Hainan's highlands are a rarely visited yet intriguing and pretty collection of villages and towns, situated between Haikou in the north of the island, and Sanya in the south.The climate here is wonderfully subtropical, with coconut, pineapple, rubber and pepper all growing on trees and bushes across the highlands. There are some great mountains here too, and the main city, Tongzha (or "the fertile river valley" as it is known) sits 328 meters above sea level, with some impressive architecture and lovely countryside nearby. The pace of life around here and the atmosphere in the three main towns of Tongzha, Qiongzhong and Baisha is relaxed and friendly. This area is also home to the Li and Miao minority groups and Tongzha is the former capital of the Hainan minorities autonomous prefecture.