Haikou Banana Hostel

This page gives information about the transport options availiable within Hainan Island for travellers, backpackers and tourists. For information on getting to/from Hainan see the Getting Here page.

The main way to travel around Hainan is bus. There is a limited passenger train service between Haikou and Sanya, but the bus is more convenient. There is a high speed Haikou-Sanya train route under construction, due for completion in 2010. Within cities/towns/villages you can get around by bus, taxi, motorbike, motorised tricycle, and pedal tricycle. There are good roads linking the major towns, but these turn into bumpy dirt roads in less traveled areas (these roads are often the most beautiful, surrounded by tropical scenery and small traditional villages, leading you into the unknown).

Major roads in Hainan

There is a western expressway linking Haikou to the towns along the western coast and to Sanya in the south. The eastern expressway heads south from Haikou and along the south-east coast, all the way to the southern most tip, Sanya. There is also the Haiwen expressway that links Haikou and Wencheng on the north east coast. Through the mountainous middle of Hainan island runs the Haiyu middle Highway. This passes Qiongzhong town and the Five Finger mountain (Wu Zhi Shan) area and on to Sanya. This highway is slower and not as well paved as the expressways.

Haikou long distance buses (within Hainan)

There are buses from Haikou to most areas of Hainan island. Haikou has 3 main bus stations; the south, east, and west bus stations (there is also the bus station at XinGang passenger port for buses to the Chinese mainland). The south station opened in 2005 and is the new main station. Below are the timetables for the stations. We cannot guarntee these are still exactly correct, but they will atleast give you an indication of destinations and frequencies. Unfortunatley we don't have a full timetable for the south station yet.

Haikou to Sanya:

Frequent buses run from Haikou to Sanya from both the south and east stations. The journey takes 3 hours and costs around 78 RMB for an express deluxe bus, 64 RMB for air-con, or 48 RMB for an economy bus.

Taxis:

Taxis are plentiful in Haikou and Sanya and are an easy way to get around, but not as cheap as the mainland. Don't expect drivers to speak English. The metered fare is 10 RMB for the first 3km and 2 RMB per additional km. It is common, particularly in Sanya, to haggle the price with taxi drivers. Doing this should enable you to get a fare below the metered price, but you need some idea of what the price should be. For shorter distances it is cheaper (and more fun) to take a motorbike/trike or pedaltrike. Expect to pay 2 RMB per km.

Haikou local Buses:

Haikou has a well developed network of air-conditioned local buses. There is a flat fee of 1 RMB for all local journeys. This makes the local buses a very cheap and easy way to get around.

Info on bus routes (chinese): http://haikou.8684.cn/

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