Wuzhizhou Island

Wuzhizhou Island

Wuzhizhou Island is a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction.

Wuzhizhou Island was historically known as "Guqizhou" and is also called Lovers' Island. Located 2.7 kilometers off the northeastern coast of Sanya City, it is one of the few small islands around Hainan with freshwater resources and abundant vegetation.

Highlights: 1. Wuzhizhou Island enjoys the reputation of being "China's No.1 Diving Base." The underwater world is colorful, featuring China’s most well-preserved ecological coral reefs.

2. Located in Sanya's Haitang Bay, Wuzhizhou Island is outside the typhoon corridor. Unlike most northern islands, it is a natural tropical plant kingdom with lush green trees and even prehistoric Dragon’s Blood Trees.

Wuzhizhou Island has a beautiful and layered landscape. The central part of the island features gentle rolling slopes covered in vines, purple flowers, and green fruits, with the sounds of cicadas and birds. The western and northern parts form a silvery beach shaped like a jade belt, with fine, uniform sand. The sea changes color from transparent to emerald green, then light blue, and finally deep blue — a vivid and distinct gradient.

The eastern and southern areas are dominated by two connected peaks, with the highest peak at 79.9 meters above sea level. The area is rugged with craggy rocks and crashing waves. During strong winds or high tides, waves can surge up to ten meters high, creating a spectacular mountain-and-sea wonder.

Wuzhizhou Island focuses on leisure and marine or underwater activities. It offers distinctive resorts, villas, wooden cabins, bars, tennis courts, seafood restaurants, and over 30 water and beach entertainment options — including diving, semi-submersible sightseeing, fishing, waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing, jet skiing, banana boat rides, canoeing, parasailing, bounce boats, beach motorcycles, parasailing, beach volleyball, and beach soccer — delivering visitors a primitive, tranquil, romantic, and dynamic leisure experience.

The island also features ancient sites such as the Mazu Temple, also known as the "Three Viewpoints at Sea." If you stay overnight, don’t miss Gu Ri Yan (Sun Viewing Rock) to watch the sunrise — it’s one of the best spots in Hainan for that.

The ancient legend of Wuzhizhou Island: Legend says there was once a river in Sanya where slash-and-burn farming destroyed the vegetation upstream. When floods hit, mud, stones, and debris would pour down through Tengqiao River into the sea, turning the clear blue waters murky. The Dragon King reported this to the Jade Emperor, who sliced off a section of a mountain seven kilometers away using his divine sword and ordered two celestial oxen to block the river mouth. But the secret was revealed by a human, and the oxen stopped and turned to stone. The mountain became an island, and the stones became known as Sister Stones. The island was originally named Guqizhou, now Wuzhizhou.

Selected activities on Wuzhizhou Island: Semi-Submersible Sightseeing Boat: 160 RMB/person/30 mins (children under 1.1m free). Sit in the cabin and view diverse marine life through special observation windows, often spotting various soft and hard corals, tropical fish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and more. Each trip accommodates 60 people.

Jet Ski: 150–500 RMB/person/10 mins. Jet skiing combines competition, thrill, and aesthetics, and is a modern high-tech water sport. The races are intense, dramatic, and exhilarating, with roaring engines and flying spray. Jet skiing has become increasingly popular in recent years.

Parasailing: 280 RMB/person/10 mins. A high-powered speedboat pulls a parachute as it moves forward, lifting you into the air. Weather and wind direction matter — strong winds may make landing difficult or cause you to land in the sea, but it remains safe.

Sea Fishing: Platform fishing 200 RMB/person/2 hours; speedboat fishing 300 RMB/person/2 hours; night fishing 300 RMB/person (19:00–07:00). Platform fishing includes rod and bait. Speedboat fishing takes you to deeper waters. The fish here are unusually easy to catch, possibly because they rarely see humans. You can have your catch grilled or cook it yourself — it’s delicious.

Scuba Diving: Wear a wetsuit, get trained, and take a speedboat to a boat offshore. Then put on your oxygen tank and dive mask. Accompanied by an instructor, you’ll enter the water directly from the boat and gradually descend to depths of about 10–18 meters depending on your condition. You'll easily become an underwater explorer.

Beach Crab Chase: On calm evenings, groups of varying-sized, clever crabs scurry along the beach. Shine a flashlight, and some will dart for the sea like frightened mice, while others quickly dig holes to hide. Crab-catching becomes a fun activity.

Open-Air Movies: The island shows open-air movies by the sea on Saturdays.

Wuzhizhou Island Tips:

1. You can choose bundled activity packages for discounts on entertainment options.

2. Safety is paramount no matter what activity you choose. See detailed Sanya travel safety tips.

3. Check the weather forecast for the days before your visit and pick the best day to go.

4. Spending a night in a thatched cottage on Wuzhizhou is a great experience.

5. For transportation, you don’t need a round-trip car rental. You can take a taxi waiting at the dock on your way back — just 30 RMB for a one-way trip, saving money.

6. Other:

Phone: Public phones are available on the island. Room phones can access outgoing lines with a deposit at the front desk. There is mobile phone signal at resorts, nearby beaches, and Sun Viewing Rock on the hill.

Shops: Only small shops selling trinkets and items from diving companies (like swim gear, underwater cameras, and film). Bring any essentials you need.

Photography: Use 200-speed outdoor color film for general photography. For professionals, UV and polarizing filters are essential. Clean your lens regularly with lens paper to protect against saltwater and sand damage.

Clothing & Health: Summer clothing is suitable for most of the year. From January to March, bring a few long-sleeve tops for cooler mornings, evenings, or outdoor time. Sunglasses and hats are essential due to strong sun, and women should bring sunscreen. Bring mosquito repellent, as well as motion sickness medication for boats or vehicles.

Food, Accommodation & Shopping: Wuzhizhou Island Dining: Here you must try crispy fresh coconut chips, lingzhi crab, Dongshan goat, and various seafood. The seaside square can accommodate 300–400 people for seafood meals and barbecues; the Chinese restaurant can serve 120 people at once.

Recommendations:

1. Wuzhizhou’s unique lingzhi crab, which lives in rock crevices and feeds on lingzhi grass year-round, resulting in exceptionally sweet and tender meat—definitely worth a try.

2. For seafood, adopt the local “clear water dining” method: place various seafood in a basin of clean water, add a side of sand ginger soy sauce, and finish with a bowl of pure seafood broth.

Wuzhizhou Island Accommodation:

The island offers a variety of leisure villas such as sea-view suites, oceanfront wooden buildings, and waterfront wooden cottages, as well as European-style and Japanese-style houses converted from former barracks, and ethnic-style thatched bamboo huts. Prices: around 500 RMB per night.

Reminder: Food and lodging on the island are slightly more expensive. Visitors may choose to return the same day but should plan their time accordingly (the last boat departs the island at 17:00 daily, subject to weather conditions).

Transportation: Wuzhizhou Island is located in Haitang Bay in the northern part of Sanya City. It is 30 km from downtown Sanya, 38 km from Sanya Airport, and adjacent to the Hainan Eastern Expressway, making transportation convenient and fast. Wuzhizhou Island Independent Travel:

1. Take a taxi to Wuzhizhou Pier; the one-way fare is about 50 RMB. For a round-trip chartered car (Sanya to Wuzhizhou Island), the cost is about 150–200 RMB.

2. Sea transport between Wuzhizhou Pier and Wuzhizhou Island: Boats depart at 8:00 AM, with the last boat arriving on the island at 16:00 (subject to weather conditions). The last boat departs the island at 17:00 daily (subject to weather conditions). Boats run every 20 minutes between Wuzhizhou Island and the mainland, with group departures available upon arrival.

Wuzhizhou Island Self-Driving Route Reference:

1. Sanya – Wuzhizhou Island: Tian Du → Yalong Bay fork → Old Eastern Expressway (about 10 minutes past the original Qingtian Village intersection) → turn right at the “Wuzhizhou Island” roadside sign → about ten minutes to Wuzhizhou Pier → take a 10-minute luxury cruise to the island.

2. Haikou – Wuzhizhou Island: Eastern Expressway → turn at Tengqiao intersection onto Old Eastern Expressway → pass through Linwang Town → look for the “Wuzhizhou Island” highway sign and turn left → about ten minutes to Wuzhizhou Pier → take a 10-minute luxury cruise to the island.

Tickets:

1. Children under 1.2 meters in height can enjoy free admission.

2. Children between 1.2–1.5 meters, seniors aged 60–69 (with valid ID), and students can purchase discounted tickets for 131 RMB per person.

3. Holders of press cards from provincial-level or higher TV stations and Hainan-based press cards enjoy free admission; other press cards and tour guide cards qualify for discounted tickets at 131 RMB per person.

4. Seniors over 70, military officers, and disabled veterans can enjoy discounted tickets for 110 RMB per person.

5. Children between 1.2–1.4 meters in height can purchase children’s meal tickets for 58 RMB per person at the island’s buffet restaurant.

The island offers sightseeing vehicles with varying prices: 80 RMB, 120 RMB, or 150 RMB depending on the destination.

Transportation

Bus: Take bus 28 (from Phoenix Island in downtown Sanya to Wuzhizhou Island) and get off at the Wuzhizhou Island scenic area; Haitang No. 1 (from Wuzhizhou Island to Nantian Hot Springs) is convenient for guests of hotels in the Haitang Bay area.

Taxi: A one-way trip from downtown to the pier is about 100–120 RMB; from Yalong Bay to the pier is about 80–100 RMB.

Wuzhizhou Island Pier Ferry:

Boarding time: 8:00–17:00; disembarking time: 08:30–17:30; the last ferry to the island departs at 16:00, and the last ferry from the island departs at 17:30 daily. Queues in the morning often require about an hour to board due to high passenger volume.

Further Reading:

· 31st Batch of National 5A-Level Tourist Attractions (October 2016)

Wuzhizhou Island Lover’s Bridge