Five days

Main Attractions: Zhanjiang, Tianning Chan Temple, Leizhou West Lake, Pineapple Sea, Nanji Village, Dengloujiao Lighthouse, Chikan Old Street, Hailing Island, Ten-Mile Silver Beach, Maritime Silk Road Museum, China’s First Beach, Dianbai shelter forest

Route Highlights

The longer version of our western Guangdong coast journey. It keeps the southernmost village, the pineapple country, old Chikan and a full night on Hailing Island, then adds a fifth day across the Dianbai peninsula at China’s First Beach, a 12-kilometre sweep of pale sand backed by an 80-kilometre shelter forest. Four nights include a sea-view room on the island, and a licensed guide travels with the group throughout. It is a warm, unhurried winter route with two of southern China’s best beaches in one trip.

• Two celebrated beaches: Ten-Mile Silver Beach and China’s First Beach
• An overnight sea-view stay on Hailing Island instead of a rushed day trip
• The southernmost point of mainland China and its lighthouse, coral reef and salt pans
• The Nanhai No.1 Song shipwreck and 180,000 Maritime Silk Road artefacts

Itinerary Overview (5 Days)

Day	Attractions	Overnight
Day 1	Private airport or high-speed rail transfer, Zhanjiang city centre, hotel check-in	Zhanjiang
Day 2	Tianning Chan Temple, Leizhou West Lake, Pineapple Sea, Nanji Village, Dengloujiao Lighthouse, confluence of two seas, coral reef and ancient salt pans	Nanji Village or Xuwen County
Day 3	Zhanjiang Military Culture Park, naval harbour cruise, Chikan Old Street, Kwangchowan-era arcades	Maoming, Yangjiang or Yangxi
Day 4	Hailing Island, Ten-Mile Silver Beach, Dajiao Bay, Maritime Silk Road Museum, Nanhai No.1 shipwreck, Mawei Island sunset	Hailing Island
Day 5	China’s First Beach, Dianbai coastal shelter forest	–

Detailed Daily Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Zhanjiang

Travellers arrive by air or high-speed rail in Zhanjiang, a bay city where old maritime China meets a relaxed seafood culture. A coach meets all flights and trains throughout the day and takes you to the hotel; there is no fixed programme, so the first afternoon is free for a walk and a first taste of the local food scene. On this itinerary the first night is upgraded to a Wyndham property, with wide rooms and a quiet view. Try white-cut chicken with sand-ginger garlic, charcoal-grilled oysters, steamed sand worms, clear fish broth, sweet potato vermicelli dessert, snow-pear jelly, turtle jelly or red-date egg cake.

Meals: on your own. Overnight: Zhanjiang.

Day 2: Tianning Temple, Leizhou West Lake and the Pineapple Sea

After breakfast, meet the group and drive to Tianning Chan Temple, a Tang-dynasty monastery known as the oldest temple in Leizhou and a place where Su Dongpo and other exiled scholars once left their inscriptions. Continue to Leizhou West Lake, a calm lake ringed by pavilions and the memory of the Ten Worthies. After lunch, head for the Pineapple Sea, mainland China’s southernmost pineapple country: some 350,000 mu of rolling red-earth fields with white wind turbines above them, often called China’s Provence. Then continue to Nanji Village on the very tip of the mainland, where the Qiongzhou Strait and the Beibu Gulf meet in two different colours of water. At Dengloujiao, the century-old lighthouse, the cross-shaped waves at low tide, the 20 degree 13 minute 14 second love marker, coral reefs, thousand-year salt pans and the memorial to the Hainan landing all sit within a short walk. Dinner is on your own after check-in.

Meals: breakfast, lunch. Overnight: Nanji Village or Xuwen County.

Day 3: Naval Zhanjiang and Chikan Old Street

Begin at the Zhanjiang Military Culture Park, a national 3A site where retired aircraft, tanks and a Type 051G destroyer can be inspected up close. The harbour cruise then gives the best view of the city: leaving from the watersports pier, it passes the Bay Bridge and the Jinshawan seafront before entering the anchorage known as the Ten-Mile Military Port, with active destroyers and landing ships lined up beyond the viewing deck. In the afternoon, walk Chikan Old Street, the oldest quarter of Zhanjiang. Its stone lanes, French clock tower, Lingnan arcade houses and former Kwangchowan chamber of commerce recall the port’s colonial trading years. Dinner is a sit-down meal of authentic Guangdong white-cut chicken before the drive on to Maoming, Yangjiang or Yangxi for the night.

Meals: breakfast, dinner. Overnight: Maoming, Yangjiang or Yangxi.

Day 4: Hailing Island and Ten-Mile Silver Beach

After breakfast and a seafood lunch, continue to Hailing Island, a national 5A island resort off Yangjiang with a 141-kilometre coastline. The Ten-Mile Silver Beach holds a Guinness record for its long, even, powder-fine sand; from Dajiao Bay the water stays shallow and clear, and at Mawei Island on the western end the sunset is the island’s quiet ritual. The island is also a historical treasure: the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum houses the Nanhai No.1, a Southern Song wreck with more than 180,000 recovered objects. Stay overnight in a sea-view room and let the evening unfold at the beach.

Meals: breakfast, lunch. Overnight: Hailing Island.

Day 5: China’s First Beach and the Dianbai Coast

After breakfast, drive to the Dianbai peninsula in Maoming for China’s First Beach, a national 4A resort known as the Oriental Hawaii. A 12-kilometre stretch of pale, level sand faces clear water, and behind it runs an 80-kilometre coastal shelter forest, the first of its kind planted in China. The beach is divided into swimming, sunbathing and sea-sports zones, so the last afternoon can be as active or as slow as you like. The five-day journey ends with the return transfer; flights after 19:00 and trains after 20:00 are recommended.

Meals: breakfast, lunch. Overnight: -.

What’s Included

• A licensed air-conditioned touring coach with one seat per traveller
• Four nights: two business hotels, one Nanji Village guesthouse and one Hailing Island sea-view room
• Four breakfasts and four main meals, including a seafood feast and Guangdong white-cut chicken
• First-entry admission tickets to Hailing Island, Ten-Mile Silver Beach and every sight listed
• A licensed local guide throughout, with commentary on the Maritime Silk Road collection
• Travel arrangements for children and seniors as specified at booking

Good to Know

• This is a seat-in-coach group departure, not a private tour; daily pick-up times are set by the guide.
• Bring valid photo ID for every traveller; children and seniors must declare their status at booking.
• Single travellers may need to share a twin room or pay a single-room supplement; triple rooms are not available.
• Book return flights after 19:00 and trains after 20:00 so the final beach day is not cut short.
• Sightseeing order may change with weather, tides and ticket availability, without reducing the sights included.