Why it's worth going up the mountain
There is a moment on the glass platform that juts off the cliff, roughly 450 metres above sea level, when the wind moves across the rainforest canopy in every direction and you look ahead — and the entire crescent of Yalong Bay is laid out in front of you. White sand curving like a quarter moon, water shading from jade green to deep blue, the resort strip a thin line at its edge. It is a view the beach below simply cannot give you, and it is the first reason people make the trip up.
Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park (亚龙湾热带天堂森林公园) is a large rainforest park spread across the mountains that wrap around the back of Yalong Bay, about 25 km east of central Sanya. It covers more than 1,500 hectares, with over a dozen peaks, more than 1,500 species of tropical plants, and timber boardwalks that take you straight into the forest. The park became known across China after it served as a key location for the hit film If You Are the One 2 (非诚勿扰 2), shot at the rope bridge and the bird's-nest villas here.
One thing to plan around: this is not a small garden you finish in an hour. It is a whole mountain. The ticket therefore includes a shuttle bus up and down — and you'll want it, because walking up under the tropical sun would finish you before you reached the first stop. Set aside half a day, and save the summit view as your closing highlight.
