Dongzhai Port Nature Reserve

Dongzhai Port Nature Reserve located in Dongzhai Harbor is the largest and the first mangrove natural reserve area in China. Dongzhai Harbor is located in the northeast of Haikou City with an area of 3,337.6 hectares (about 8,247 acres). It is a typical tropical jungle, and the mangrove tree family can be seen everywhere in the area. Mangrove is a kind of tropical tree that grows in swamps and sends roots down from its branches. When the tide is high, the mangroves are submerged by the water, and leave only the green crowns for people to wonder at their marvelous nature.

Dongzhai Port Nature Reserve is also called 'heaven for birds'. About 159 species of birds inhabit the reserve, including many rare migratory birds. So it is not only a national mangrove reserve, but it is also a wetland of international importance especially as a waterfowl habitat. During the winter, the best season for bird watching there, tens of thousands of birds turn the area into a wonderland. Because of the nourishment the mangroves provide to the swamp, marine animals prefer to spawn and raise their infants here. Fish, shrimp and shellfish in abundance can fill visitors' stomach freshly and palatably, and provide a substantial feast for the birds.

Apart from the beautiful scenery, there is another natural wonder in the harbor: Villages under the sea. Historical writings say that at midnight on July 13th, 1605, a severe earthquake occurred and made 72 villages subside into the sea. Hundreds of years later, the 72 villages have become an amazing underwater sight waiting for visitors to discover their extraordinary story.

No matter what kind of adventure you are looking for, whether natural sightings of the mangroves and birds, or the underwater sightseeing, or you just want to have a good meal of local foods, you can certainly have a good time in Dongzhai Port Nature Reserve.

Special Local Product: seafood (oyster, prawn, eel and crab, etc.), sticky rice cake, tropical fruit.
 

Take Bus 21, 41, or K4 to Haikou Meilan International Airport, and then take a taxi to the Dongzhai Harbor.

 The reserve is open for free. Visitors need to take a boat to tour inside. The boat ticket is CNY 60 per person from September to May and CNY 50 from June to August.