The Stone Forest is in Lunan Yi Nationality Autonomous County, which is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Kunming and requires only a three-hour drive. It covers an area of 400 square kilometers (96,000 acres) and includes both large and small stone forests, as well as many other scenic spots. An old local saying says that 'If you have visited Kunming without seeing the Stone Forest, you have wasted your time.' Truly, the Stone Forest is one of the most important attractions of Yunnan.
Why to visit
Among all China's mountainous and river attractions, Stone forests in Kunming are unique for its topographic landscape featuring magnificence, strangeness, danger and secret. Because of its characteristics of large area, high rock posts, beautiful peak shapes and closeness of various scenes, Yunnan's stone forest takes the lead in the world's lava topographic landscape.
The First Wonder of the World
The Stone Forest dates to the Ming Dynasty and is considered by some to be the First Wonder of the World. Scientific research has shown that what is now the Stone Forest was 270 million years ago an immense expanse of water with a vast stretch of limestone sediment formed over the years on the seafloor.
How did "stone forests" become the way it is today
As a result of the crustal movement, the seabed rose gradually and a large piece of land thus came into being. Exposed to rains and winds, eroded by the elements, the limestone ranges were shaped by time. About 200 million years ago numerous stone peaks, pillars, and stalagmites rose abruptly from the ground and towered into the sky, extending now as far as the eye can see, looking like a vast forest of stone, hence the name "the Stone Forest."
What to see
Bestowed to the mankind by nature, stone forests are an extraordinary masterpiece of arts. In the natural scenic area of stone forests with an area of 400 square kilometers, these countless scenic spots can be classified into two types-rocks and water.
Major Stone Forest, Minor Stone Forest, Naigu Stone Forest, Zhiyun Cave and Strange Wind Cave, etc. belong to rock- related scenery. Among the rock-related spots, stone forests - the First Wonder under Heaven - are the most representative one. The water-related scenic spots include Long Lake, Moon Lake and the Dadie Waterfall.
Major Stone Forest, Minor Stone Forest and Naigu Stone Forest
Major Stone Forest, Minor Stone Forest and Naigu Stone Forest all feature stones in various formations. Animals, plants, and even human figures can be found here. Some are elegant, some are rugged, and each is lifelike with its own distinguishing characteristics.
Major Stone Forest
Inside the sea of Stone Forest, one feels as if were in a bizarre fairyland. The stone formations standing still resemble a variety of things such as ancient fortresses, birds, beasts, flowers, trees, human beings, and whatever else one can imagine.
Minor Stone Forest
It adjoins the Greater Stone Forest, and has large lawns, lush growth of bamboos and trees as well as mountain flowers in Spring and Autumn. Most fantastic are "The Cluster of Pinnacles Propping up the Sky" and "The Stone Singing Praises of Plums".
Outer Stone Forest
It's gifted with myriad of stone peaks of various shapes. The Lion Hill resembles a squatting male lion on a height.
The rock of Ashima
Among all the scenic spots in the Stone Forest, the rock of Ashima in the Small Stone Forest is the most famous. The rock of Ashima resembles a girl of the Sani people, a branch of the Yi ethnic group, with a kerchief on her head, and a bamboo basket on her back. The shape and expression are both surprisingly lifelike. Ashima was a beautiful girl in a Sani folk tale. She is a symbol of the hope for freedom to choose who to marry, and a happy life for the Sani people. This is a story of a young couple who fall in love, but cannot marry each other.
Subterranean Stone Forest
Subterranean Stone Forest in Zhiyun Cave is an underground stone forest distributed among several caves and occupying a total area of about three square kilometers (720 acres).
Strange Wind Cave
Strange Wind Cave is composed of Penfeng Cave, Hongxi Spring and an underground river. Between the months of August and November, winds travel through the cave that last two to three minutes in duration and are spaced thirty minutes apart.
Long Lake
Long Lake is a karsts lake that is three kilometers (two miles) long but only 300 meters (zero point two miles) wide. The lake features underwater stalagmites and stalactites and a small island in the center of the water.
The Dadie Waterfall
The source of the Dadie Waterfall, Ba River, is a branch of Nanpan River. In the rainy season, up to 150 cubic meters (196 cubic yards) of water per square inch plummet down the 88 meter (288 feet) drop.
Stones in strange and curious shap
The stone mountains form strange shapes; the peaks are like poems and pictures, like the vertical "Lotus Peak," the majestic "Rhinoceros Admiring the Moon" and the graceful "Pavilion Observing the Peaks." The layers of mountains seem to be pressing forward; the curious shaped rocks excite people's imagination. In the depth of the Stone Forest, numerous lakes are like bright mirrors reflecting the rocks and peaks.
Scenic spots close to "Stone Forest"
Close to the Stone Forest are other scenic spots such as the Black Stone Forest, the Dadieshui Waterfall, the Changhu Lake (Long Lake), and the Ziyundong (Purple Clouds) Cave. Lakes, mountains, caves and rocks add more charm to the Stone Forest area.
Festivals used to be celebrated by local friends
The Sani people, native people known a branch of the Yi ethnic group. Celebrate their national festival - the Torch Festival - every lunar year on June 24. They take part in traditional performances such as wrestling, bull fighting, pole-climbing, dragon-playing, lion-dancing and the A-xi Moon Dance. During this time, the Stone Forest is alive with a particularly joyful, festive atmosphere, making the area even more attractive than usual.
When to visit
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Recommended time for a Visit: Two hours
- Opening Hours: 8:30a.m. - 6:00p.m.
Best time to visit
The Stone Forest, especially the Greater and Lesser stone forests, the best time to come is during September to May.
What to eat
Tourists can taste the delicious local food, such as the edible wild mushrooms, Yi people's Tofu feast, and so on.
What to buy
Tourists can buy the handicraft works, minority clothes and the folk paintings in Stone Forest.