Day Trip to Kunming Stone Forest

Kunming Stone Forest is one of the highlights in Kunming, and the most easily accessible one from Kunming downtown. As a must-visit attraction, it has great charming and natural beauty in those ancient stone pillars, lifelike and spectacular. For tourists who are planning a day trip to Kunming Stone Forest, we want to help , and edit this travel tips for reference.
 

• Get to Kunming Stone Forest
• Kunming Stone Forest Facts
• Kunming Stone Forest Highlights
• Kunming Stone Forest Day Tour Itinerary

How to Get to Kunming Stone Forest

Stone Forest Scenic Area is located at Shilin county, Kunming, and from Kunming to Stone Forest, the distance is about 81 km, and takes 1.5- 2 hours.

► By Bus from Kunming East Bus Station

For getting to Stone Forest from Kunming downtown, you could take bus at Kunming East Bus Station, the distance is 88 km and it takes 2 hours. Moreover, you could take bus to Shilin county, then transfer to Stone Forest Scenic Area.
 

• Service time: 08:00-18:00.
   
• Ticket: 34 yuan.

► By train from Kunming South Railway Station/ Kunming Railway Station

Tourists could make use of train from Kunming to Shilin West Station, then take tourist bus to Stone Forest. Trains from Kunming South run faster than those from Kunming Railway Station.

Step 1: Kunming South Railway Station → Shili West Station

• Time duration: 18 min.
   
• Ticket price: 18 yuan (second class ticket), 29 ( first class ticket).
   
• Service time: 09:20 AM-18:29 PM, every 30-60 min.
  
  
  Kunming Railway Station →  Shili West Station
   
• Train: No. 7452(07:20-10:41, 14.5 yuan for a hard seat), No. K365(07:50-09:26, 18.5 yuan for a hard seat).

Step 2: Shili West Station→  Stone Forest Scenic Area
 

• No. 99 public bus ( 10 yuan).
   
• Service time: 07:30 AM -18:30 PM, every 20 min.
   
• Distance: 25 km.
   
• Time:  50 min.

► By bus from Kunming Airport

From Kunming Airport to Stone Forest, you could take airport shuttle bus, because there is a special line for it.
 

• Service time: 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 14:00, 15:30, 17:00, 18:00.
   
• Ticket price: 45 yuan.
   
• Distance: 96 km.
   
• Transport time: 1.5 hours.

Kunming Stone Forest Facts

Kunming Stone Forest is a natural site for spectacular stones, and a beautiful park with captivating views in greenery. It covers a vast of land up to 35,0000 hectares, and consists of 4 parts, Stone Forest, Heiyansong, Feilongpu and Changhu. And Stone Forest is the most visited one, with 5 parts, Small Stone Forest, Big Stone Forest, Lizi Yuanqing, Bushaoshan, and Qingzhang Diecui. Those stunning stones belong to karst landscape, formed by normal erosion, they stand straight up to the sky, and with only few plants on the stone pillars, moreover, this large land of those stones has formed two stone forests.

Kunming Stone Forest was listed as World Geological Park in 2004, and World Natural Heritage in 2007 by UNESCO. Kunming Stone Forest is not common in the world, and it is totally worthy visiting.

► Best time to visit Kunming Stone Forest: all year around.

► Entrance ticket: 130 yuan per person(Stone Forest Scenic Area & Stone Forest Karst Geological Museum are included).

► Eletromobile car(25 yuan)

Eletromobile car in Stone Forest Scenic Area has two routes, one is the inner line for tourists to go from one scenic spot to another and the other is the outer line to help tourists from the parking lot to tourist center and the sightseeing place. With a ticket at hand, you could get on or get off at any place.

• The outer line: parking lot-tourist center- the Karst Geological Museum.
   
• The outer line(back): the front gate of Stone Forest-tourist center-parking lot.
   
• The inner line: Summer Resort Hotel-Huanlinlu Wetland-Qianzhang Diecui-Lizi Yuanqing-Bushaoshan-Small Stone Forest.
   
• price: 25 yuan.
   
• Service time: 07:30-19:30(inner line), 08:30- 18:30(outer line).
   
• English speaking tour guide: 200 yuan for 2-2.5 hours' sightseeing.

Kunming Stone Forest Highlights

Kunming Stone Forest is famous for its stones and great natural scenery. It has 5 parts, Small Stone Forest, Big Stone Forest, Lizi Yuanqing, Bushaoshan, and Qingzhang Diecui. Those stones formed at 3 billion years in various shapes are its highlight, some look like animals, some like persons. No doubt, it would give you stunning views.

Small Stone Forest: the most famous one in Small Stone Forst is Ashima, the stone looks like Ashima, a girl in local folktale who is waiting for her lover to save her.

Big Stone Forest: there are so many stone pillars standing up to the sky, with a height of 20-50 meters, which are pretty splendid. The famous spots are Jianfeng Pool, Wangfeng Pavilion, Shilin Shengjing, Qianjun Yifa, etc.

Bushaoshan: it is the highest place of Stone Forest, where you could have a panoramic view of those spectacular stones. Moreover, you could see the underwater world of 2.7 billion years ago recorded by fossils.

Lizi Yuanqing: among those stone pillars, there is an ancient cliff picture with images like person, animal, star and moon, which is regarded as a picture of religion.

Hiking and walking in the maze paths among those stone pillars and climbing to the highest for panoramic views are defitely the best. 

 

Kunming Stone Forest Day Tour Itinerary

► Day tour time arrangement: 
 

• Departure time: 08:00-10:00 AM.
   
• Tour time: 3~ 5 hours for Stone Forest.
   
• Return time: 15:00 PM-17:00 PM

If you depart at 08:00 AM, you could arrive Stone Forest at 10: 00 AM, and finish your tour at 15:00 PM, and back to Kunming downtown at 17:00 PM. Of course, the tour time is flexible, you could change it according to your arrangement.



► Sightseeing ways: electromobile car, hiking & climbing.

In fact, most travelers would like to walk from one spot to another, and make use of electromobile car when necessary, which is the best way for you to enjoy its beauty. The walking road is not rough, easy for people at all ages.

► Sightseeing routes: Qianzhang Diecui-Big Stone Forest-Lizi Yuangqing-Bushaoshan-Small Stone Forest. You could put Kunming Geological Park at the first or the last.

► Sightseeing arrangement:
 

• Buy ticket or collect ticket at the ticket office, and go to the entrance, then take electromobile car to the core for sightseeing (10 min).
   
• 0.5- 1 hour in Small Stone Forest.
   
• 1-2 hours in Big Stone Forest. Big Stone Forest is the highlight of highlights, where you could see the main attraction. In here, you could go hiking, walking on the small paths among those stone pillars, and climb to the highest to have a grand view.

► Where to eat: bring some simple food. If you want to eat local food, you could go to Shilin county and find a good restaurant before or after your tour.

► How to return to Kunming downtown: take bus at the front gate. There are buses heading to Kunming downtown, and if you want to go to Shilin county, you could take No. 99 public Bus, then take bus at Shilin Bus Station back to Kunming downtown.

Here we also recommend you 2 related tours:
 

• One Day Tour from Kunming to Stone Forest
• 4 Days Kunming and Stone Forest Tour
• 6 Days Dongchuan Red Land Tour

If you are interested in any tours, please feel free to contact us.