Wanning
Though Xinglong Hainan is only 90 minutes driving from Sanya, it enjoys a sub-tropical climate with an average annual temperature of 20°C (68F). Xinglong”s Spring (April to June) is hot with humidity, almost same temperature as Sanya, the only beach destination on Hainan Island, and the high summer temperature brings heavy rain. Summer ( July-September) is a season of typhoons and rain storms. October & November is very nice in Xinglong, warm and dry. But in winter it can be very chilly and rainy from December to March, not possible to swim in the ocean or swimming pool. So in winter, Sanya is the best destination for your Hainan Holiday. In Caddie’s option, it is better not to visit Xinglong and its surrounding area in Winter (December till February) but come to Sanya.
Raining Season July till September is not too hot, actually, the highest temperature is around 34°C While the temperatures in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou could be over 38°C. So basically speaking, Xinglong is actually cooler than those big cities. With the help of tropical showers or typhoon, day temperature could easily drop down to 25 degrees. Typhoon could be a problem but usually, won’t last more than 2 days. And normally after a typhoon, it becomes very hot, and the sun is sharp shining.
Xinglong’s casual attitude makes packing a breeze. From March till November, shorts, T-shirts are usually all that is needed. For December and February especially during the evening, you need to prepare long pants and coat. Sunblocks, sandals, swimming wear sunglasses are the must for your holiday in Xinglong. Umbrella is not requested as you could get from the hotels/resorts you stay.
Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden 兴隆热带植物园:Xinglong Tropical Botanic Garden is one place that can’t be missed in Xinglong Hainan Island which is the biggest Tropical Botanic Garden covers around 340,000 sq. meters. It is not only a famous tourist place but also the biggest tropical agriculture and flavor research institute of China. It really deserves the name of “tropical plant encyclopedia” with more than 1,200 kinds of plants growing inside. To name some, there are antiar tree, eucalypt, teak, spindle tree fir, bread tree, cocoa tree, pepper plants, and vanilla etc. There is a big supermarket with products by Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden at reasonable prices.
There are no public transportations to reach Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden, you have to take tuk-tuk from Xinglong town at around CNY10/way, walking distance is around 3KM from Xinglong Town Center. Admission fee is CNY65/person.
There is no airport in Xinglong, the nearest one is Haikou Airport which is about 90 minutes away by car or 60 minutes away by high-speed train. To visit Xinglong, you must land at Haikou Airport or Sanya Airport.
Transportation Guide from Haikou to Xinglong:
If you land at Haikou Meilan Airport before 10 pm, the best option is to take the east express train from Haikou Meilan Airport to Wanning Station within 60 minutes, and the cost is only CNY46/person/way, then you have to take a taxi from Wanning Train Station to Xinglong around CNY100/way/car. If you wish to visit Xinglong from downtown Haikou, the best option is to take a bus from Haikou South Bus Station (海口南站)in around half 2 hours, the cost is CNY49/person/way, and there are buses from 07:30 am till 7 pm. The return trip is similar, to Haikou Airport, the best is to take the express train from Wanning Station. Bus & train tickets are available for sale online, but you must read Chinese to book the tickets in advance. During public holidays, you are advised to buy the train & bus tickets at least one day in advance to secure your seat.
Transportation guide from Sanya to Xinglong :
If you plan to visit Xinglong from Sanya, the best option is to take a bus from Sanya Bus Station 三亚汽车总站 within 2 hours at CNY27/person. The train is not a good option as you will get off at Wanning Train Station, not Xinglong, and it takes another half an hour to Xing Long Town. There are many buses to Xinglong, not to the town center, but the high way exit, from where you have to take tuk-tuk to Xinglong town center. Please make sure that you get a ticket to Xing Long town center, not high way Xinglong Exit兴隆路口.