Most people who come to 海南 Hǎinán come for the sea. Very few of them know that the island also has one of the best-preserved tropical rainforests in China, up in the mountains of the south-west, and that you can sleep inside it. 尖峰岭 Jiānfēnglǐng — Jianfengling, “Sharp Peak Ridge” — is a national forest park in 乐东 Lèdōng county, and staying the night here is a completely different Hainan from the resorts of 三亚 Sānyà.
A night at Jianfengling is quiet in a way that the coast never is: mist in the morning, tree frogs after dark, and air that smells of wet leaves and moss. The lodges here are simple and comfortable, built to sit lightly among the trees, and the reward for the drive up into the hills is a forest that has been left largely alone.
The Rooms
Accommodation inside the park falls into two rough categories: small lodges and guesthouses near the park entrance and along the main forest road, and a few rooms higher up, closer to the peak. Rooms are generally simple — a comfortable bed, a private bathroom with hot water, air conditioning or at least a fan, and a window onto the trees. Nothing here is luxurious in the resort sense, and that is part of the charm.
Ask for a room with a forest view rather than one facing the car park; the difference is the whole point of being here. Rooms higher up are cooler at night, which matters more than you might expect in Hainan. Book ahead in the dry-season weekends, when local families come up to escape the heat of the coast.
Around the Forest
The park is a network of trails and forest roads, and the walking is the reason to come. Paths lead up through the canopy to viewpoints over the ridges, and there are streams and a small waterfall or two along the way. Birdlife is rich, and if you are lucky and quiet you may meet one of the park’s famous residents — the Hainan gibbon is gone from here, but the forest still holds a great deal of life.
The classic excursion is the climb toward the main peak for sunrise, which means a very early start and a headtorch. Easier is a slow walk along the forest road in the morning, when the mist is still lifting and everything is dripping.
Practicalities
Price: Rooms in the park’s lodges and guesthouses are modest by Hainan standards — think simple mid-range rather than resort pricing, with the higher rooms costing a little more. Address: Jianfengling National Forest Park, 乐东 Lèdōng county, south-western 海南 Hǎinán; the lodges are within the park, near the entrance and along the forest road. Rooms: simple doubles and family rooms with private bathrooms; ask for a forest-facing room and, if you want cool nights, one higher up. Getting there: see below.
Where to stay: 尖峰岭 Jiānfēnglǐng is a national forest park in 乐东 Lèdōng county in south-western 海南 Hǎinán, reached by road from 三亚 Sānyà or 海口 Hǎikǒu, and by rail to the nearby town with a taxi or car for the final climb. Lodges and guesthouses sit inside the park, most of them simple and family-run, with forest-facing rooms at modest prices. Come for the trails, the mist, and the silence, and book ahead at weekends in the dry season. Flowcloud would say that Hainan keeps its best secret in the mountains, where the island is green and cool and nobody is selling you a sun lounger. Sleep inside the rainforest, and let the frogs do the rest.