Marvel at the Stone Forest

One of the highlights of a visit to Kunming is taking a day trip to the majestic Stone Forest, located a 1.5 hour drive out of the city in Shilin Yi Nationality Autonomous County.

The Stone Forest was created by a special type of limestone formation known as karst. Some 270 million years ago the area was submerged in a lake and a thick layer of limestone deposited on the bottom. The movement of the earth's crust caused the sea bottom to thrust upward and become land, and through weathering and erosion over eons, the stone was formed into pillars. These bizarre stone formations reach up to 30 metres tall and cover a large area stretching into the distance. The landscape here is truly unique, and there are multiple scenic view points throughout the site.