Wuzhishan sits in the heart of Hainan's central highlands, in the shadow of the five-fingered peak the island takes its name from. Wuzhi Mountain — 1,868 metres, steep, heavily forested — is one of the genuinely demanding hikes available on Hainan, a two-and-a-half to three-hour climb through the Wuzhi Mountain National Nature Reserve that feels very far removed from the beach resorts an hour away by road. On clear days the summit looks out over the whole island.
The city itself is the cultural and administrative centre of Hainan's Li minority population, and the Hainan Nationalities Museum in town does an unusually good job of documenting Li and Miao history, traditional crafts, and the boat-shaped thatched-roof houses that defined highland village life before concrete arrived. Chubao Village, a few kilometres outside town, has preserved examples of those houses and is considerably less staged than most ethnic minority tourist villages. The terraced rice fields at Yahu, best seen in November when the paddies are flooded, are among the most photographed landscapes in the province.
Food and accommodation here cost a fraction of what Sanya charges, and the market near the bus station is a good place to find highland produce — wild honey, unusual mushrooms, and the strong local rice wine that the Li call bǐng — that never makes it to the coast. Wuzhishan is where you go when you want Hainan without the resort.