Haikou Crater Park, established around Ma’anling Crater, is China’s only geographic park of volcanic clusters. It was the first world-level tourist site of important value in Hainan province to be recognized by UNESCO. Huang Yiming / China Daily

For visitors to Haikou, its beaches, mangrove forests, Mission Hills Resort and old streets filled with arcade houses are often the main attractions.

Yet the lesser-known Yangshan Mountain area offers a unique experience and a taste of the indigenous lifestyle.

The area, which covers about 385 square miles in southwest Haikou, capital of Hainan province, is covered by lava rock from dormant volcanoes that erupted thousands of years ago.

Shishan town alone has 36 well-preserved craters, including Ma’anling Crater, which at more than 721 feet is the highest peak in the north part of the island.

Haikou Crater Park, established around Ma’anling, is China’s only geographic park of volcanic clusters. Home to more than 1,200 plant species and 30 different animals, including rare species, the park has more than 30 lava tunnels, the longest extending more than 1.2 miles. The park, the first world-level tourist site of important value in Hainan recognized by UNESCO, has become an education base for students and attracts many tourists every year.

Villages were established in the region more than 1,000 years ago, and today there are several well-preserved ancient villages that represent the distinctive volcano culture in Yangshan. These villages are a world of rocks, with houses, meandering footpaths, wells, fences, and stone grinders, all built with local materials.

Not all parts of the region are suitable for agriculture, as the lava-covered land allows for little water storage. Yet local residents have found other ways to make money.

In Sanqing, an 800-year-old settlement not far from the park, residents have tapped the area’s unique culture and resources to develop its tourism industry, attracting visitors from home and abroad.

The village, which lays on a natural platform formed by flowing lava, has about 100 traditional-style houses built with lava rocks and is home to 120 households.