Stone Forest 石林
UNESCO-listed karst landscape, as a day trip or with a hot-spring night.
About 90 minutes from Kunming. Visit as a day trip, or stay overnight at a hot-spring hotel nearby and continue towards Dali the next morning.
What to see
Stone Forest (Shilin) 石林风景区
A UNESCO World Heritage site and national 5A scenic area: a maze of grey limestone pillars, formed over 270 million years. With an experienced guide the rocks come alive – animals, warriors, the four pilgrims from Journey to the West, and the legendary Ashima of the Yi people.
- Battery car inside the park (about 25 yuan per person) is not included.
Jiuxiang Caves 九乡溶洞
One of the largest cave systems in China, about an hour from the Stone Forest. A path leads past an underground river, through a narrow gorge by boat and into huge halls with a waterfall roaring inside the mountain and limestone terraces that look like tiny rice fields. Easy to combine with the Stone Forest in one day.
- Bring a light jacket – it is cool and damp inside the caves.
Where to stay
