Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park
亚龙湾热带天堂森林公园 · Yàlóngwān Rèdài Tiāntáng Sēnlín Gōngyuán
Quick answer
Foreign passport required at entry. The Forest Park sells tickets at the gate in cash or via Alipay. No advance booking needed. The Beach Park is the same — no booking, no reservation.
Why visit
- 1 1.7 km of white sand — the best beach in Sanya and one of the top 5 in China
- 2 Forest Park has the 'Non-Fiction' cable car (¥50) — the same one Zhang Yimou filmed for his 2010 movie
- 3 Yalong Bay Beach Park: ¥80 public access (free after 18:00) — cleaner than central Sanya beaches
- 4 Most 5-star resorts in Sanya are here — Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, EDITION, Hilton — with private beach access for guests
- 5 Snorkeling and glass-bottom boat trips leave from Yalong Bay pier (¥200-400/person) to Wuzhizhou Island's coral reefs
- 6 Best sunset view in Sanya — the bay faces west, the 5-star hotel zone glows at dusk
Essential tips for foreigners
- Stay in Yalong Bay for the experience, Dadonghai for the price — Yalong has the best beach, but hotels are 2-3x more expensive. Dadonghai is 20 min closer to town with ¥300-500 hotels.
- Skip the resort restaurants for dinner — local seafood spots in downtown Sanya are 1/3 the price and 3x better. Use the resort for the beach and breakfast, eat dinner in town.
- Buy a Yalong Bay Beach Park ticket after 18:00 — entry is free and you can watch the sunset. The beach is also calmer at dusk.
- Book the 'Non-Fiction' cable car 1-2 days ahead via Trip.com — same-day tickets are usually available, but weekends can sell out.
- Use Alipay for everything — including the ¥80 beach entry and the ¥150 Forest Park ticket. The gate accepts cash but it's slower.
- Bring reef shoes — coral fragments on the public beach can cut feet. ¥30 at any shop in town.
Suggested route
- 08:00 30-40 min Hotel breakfast, then Didi to Yalong Bay Forest Park main gate
- 08:45 1.5 hours Enter Forest Park, walk the main valley trail — fig trees, ferns, tropical birds
- 10:15 45 min Take the 'Non-Fiction' cable car to the top — view of the entire bay
- 11:00 30 min Walk the suspension bridge at the top, photos
- 11:30 15 min Return to base, head to Yalong Bay Beach Park
- 11:45 2.5 hours Check in to beach area, swim, sun
- 14:15 1 hour Lunch at a beachfront restaurant — Hainanese chicken rice, fresh coconut
- 15:15 3 hours (or until 18:00) Snorkeling boat trip to Wuzhizhou Island (3-hour round trip) OR continue beach time
- 18:00 1 hour Sunset from the beach — free entry, west-facing view
- 19:00 30-40 min Didi back to Dadonghai or hotel for dinner in town
China’s best beach, 90 minutes from anywhere in Asia
Yalong Bay is the best beach in Sanya and one of the top 5 in China. The 1.7 km crescent of white sand faces due west, the water is clean and turquoise, and the 5-star hotel zone behind the beach is the most luxurious in Hainan. Add the Forest Park above the bay — a 1,500-hectare tropical nature reserve with the famous Zhang Yimou ‘Non-Fiction’ cable car — and Yalong Bay is the single must-visit in Sanya for first-timers.
The bay has been developed for tourism since the early 2000s and now hosts 20+ 5-star resorts, including the Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, EDITION, Hilton, and Pullman. The public beach (Yalong Bay Beach Park, ¥80) gives non-guests access to the same sand and water; the resort zones are the same beach, just walled off.
The foreigner experience in 2026
Yalong Bay is the most foreigner-friendly beach in China. Most 5-star resorts have English-speaking staff, English menus, and accept international credit cards. The Forest Park has English signage and audio guides in English. The water is warm year-round (24-28°C) and the beach is patrolled by lifeguards during the day. There is no visa-on-arrival or special access — Yalong is a normal Chinese tourist destination that happens to be foreigner-friendly.
For first-timers, the recommended approach: stay 2-3 nights in Yalong Bay (budget: $80-200/night for mid-range, $300+ for 5-star), spend day 1 on the beach + Forest Park, day 2 on a snorkeling boat to Wuzhizhou Island, day 3 at the resort pool.
What to actually see
Three things stand out. The Forest Park is the most photogenic part of Yalong Bay — 1,500 hectares of tropical forest with the ‘Non-Fiction’ cable car and a 300m suspension bridge. The cable car to the top (¥50) takes 15 minutes and offers the single best view in Sanya. The Beach Park (¥80) is the public access to Yalong Bay’s 1.7 km of sand; entry is free after 18:00 for sunset. The snorkeling boats (¥200-400) leave from Yalong Bay pier for Wuzhizhou Island’s coral reef — the visibility is 5-15m, the best in Hainan.
Where to stay
The 5-star zone is the obvious choice for a beach resort experience: Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, EDITION, Hilton, Pullman, MGM. Expect $300-800/night. The mid-range alternative is the cluster of 3-4 star hotels just outside the resort zone — Hyatt Place, Holiday Inn, Ramada — at $80-200/night. The budget option is 25 km away in central Sanya or Dadonghai, with $25-50/night hostels and $50-80/night mid-range hotels. The tradeoff: budget hotels are 30-45 minutes by Didi from Yalong Bay.
Final tip
The biggest mistake first-timers make: spending all their time at the resort and not seeing the rest of Sanya. The 5-star zone is the polished version of Sanya, but the city’s real personality is downtown (First Market seafood), Dadonghai (city beach, more local), and Haitang Bay (duty-free shopping). Use Yalong Bay for the beach + Forest Park, and dedicate at least one evening to a seafood dinner downtown — it’s a third of the price and three times better.
Best photo spots
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Top of 'Non-Fiction' cable car / suspension bridge · 10:30-11:30 (morning, soft light)
The 360° view from the top — Yalong Bay below, the 5-star hotel zone, and the South China Sea. Best photo spot in all of Sanya.
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Yalong Bay beach, west-facing · 17:30-18:30 (sunset)
The sun sets directly over the water, with the hotel zone lit up. Use a 24-70mm lens; no tripod needed.
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Forest Park valley trail · 09:00-10:00 (morning, golden hour)
The fig trees and ferns glow in the morning light. Long exposure (1-2s) on a tripod for the most atmospheric shots.
Where to eat nearby
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First Market seafood (第一市场)
Pick-your-live-seafood, then take to a nearby restaurant to cook. Lobster ¥200-400, mantis shrimp ¥100-200, fish ¥80-200/kg · ¥150-300/person for a full seafood feast · 20 km from Yalong Bay, in central Sanya
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Hainanese chicken rice stalls in Yalong Bay
Wenchang chicken (文昌鸡) — the local Hainanese specialty, poached chicken with ginger-scallion sauce · ¥40-80/person · Multiple locations in Yalong Bay Beach Park
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Haitang Bay duty-free mall food court
Wide variety of Chinese regional cuisines, including dim sum, Sichuan, and Northeastern Chinese · ¥50-100/person · 15 min from Yalong Bay, in Haitang Bay
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Resort restaurants (Hilton, Marriott, EDITION)
International, Western, and Chinese fine dining · ¥300-800/person · Walking from Yalong Bay 5-star hotels
Frequently asked questions
Is Yalong Bay better than Dadonghai?
Yalong Bay has better beach quality, cleaner water, and the 5-star hotel zone, but is farther from town and 2-3x more expensive. Dadonghai is the city beach — walkable to restaurants, cheaper hotels, livelier nightlife. For first-timers with a budget, Dadonghai is the better value. For beach quality and a resort stay, Yalong.
Can I use the beach without staying at a resort?
Yes — Yalong Bay Beach Park (¥80) gives public access to the same beach. The water and sand are identical to the resort zones. Free entry after 18:00.
What is the 'Non-Fiction' cable car?
The 1,000m cable car from the Forest Park base to the top of the mountain, passing over a 300m suspension bridge. The same one filmed for Zhang Yimou's 2010 movie 'Non-Fiction.' ¥50 extra. Allow 1.5 hours round-trip.
Is the water clear enough for snorkeling?
The bay itself is OK for swimming but not great for snorkeling — clearest water is 200m+ offshore. The Wuzhizhou Island boat trips (¥200-400) are much better for snorkeling; the coral reef is 5-15m visibility.
How do I get to Yalong Bay from Sanya airport?
Didi from Sanya Phoenix Airport (SYX) to Yalong Bay is 45-60 min, ¥100-150. The airport is 25 km from Yalong Bay. Most 5-star hotels offer airport transfers for ¥150-300 (free for guests of the top-tier resorts).