Yunnan Stone Forest Geological Park
Yunnan Stone Forest Geological Park
4.5
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
About
This forest of stone, formed by erosion over millions of years, is comprised of many stone peaks, pillars and stalagmites rising abruptly from the ground and extending as far as the eye can see.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.5
1,124 reviews
Excellent
552
Very good
414
Average
132
Poor
19
Terrible
7
Ailton007
Seattle, WA926 contributions
Jul 2021
Yes, there's lots of people at the Stone Forest but often concentrated in few areas. If you have time, spend it off the beaten path and just walk the entire park. So many cool rock formations and things to marvel at. Photo ops everywhere as well and it is a UNESCO site for a reason. We spend roughly 3 hours in the parkas part of a private tour and still felt there was plenty to explore that we hadn't seen. Tip: Mornings are less busy compared to afternoon. About a 90 min drive from Kunming.
Written 22 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deanosaur89
Edmonton, Canada2,050 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
There are quite a few paths to take after you get past the crowds and many scenic views to take in. I would recommend getting to the top of Lion Pavilion as it had whole views of the park and no one goes there it seems. The Twin Pavilion area is out of the way but it is quiet and offers a different landscape with lush farmland, red dirt and orchards.
We would recommend bringing a good pair of shoes because once you get off the main paths and in the stone forest some areas are very very slippery. The main paths are nice and well maintained but can get a little crowded.
There is a shuttle bus which you can take in and around the park that costs 25 RMB. The ticket office is 3 km from the park area and you can take the bus to other scenic areas once inside. The park is small but the bus was welcome for us when we got tired and we're ready to go at the far end of the park!
There is not a crazy amount of vendors there and they have just the basics with some fruit, noodle cups and drinks. There are vending machines near the bathrooms. Not a lot of people go to the far reaches of the park so there are not too many bathrooms and no vendors. There is a ring road which goes through the park and many paths lead back to it. We spent 4 hours inside the park and probably could have spent 5 or 6 hours if we wanted to see everything. The main area can be done in two or three hours. There is also a museum inside the park that looked cool but we skipped it.
The cost to enter the park is 130 RMB and 25 RMB to use the shuttle bus. To get here we would recommend taking the bullet train to Shilin West station from Kunming South (Kunming is more central in the city but the trains to Shilin are less frequent), look for the 99 bus and pay 10 RMB to get to the Stone Forest Ticket Office. It is a little bit of a walk to get from the bus terminal to the ticket office but if you get the shuttle for the stone forest it drops you off right in front of the bus terminal at the end of the day.
We would recommend bringing a good pair of shoes because once you get off the main paths and in the stone forest some areas are very very slippery. The main paths are nice and well maintained but can get a little crowded.
There is a shuttle bus which you can take in and around the park that costs 25 RMB. The ticket office is 3 km from the park area and you can take the bus to other scenic areas once inside. The park is small but the bus was welcome for us when we got tired and we're ready to go at the far end of the park!
There is not a crazy amount of vendors there and they have just the basics with some fruit, noodle cups and drinks. There are vending machines near the bathrooms. Not a lot of people go to the far reaches of the park so there are not too many bathrooms and no vendors. There is a ring road which goes through the park and many paths lead back to it. We spent 4 hours inside the park and probably could have spent 5 or 6 hours if we wanted to see everything. The main area can be done in two or three hours. There is also a museum inside the park that looked cool but we skipped it.
The cost to enter the park is 130 RMB and 25 RMB to use the shuttle bus. To get here we would recommend taking the bullet train to Shilin West station from Kunming South (Kunming is more central in the city but the trains to Shilin are less frequent), look for the 99 bus and pay 10 RMB to get to the Stone Forest Ticket Office. It is a little bit of a walk to get from the bus terminal to the ticket office but if you get the shuttle for the stone forest it drops you off right in front of the bus terminal at the end of the day.
Written 23 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gorgan
Florence, Italy113 contributions
Jul 2021
This is a must visit place while in Kunming. If you plan to visit the Stone Forest Park I would recommend taking a train. There are several trains departing both from Kunming railway station and Kunming South. It takes around twenty minutes to get to Shilin Xi 石林 West. As you get out out from the station there is bus number 99 waiting for you. Getting to the Stone Forest Park takes around 45/50 minutes depending on traffic. The last bus to go back to the railway station of Shilin Xi leaves at six. So please bear in mind that. The admission ticket to get access to this scenic spot amounts to 130 RMB. The main problem is that this is a very popular attraction among Chinese tourists. The Stone Forest Park is under assault all the time. Fortunately the entire area is really huge. Many tourists don't dare to visit it in all its entirety. If you are into walking for a couple of kilometers you can explore big areas of this park where you can hardly meet someone. In my opinion this is the best way to enjoy this magnificent park.
Written 11 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stefan H
Stuttgart, Germany348 contributions
Dec 2020 • Family
You can walk through this forest via small ways, a lot of stairs and find fantastic stone sculptures.. The museum is very big (~50000 square meters), with an Mammut scelet. It can be reached also from Kunming by taxi (we did it)
Written 27 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
מוטי ל
Karmiel, Israel451 contributions
Jan 2020
definitely one of the highest attraction of our tour to china. very interesting geological formations in this world heritage park.
Written 6 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim H
Wenzhou, China30 contributions
Jan 2020
Don't go. It's Disney World. It's not at all what you think. We went there for a day trip from Kunming and could not regret it more. It's beyond commodified. It's torture being there. Go anywhere else in Kunming (a great city) or just sit in your hotel and watch boring documentaries. Do anything other than visit this ridiculous place. Unless of course you enjoy being swarmed by throngs of selfie-obsessed morons.
Written 5 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marsha_tn
malaysia456 contributions
Dec 2019 • Friends
Overpriced entrance fee + transport = rmb115. They was long queued to get the transport (well, as usual the local jumped the queue ,they weren't even acknowledging your existence, we need to get used to it specially in China, sorry, no offence! ). We spent 1.5hour around this area, the place was very crowded, can't even take a good picture because everyone kept pushing.... Huhh... Overall i would rate it 5/10. For me, it is Not A Must.!!
Written 27 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ling_Sg
Singapore342 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
Has magnificent limestone formations. We have an interesting guide who is effective in explaining to us in jovial manner. It is low season but it is still crowded with domestic tourists. The place is surprisingly well maintained and provides clean toilets. We did not see any place selling hiking sticks or providing bamboo sticks so do come prepare if you have elderly. There is stairs climbing. The costume wearing is only rmb10 and if u buy photo from them it's rmb10. They have it printed and laminated. Very impressive speed
Written 8 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Felicity
4 contributions
Nov 2019 • Business
I was doubtful about this tour as I had a knee injury but I am so glad I went. Wonderful guide who bought to life the mythology and history of this truly incredible place. Having advised of my injury he chose a path that minimised the need for steep climbs or descents without missing a thing. Don't you dare go to Yunnan without visiting this amazing world heritage site! Recommend Sun morning as crowds are smaller ( they get 10k a day!!!)
Written 22 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jochen Hertweck
Frankfurt, Germany301 contributions
Oct 2018
The Shilin Stone Forest is a spectacular natural sight made up of thousands of limestone pillars that were shaped by their exposure to wind and running water over the course of millions of years.
As a AAAAA-rated tourism site it is extremely popular with local tourists, however as elsewhere in China those are usually the ‚selfie-obsessed‘ kind of tourists, which means they are basically stacked on top of each other at a few select hotspots, but once you venture off a little bit further, the crowds thin out very rapidly.
One of my favorite things to do was just to pick a direction and then get lost among the rock formations, climbing steep stairs and squeezing through narrow tunnels with new views around every corner.
Getting there from Kunming on your own is quite easy (even as a non-Manadarin speaker) with very frequent buses leaving from Kunming East Bus Station .
As a AAAAA-rated tourism site it is extremely popular with local tourists, however as elsewhere in China those are usually the ‚selfie-obsessed‘ kind of tourists, which means they are basically stacked on top of each other at a few select hotspots, but once you venture off a little bit further, the crowds thin out very rapidly.
One of my favorite things to do was just to pick a direction and then get lost among the rock formations, climbing steep stairs and squeezing through narrow tunnels with new views around every corner.
Getting there from Kunming on your own is quite easy (even as a non-Manadarin speaker) with very frequent buses leaving from Kunming East Bus Station .
Written 27 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tery_1
Perth, Australia50 contributions
Hi,
I am looking for Driver/Car to take me to Stone Forest. Have you got the contact details for the driver you used.
Thanks,
Parsifal
Northern Virginia, VA390 contributions
The hi-speed trains from/to Kunming are the fastest way. There's a shuttle bus from the Shilin high-speed station. the only downer is that some of the high-speed trains use the Kunming Main station, which is nightmare.
Fefe
5 contributions
Hola Mónica! Estoy pasando por Kunming SÓLO para ir al Karst... me pregunto si vale la pena, sé que no te gustó mucho pero me hace dudar porque voy sola, se supone tengo que comerme el ida y vuelta en tren + taxi hasta el parque. ¿Cómo la ves?
Valentina U
Fombio, Italy641 contributions
Hi .Is better take the train or a bus from Kunming ? Thanks
a lot
Brian99993
Oxford, UK558 contributions
I don't know about a train service to the Stone forest. The best way is to either hire a car, local bus or on a tour. My choice would be by tour.
Sonia T
Milan, Italy
HI! I will be coming from Kunming airport and probably will take a taxi to Shilin. Is there any luggages deposit at the entrance? Is there enough place? do you think that it will be easy then in the afternoon to take a taxi from there to the train station? Thank you!
kalvinPiemonte
Turin, Italy463 contributions
Go on internet "Gokunming site" and book a trip to Shilin.
alexander g
Garland, TX57 contributions
I have 1 full day in Kunming (first place to arrive when coming from the USA ).We are in our mid-sixties and my question is : should we spend that one full day visiting the Stone Forest or should we rather visit Kunming,the nearby lake and the other surrounding attractions nearby ?
hyper64
Ningbo, China667 contributions
Hey Alexander, spend the day to visit the stone forest and the museum. Take some snacks with you or some fruit, there you get only cookies pr something else. For my opinion Kunming is not so nice special at this time. (spring should be different and at the moment a lot of construction around the attractions ongoing- lot of dust) The stone forest is very enjoyable. Hire a guide for the time in the park. it will cost you around 150-200 yuan. It's worth don't go with big group... terrible. If you have any more question if you go around Yunnan let me know. we traveled one month in that area just last month. Regards Joerg
2Theresa55
New York City, NY13 contributions
There are so many stone forest in Shilin, are they all the same? Will the taxi driver know which one Is which?
karochkin
Moscow, Russia98 contributions
ok. the main park called stone forest in this region is one. if you take busfrom bus terninal it goes directly to that park. i think taxi also could lift up you to the stone park as well.
LAN_129
Hanoi, Vietnam
How much is 1 ticket for 1 adult foreign visitor?
Is there any other compulsory fee to be paid?
Gobackpackgo
Amsterdam, The Netherlands185 contributions
Hi Lan,
I did everything myself and paid 165 rmb
When you Google gobackpackgo stoneforest you will find my blogpost about it.
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Claim your listingYunnan Stone Forest Geological Park (Shilin County) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Yunnan Stone Forest Geological Park
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Yunnan Stone Forest Geological Park:
- Private day tour in Kunming to Stone forest and cuihu lake with lunch (From ₹ 13,630.23)
- 7-Days tour from Kunming to Shangri-La and overnight in Tiger Leaping Gorge (From ₹ 1,52,129.65)
- 4-Days Stone Forest,Yuanyang Terraces and Jianshui Private Tour from Kunming (From ₹ 70,349.11)
- 14-Days Private Tour from Yunnan to Guizhou (From ₹ 2,87,132.14)
- 7-Days tour from Kunming to Lijiang and overnight in Yuanyang Rice Terraces (From ₹ 1,46,225.63)
- Hotels near Yunnan Stone Forest Geological Park:
- (0.00 km) Shilin Resort
- (0.00 km) Yahong Hotel
- (0.00 km) Select Hotel & Resorts Kunming
- (3.89 km) Mijia Guest House
- (4.14 km) Longdu International Care Center
- Attractions near Yunnan Stone Forest Geological Park:
- (0.00 km) Dadieshui Waterfall
- (0.00 km) Stone Forest
- (0.00 km) Jianfengchi (Sword Peak Pond)
- (0.00 km) Large and Small Zhiyun Cave
- (0.00 km) Small Stone Forest