Wuzhishan

Wuzhishan (五指山; Wǔzhǐshān; formerly known as Tongzha or Tongshen) is a city in Hainan's central highlands. It is a scenic town with very few tourists, lively markets and exceedingly cheap food.

Get in


Take the bus from Sanya or Haikou or indeed almost any other city on the island (except Dongfang). Buses from Sanya leave from the main bus station (三亚车站) approximately every 30 minutes to 1 hour and cost ¥25 to ¥35 (2021), taking 2 hours to arrive at Wuzhishan. The first bus leaves at 06:30 and the last bus back to Sanya departs Wuzhishan at 18:30. You can buy tickets on the Hainan Bus Company website (Chinese only).

Get around
A public bus service operates within the main urban area. The fare on most routes is ¥1. Bus nos. 5 and 6, however, charge a variable rate that depends on distance.

Motorcycle taxis are also available but have become much less common than they used to be. If you can find one, they will take you most places in the city for about ¥2. Auto taxis hang about by the bus station, and most don't have meters. They seem to charge about ¥10 or less for a trip within the city.

Towns outside the main urban area such as Maoyang and Shuiman are accessible by long-distance bus from the bus stop outside Wuzhishan Bus Station. Buses heading to Maoyang depart from the same side of the road as the bus station. If you're going to Shuiman, you will need to cross the road to get a bus.

See
Just walk around the town and its surroundings. The scenery is beautiful, and the town has an interesting market section, though it does resemble market sections in a lot of other small Chinese towns. Walking or motorbiking on the road past the Wuzhishan Shanguan (see below) takes you quickly into quite rustic quarters. You can then deviate off the road onto one of the small footpaths that leads out into the jungle. Try to get back to the main road before dark, as it can be easy to get lost on these paths.

Eat
Wuzhishan abounds with ridiculously cheap noodle and dumpling shops. Even the "upscale" dining at the hotels is quite inexpensive.



Sleep


There are also hotels in Shuiman, some within walking distance of the bus station.



Go next
The Wuzhishan Bus Station has more or less hourly buses to Haikou, and Sanya until about 18:30. There are also buses to other places on the island. The nearest destination is Baoting.