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Sanya Travel Guide

Sanya Overview

Sanya is an important political, economic, cultural and foreign trade port in the southern part of Hainan, China, and also a famous coastal tourist city filled with tropical landscapes and local customs. Since Sanya is situated in the southernmost part of China, she has been called "the remotest cape of the earth" since ancient time.

The region of Sanya has a long history of human development. There were discoveries of cultural relics of the Old Stone Age. Ancient Persian tombs were found along the coast.

Sanya region was called Ahuya Prefecture in the western Han dynasty, later changed to Linzhen Prefecture in the Sui Dynasty, Zhen Zhou in the Tang dynasty, Ya Zhou in the Song Dynasty, Ya County in 1920 and Sanya City in 1984.

As the world famous tourism city, Sanya, has advantages on its air transportation, especially for the international ones.Phoenix Airport is 20 km northwest away from the city. Now, there are more than 30 national direct flights to Sanya including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Wuhan, Qingdao, and 9 international airlines from Singapore, HongKong, Malasia, Thailand, Seoul, Tokyo and Osaka.There is a highway linking the airport and the city center. You can take a taxi or a bus to the city centre. In addition there are direct buses to Sanya Bay and Dadonghai at the airport.

Sanya Facts
Sanya Geography
Sanya Climate & Weather
Best Time for Sanya Travel
Best Places for Sanya Travel

Area Code: 0898

Zip Code: 572000

Area: Sanya has an area of 1,919 sq km

Population: Sanya has a population of 0.44 million.

Administrative Division: Sanya is a sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over 2 township-level districts and six towns.

Situated at the southern-most tip of Hainan Island, Sanya lies in the southern valley of the Wuzhi Mountain range. Sanya has a population of about 450,000 and covers an area of about 1,900 sq km, with about 210 km of coastline highlighted by natural beaches, fresh sea breezes and crystal-clear waters. Sanya is located at 18° latitude and 108° longitude and adjoins Tongzha County to the north, Baoting and Lingshui counties to the northeast, and Ledong County to the northwest.

Sanya weather is influenced by its tropical oceanic monsoon climate, with a yearly average temperature of 25.4°C and annual rainfall of 1279mm.  The highest monthly average temperature is in July at 28.3°C while the lowest is in January, at 20.3°C. The highest temperature on record for Sanya is 35.7°C. Winter is very pleasant with no frost or snow. Sanya is famed for its clear, fresh air and abundant sunshine; flowers are in full bloom throughout the year. Consequently, Sanya is praised as the "Oriental Hawaii ". Sanya’s rainfall is lower than other areas of Hainan Island, and 1/3 of the yearly rainfall comes with the typhoon; this concentration of rainfall is a feature of Sanya weather resulting in 300 sunny days a year.

Sanya’s weather created and supports a large original tropical rain forest; it has 63% of forest coverage of which 121 thousand hectares is natural forestland and 62 thousand hectares is plantation forest. There are 9 national, provincial and municipal level nature preserves with 13,497 hectares.

Climate Data Table for Sanya

Month
 Item
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
maximum
temperature
(℃)
25.4 27.1 28.8 31.6 32.6 32.8 32.3 31.7 31.2 30.7 29.1 27.1
minimum
temperature
(℃)
16.1 20.3 21.6 24.3 26.1 26.1 26.2 26.5 25.6 23.2 21.5 19.7
Rainfall (mm) 7.9 13.6 19.1 43.0 142.2 198.1 193.3 222.1 251.6 235.0 57.5 11.2
Days of rainfall 4 4 7 8 9 9 10 9 11 10 6 3

Best time to visit Sanya
Because of the beautiful seaside of Sanya, one of the best times to visit is Winter. The Winter average temperature is 21°C. Enjoying cool and comfortable weather, it is the perfect time for beach activities. In spite of the cold winter in other places, here you can still wear your sandals and T-shirt, roaming the seaside under the enjoyable sunshine. In Sanya, the beautiful beach is a stage for you to show your figure; wearing your colourful summer suit, walking along the seashore, you will be a charming part of the scenery of Sanya.

What to pack
The average temperature of March to May is about 21°C, when a short-sleeved shirt and skirt or pants is enough at the day. However, be prepared to wear more in the morning and the night, which will be slightly cooler.

In May to November, the average temperature is 26°C. A short-sleeved shirt and skirt or pants is also OK at this time. If you forget to take these things; it is quite cheap to buy them in the small market. If you are a diving-lover, it is strongly recommended to bring several changes of clothes with you, because once your clothes are washed, they won't dry quickly due to the humid weather. Typhoons occasionally occur during this season, so pack rain wear.

November to December, both the humidity and the temperature take a slightly fall, so long-sleeved shirts and sweaters are advised.

Famous Landmarks in Sanya are considered the Name Card of Sanya, like The End of the Earth, Luhuitou Park, Nanshan Temple, etc. ancient and new. They are somehow, represent a certain character or role Sanya played to the world.

The End of the Earth
The End of the Earth ('tian ya hai jiao' ) means "the end of the sky and the corner of the sea" in Chinese. The reason this name was given is that this place was the farthest place ancient Chinese people could reach, so it was considered as the end of the sky and the corner of the sea.

It is twenty kilometers from Sanya City, is a somber-looking beach with clear water, coconut palms and grotesque rocks. This spot is hugely popular with Chinese tourists who flock here to be photographed in front of the huge rock marking the special meaning. It is too famous to miss if you come to the Hainan Island.

Luhuitou Park
Luhuitou Park provides you a picturesque view of Sanya. Although it located about 5 kilometers away from the city, the vast sea and the natural scenery makes it as a perfect resort for your holiday.

Some one may feel strange about the name of this park Luhuitou, which means a deer turning its head back, can be traced back to a moving love story.

From the hill, you can see an excellent panoramic view of the vast sea, the rolling mountains and downtown Sanya. Inside the Park, there are winding paths, Halley's Comet observation station, white wave-listening pavilion, red Guanghai kiosk, and the lover's island, Monkey Mountain, Deer House, Hut of Li People, Turtle's Heaven and the Immortal Pond. You can also try the red coconut, a special kind of coconut, which this area is famous for.

Nanshan Temple
The Nanshan Temple is the home of the world tallest "Guanyin", the goddess of infinite compassion and mercy in Buddhism.

The grandiose statue of Buddasava stands tall at a height of 108 meters overlooking the waters of the South China Sea in front of Nanshan Mountain, which took a total of 6 years to construct. The Nanshan Mountain is also believed to be the auspicious mountain of longevity in Chinese mythology. Take this opportunity to visit the tallest 'Guanyin' in the world here at Sanya.