Giving up on Wanning, this place is too amazing
Super detailed Wanning travel guide✨ One-stop to help you explore
🌴Wanning, a hidden gem city in Hainan, boasts fine sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and rich South Seas charm, making it the perfect place to relax and unwind! Keep this guide to deeply explore the beauty of Wanning~
📅 Best Travel Time
November to April is Wanning’s dry season, with plenty of sunshine and especially clear sea water, ideal for surfing, diving, and other water activities. May to October is the rainy season, with occasional typhoons, but hotel prices are relatively cheaper, suitable for off-peak travelers.
🚗 Transportation Guide
• External Transportation:
◦ Airplane✈️: You can choose to fly to Haikou Meilan Airport or Sanya Phoenix Airport, then transfer by high-speed train to Wanning. It takes about 50 minutes from Haikou to Wanning and about 40 minutes from Sanya to Wanning.
◦ High-speed train🚄: Wanning Station and Shenzhou Station have many trains. Booking tickets in advance on 12306 makes travel more convenient.
• Internal Transportation:
◦ Car rental and self-driving🚘: Wanning’s attractions are quite spread out, so renting a car and driving yourself is the most flexible! You can book in advance on car rental platforms, costing about 200 - 500 RMB per day. Hainan highways are free, making coastal driving super enjoyable.
◦ Taxi/ride-hailing🚖: Convenient for travel, but prices are higher for distant suburbs, such as from downtown to Riyue Bay or Shenzhou Peninsula, costing about 50 - 80 RMB.
◦ Electric scooter🛵: Renting an electric scooter in the bay area is very atmospheric, 30 RMB/hour or 70 RMB/day. Riding it to the beach or coffee shops is free and comfortable.
🏠 Accommodation Choices
• Riyue Bay🌊: A paradise for surfing lovers! Beachside homestays cost 200 - 800 RMB/night, with surfing right downstairs, though it might be a bit noisy at night.
• Shimei Bay🏖️: Quiet environment with many high-end hotels starting at 800 RMB, perfect for family trips or quality vacations.
• Shenzhou Peninsula⛱️: Fine sandy beaches with beachfront hotels like Four Points Sheraton and Westin, priced 500 - 1500 RMB/night, with complete facilities.
• Xinglong Town🌴: Lower prices, lots of South Seas style cuisine, hotels cost 100 - 500 RMB/night, great for experiencing local life.
📸 Must-visit Attractions
• Riyue Bay🏄♀️: Surfing is possible all year round, with waves up to 2 meters from October to March. Beginners can hire instructors for 200 - 500 RMB/hour and quickly become wave riders. Nearby are many trendy surf shops and cafes☕, like Awen Surf Shop and 216 Beach Bar, where you can sip coffee while watching surfers, perfect for photos with great atmosphere. Also, the Sunac Church💒, a white INS-style building by the sea, is stunning for backlit silhouette photos, like a movie scene.
• Shimei Bay🌊: A 6-kilometer-long white sandy beach with fine sand and blue water, perfect for walking, wading, and watching sunsets🌅, very healing. You can also go snorkeling at Jiajing Island🤿, where the clear water reveals small fish and coral reefs, like entering an underwater fairy tale. Don’t miss the Phoenix Jiuli Book House📖 by the sea; order a coffee and read with the sound of waves, a must-visit for literary youth.
• Shenzhou Peninsula🎬: Home to the popular lighthouse filming location from "The Vanished Her," a red and white lighthouse standing by the sea. Dress in JK or long skirts for photos, feeling like stepping into a Japanese youth film. Kokomo Beach🏄 offers jet skiing, banana boat rides, and other water activities for thrilling fun.
• Xinglong Town🌴: Visit the Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden🌿 to see over 2,300 tropical plant species and taste freshly ground Xinglong coffee☕, rich and aromatic. Bali Village🏝️ features Indonesian-style architecture; rent Dai ethnic costumes (30 - 50 RMB) for exotic photos, feeling like a quick trip to Southeast Asia.
🍤 Food to Savor
• Specialty Snacks:
◦ Zao Po Vinegar Stew🥘: A sour and spicy vinegar broth with seafood, vegetables, and crunchy cartilage, very appetizing, available in Riyue Bay and Xinglong Town.
◦ Hou’an Rice Noodles🍜: Made with pork bone broth, smooth rice noodles, and pork offal, a bowl for breakfast brings instant happiness.
◦ Coconut Chicken🥥: Stewed with Wenchang chicken and fresh coconut juice, dipped in sand ginger lime sauce, sweet and nourishing, a must-order in Shimei Bay and Shenzhou Peninsula restaurants.
• Seafood Feast🦞: Grouper, Hele crab, mantis shrimp, etc. Pick fresh ingredients at seafood markets like Xinglong Market, then find a processing shop (steamed, spicy, boiled, etc.). The fresh taste will blow your mind!
🗺️ Itinerary Planning
• Three-day Easy Tour:
◦ Day 1 Riyue Bay Surfing Day: Arrive in Wanning in the morning, rent a car and check into a Riyue Bay homestay; have Zao Po Vinegar Stew for lunch; take a surfing lesson in the afternoon and enjoy surfing; visit Riyue Bay night market in the evening, eat seafood barbecue, and fall asleep to the sound of waves.
◦ Day 2 Shimei Bay Artsy Day: Visit Phoenix Jiuli Book House in the morning for beautiful seaside photos; enjoy a seafood feast with Hele crab for lunch in Shimei Bay; snorkel at Jiajing Island in the afternoon to see underwater fish; walk on the beach at night, listen to waves, and count stars.
◦ Day 3 Shenzhou Peninsula + Xinglong Town: Take photos at the Shenzhou Peninsula lighthouse in the morning and play jet skiing at Kokomo Beach; have coconut chicken for lunch in Shenzhou Peninsula to refresh; visit Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden in the afternoon and taste freshly ground coffee; enjoy South Seas cuisine like pandan cake and curry crab in Xinglong at night to perfectly end the trip.
• Five-day In-depth Tour:
◦ Day 1-2 Riyue Bay Slow Life: On Day 1, shoot silhouettes at Sunac Church, check in at Haimen Yefang’s “Hainan” wall, try surfing at Summer Surf Shop, and watch the sunset with cocktails at 216 Beach Bar; Day 2 is for advanced surfing practice all day, watch the sunset at Haimen Yefang in the evening, and have a seafood dinner to achieve surfing freedom.
◦ Day 3 Shimei Bay Healing Day: Overlook Shimei Bay from the Sea View Pavilion, eat seafood at Shimei Bay Seafood Market, sunbathe on the beach or read at the book house, and watch the sunset at Hard Bar Pink Beach Bar at night.
◦ Day 4 Shenzhou Peninsula Off-the-beaten-path: Explore the Yanzi Cave at Shanqin Bay during low tide, take photos at the lighthouse, enjoy water activities on the beach, and drink beer while watching the sunset at Corona Sunset Bar in the evening.
◦ Day 5 Xinglong Town South Seas Flavor: Take exotic photos in Bali Village, eat pandan cake and iced coffee at Xinglong Market, catch crabs at a less crowded beach, then prepare to return home with beautiful memories of Wanning.
⚠️ Tips to Avoid Pitfalls
1. Sun and Mosquito Protection: Wanning has very strong UV rays, carry high-SPF sunscreen and reapply every 2 hours. Sunglasses, sun hats, and sun-protective clothing are essential. The island has many and poisonous mosquitoes, so always bring mosquito repellent or you’ll end up a “red envelope expert” from bites.
2. Water Activities: Choose reputable shops for surfing and diving, check instructor qualifications, and always wear life jackets. Safety first.
3. Seafood Tricks: When buying seafood at markets, watch the scales carefully, choose legitimate stalls, agree on processing fees before cooking to avoid being overcharged by “market price.”
4. Car Rental Notes: Take photos of the entire car when picking it up and check the condition carefully. Although Hainan highways are free, don’t break traffic rules; fines can be painful.
Get your bags ready and head to Wanning! In this beautiful coastal city, encounter your own romance and happiness💕