"Liaolianxia and Ganshiling" Liaolianxia by mke1963

Disappointed with having wasted our morning travelling up to Ganshiling (see separate review in 'Tourist Trap' section) we decided to make our own way into the forest. We stopped on the way back down to Sanya and used a dry river bed to scramble up into the undergrowth.

The forest is no longer a forest really, having been cleared of significant trees long ago, but the dense bush is still a good ecosystem, with occasional smaller trees remaining. A dense, luxuriant canopy is about 4 metres above the ground, with a very dense network of lianas and woody creepers underneath. Ferns and the occasional orchid live in the deep shade, and bamboos have taken over where gaps have been created in the canopy.

Our gully

The steepness of the hillside made it difficult to explore for more than an hour, but we had a lot of fun looking for plants (many), birds (a few) and animals (none). It is worrying, though to see introduced flame trees (delonix regia) starting to spread in this area. They are often planted on the verge here when roads are reconstructed.

• Pros:Great walking and exploring
• Cons:The most expensive theme park we have found in China
• In a nutshell:Beautiful countryside