hainan partridge (Aborophila ardens) which is now found only in small areas of the monsoon forest. The white-eared night heron (Gorsachius magnificus), is considered critical, and may now be extinct.

In the mountains areas, the pre-monsoon stress has produced deciduous trees such as Kleinhovia hospita, Spondias pinnata, and Tilia hainanensis. Higher up, and where the forests are protected from cooler winds or where the soil holds more water, species such as Diospyros potingensis and Meyna hainanensis can be found.
The deciduous nature of the mountain forests creates an unusual eco-system whereby the dry understorey regularly catches fire, whether by lightning, other natural causes or from human action. The grasses burn easily, are consequently eroded and prevent humus building up that would support more or bigger trees. The cycle creates the distinctive single canopy with easily accessible understorey: possibly the cause of the speed of destruction by man in the last century.
At the highest elevations, a third, less-endangered ecosystem can be found: the Asian montane evergreen broad-leaved forest with Castanopsis, Lithocarpus, Lauraceae, and Schima dominating. Finally, extremely inaccessible montane cloud forests can be found above 1600 metres over very small areas. Little is known about these small areas because of their inaccessibility.
More than 4000 species of plants and trees have been identified on Hainan, and the island is noted for a particularly hgh level of coniferous diversity, including the threatened Dacrydium pierrei. 630 species are endemic to Hainan, a number considered low for a big island.

Hainan's rainforests and fauna are not unique as on some islands, but they are very unusual and worth protection and care. If you are visiting Hainan, do take time to visit some of the forests, but do take care to contribute somehow to its welfare!

In the 1930s, 50% of Hainan was covered by rainforest, dropping to 30% by the 1950s, and then logging and clearance reduced the forests even more dramatically in the 1960s and 1970s. By the early 1970s, there was just 15% coverage, and that included commercial plantations. During the 1980s and 1990s, Hainan had the fast economic growth (averaging 20% annually between 1988 and 1995...yes that's 20%!) putting yet more pressure on the forests.
Fortunately, some urgent action by the central and provincial government stabilised the rate of destruction, and most forest, whether primary or secondary, is protected, and the natural coverage has remained stable at 8% of Hainan's land area since 1990. Much of the degraded land, mainly primary forest destroyed in the previous 30 years, was converted to plantation forests (mainly eucalyptus for the wood-chip industry).
Rainforest harvesting was banned completely in 1994, although in February 2003 I saw primary forest being cleared north-east of Baoting.
On Hainan two different types of rainforest dominate, with one being an ecosystem unique to Hainan, and the other being similar across southern China and Vietnam.
The former, the Hainan monsoon forest is found above 500 metres, where the land is drier and hotter, and particularly subject to drought stress just before the monsoon. The canopy is quite low, with an understorey predominantly of grasses. The second, which is rarer now, is part of the South-China Subtropical Evergreen Forest, and occurs mainly on the lower coastal plains, where it has always been in competition with agriculture.
Temperatures can drop quite low on Hainan, especially in the north of the island, while most of the island has a year-round sub-tropical climate, with 2000mm of rain in the south, and half that in the north.

Tien Ya, located 18 km west of SanYa City, is the southernmost beach of Hainan Sheng. Hundred of huge stones extend over the beach. The Chinese characters "Tien Ya", captioned in the Chin Dynasty (1733), mean the most remote area in the world.

The beaches in Sanya are beautiful, once you are a bit away from downtown...

Watch out for falling coconuts.

Visit The Nanshan Si to pray for "long life as high as mountain"-a Chinese saying. While here, try to be a one-day vegetarian, that would be helpful for the above wish.