Located 25km from the city of Haikou, the Haikou Meilan Airport is the chief gateway to the island of Hainan, maintaining connections with a large number of mainland Chinese cities such as Beijing, Dalian, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Nanjing, Shanghai and Wuhan and also other Asian destinations such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

The airport can be reached in about 30 minutes from downtown Haikou by a shuttle bus which operates from 05:30 until the last flight of the day. The bus is inexpensive and has a reputation for reliability. Visitors flying with either China Southern Airlines or Hainan Airlines; can take advantage of a free shuttle bus between the airport and the city. Taxis are available from outside the airport for journeys to the city and beyond.

Haikou provides the main hub for public transportation on the island with all major routes connecting with the city at some point. Located between Haikou and Qiongshan, the Haikou East Bus Station is the biggest facility of its kind in the province and provides services to destinations along the east national highway.

The west station provides services to towns and cities such as Baisha, Changjiang, Danzhou, Dongfang, Ledong, Lingao, Tongshi and Tunchang while the North Bus Station serves Ding’an, Chengmai and other neighbouring counties.

A rail service exists, however it is not regional and exists to provide connections to Guangzhou on the mainland. Taxis provide the only other significant means of public transportation and are generally easy to find, providing metered services across the island. Few taxi drivers speak English so you may need to ask your hotel to jot down your destination in Chinese for you to show your driver. Car hire companies can be found at the airport and in the major cities for those visitors who prefer to make their own way around.