12:30pm

It’s time for lunch. Your stomach will no doubt be rumbling after a hike and you have plenty of choices at the Tropical Paradise Square, which is 450 meters above sea level. You can enjoy the most famous dishes in Hainan cuisine, including tender Wenchang chicken and Dongshan lamb, which is braised in coconut milk. Freshly picked coconuts are available at stalls and you just need to put in a straw and enjoy the milk. You can also send your best wishes to friends at a postal box at 18° 15’ N latitude, which is about as far north of the equator as Hawaii.

Every hour, there is a show given by Li and Miao performers. Join the Li Dachai Dance in which dancers step between moving horizontal wooden poles to rhythmic beats.

2pm

Refreshed by the authentic food and entertainment, it’s time for more hiking. Along the path, you will see many wonders of the tropical rainforest including the peculiar Root Stone. The roots of trees grow and encase nearby stones. The root is strong enough to lift up the stones as the tree grows. Walking across the arch bridge, you arrive at the Huge Stone Area.

The path between two stones is wide enough for only one person. The light is dimmed by lots of couple banyans, so be sure to carry a flashlight. After 30 minutes of climbing on the steep Immortal Ladder path, we arrive at the Giant Buddha Stone.

It is said that it was venerated by the Li and Miao people, who used to pray while standing on it for rain and good luck. There is a local saying that when you are lying on the stone, you are the closest to paradise and feel like a fairy. Take a load off and enjoy the panoramic view of Yalong Bay, Haitang Bay and the South Sea.

Day 2 Swing on a bridge

5pm

Let’s try something exciting and thrilling. The Guojianglong Rope Bridge is the longest and highest cable suspension bridge in Hainan. The bridge is 168 meters long and 40 meters above the bottom of the valley. Walking on this one-way bridge, you can feel the ropes trembling as the wind blows past when you reach the middle point. Looking at the all lush greenery below, you may feel surrounded by a sense of romance and out-of-this-world tranquility. Looking over South Sea on your left, it feels like you are walking in a fairy land between the sky and the sea. The bridge also has a beautiful name — Lovers’ Bridge. When couples walk across the bridge hand in hand, they will be together forever.

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