How these guides are made
- Visa and entry rules are checked against Chinese embassy and government notices.
- Fees, limits and prices come from official guides and traveler reports. They change, so trust what your app and bank show you.
- Each fact is cross-checked against official notices, my own Word guide and several other travel sites. When sources disagree, the official one wins. If I can't find a source, I leave it out.
- Each guide shows when it was last reviewed. The newest review was October 2026.
Not official advice
This site is not run by any government, airline or bank. Before you travel, confirm entry rules with the Chinese embassy or consulate, the National Immigration Administration (hotline +86 12367) or your airline.
Found something wrong or out of date? Please tell me on the contact page.
Photos
Photos come from Unsplash (Unsplash License), Pexels (Pexels License) and Wikimedia Commons (licence shown next to each photo).
- Fishing boats off Sanya. Photo: Zhijian Wu, Unsplash
- The Haikou skyline at sunset: Wang shaohong, Unsplash
- A boy playing in the waves at dusk in Sanya: Weichao Deng, Unsplash
- A customer paying by phone at a café counter: Tim Douglas, Pexels
- The old customs clock tower among palm trees in Haikou: Martin Katler, Unsplash
- Evening traffic on a wide avenue in Haikou: Martin Katler, Unsplash
- A swimmer with a float on the beach at sunset in Sanya: Weichao Deng, Unsplash
- An old street in Haikou: Denny Ryanto, Unsplash
- Haikou: The old customs clock tower. Photo: Martin Katler, Unsplash
- Sanya: Coconut palms on a Sanya beach. Photo: krzhck, Unsplash
- Wenchang: A Long March 5 rocket at the Wenchang launch site. Photo: Shujianyang, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
- Wanning: Riyue Bay, Wanning's surf beach. Photo: Nyx Ning, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Lingshui: A beach in Lingshui. Photo: Charlie fong, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Baoting: A boardwalk in the Yanoda rainforest. Photo: Hanno Böck, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
- Wuzhishan: Wuzhishan, the island's highest peak. Photo: Anna Frodesiak, Wikimedia Commons
- Danzhou: Dongpo Academy. Photo: STW932, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Qiongzhong: Baihualing waterfall. Photo: STW932, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Dongfang: The beach at Yulinzhou. Photo: STW932, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Baisha: Tea gardens in Baisha. Photo: STW932, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Lingao: The lighthouse at Lingao Cape. Photo: STW932, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Chengmai: Sunset on the Chengmai coast. Photo: 颐园居, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Qionghai (Boao): The beach at Boao. Photo: N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Ledong: Tianchi lake at Jianfengling. Photo: GPS8, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Ding'an: An old city gate in Ding'an old town (2015). Photo: Anna Frodesiak, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
- Tunchang: Muse Lake, ringed by hills. Photo: Hainan Insider
- Changjiang: Kapok (Bombax ceiba) in bloom. Photo: Dinkun Chen, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)