Stone Forest (Shilin) from Kunming: Tickets, Tours and How to Visit

The Stone Forest is one of those places that looks fake from photos until you're standing in the thick of it. Towering gray limestone pillars, narrow corridors between them, and paths that twist until you lose track of where you came in.

We were staying downtown in Kunming and went on a Monday in spring. We only had about half a day, which is the first thing we'd change. This guide covers what to book ahead, how to get there on your own, what we'd do differently, and the one thing we'd add next time: a local Ashima guide at the gate.

Is the Stone Forest Worth Visiting?

Yes, and it's the day trip from Kunming we'd put first. The Stone Forest (石林, Shilin) is a field of limestone pillars in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, about 90 km east of the city. The rock is more than 270 million years old. This area was a shallow sea in the Permian period, and wind and water later carved the limestone into spires that look like petrified trees.

It's also part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the South China Karst, inscribed in 2007. One detail most guides skip: Wikipedia lists the inscribed parts as the Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village. The Major and Minor Stone Forests that most day-trippers walk through sit in the wider scenic area.

This is also Sani Yi country. The Sani are a branch of the Yi people and the area's indigenous inhabitants, and their legends are baked into the landscape. That cultural layer is the reason it is nice to go with a guide (more on that below).

Tickets and Tours: Which Way to Visit?

There are three ways to do the Stone Forest, and the right one depends on how much logistics you want to handle.

Option 1: Take a Day Tour

If getting there and back sounds complicated, this highly recommended day tour is the simple route. Someone else handles the pick-up and the logistics, and you just show up and look at rocks.

Want to turn it into a full day? The Stone Forest + Yiliang Roast Duck + Kunming City Private Tour hits the Stone Forest in the morning, stops for a famous Yiliang roast duck lunch, then lets you customize the afternoon. Guandu Ancient Town, Western Hills, Dounan Flower Market, tea tasting, whatever you fancy.

Option 2: Go Self-Guided

This is how we did it: train, no tour, and the day at our own pace.

If you want to book tickets in advance, entry tickets are booked through the park's official WeChat account (you can find that account here on Trip.com).

If you struggle with that, you shouldn't have an issue buying tickets at the park entrance, like we did. The 2026 entrance ticket is 175 yuan per person in peak season (March to November) and 130 yuan the rest of the year (per the park's official site), which covers the Major and Minor Stone Forests and also gets you into the Naigu Stone Forest (see Naigu for how to reach it), and the optional electric shuttle at 25 yuan round trip.

Prices change, so confirm the number when you buy. Our advice on the shuttle is firm, so read this before you go.

That same Trip.com page has some nice tour options too.

Option 3: Add It to a Multi-Day Yunnan Tour

The Stone Forest is the natural first stop on a Yunnan loop, because those routes start and end in Kunming. Two options:

• 6-Day Kunming, Dali & Lijiang Tour: Stone Forest, Erhai Lake cycling, Dali Old Town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and Shuhe, starting and ending in Kunming.
• 7-Day Yunnan Private Tour: Stone Forest and Kunming Old Street, then Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La.

Or build the route yourself with our 8 to 10 day Yunnan itinerary.

Hire a Local Ashima Guide at the Gate

You can also hire a guide at the entrance. We didn't do it ourselves, but we'd recommend it. A local Ashima guide can point out the hidden rock shapes that look like animals or mythical figures (the kind you'd walk straight past) and tell the local folklore behind the famous Ashima stone. It adds a cultural layer to the natural scenery.

So who is Ashima? She's a beautiful girl of the Yi people from local legend. Forbidden to marry the man she loved, she was turned into a stone in the forest, and the stone still bears her name (Wikipedia). The Ashima Stone itself is in the Minor Stone Forest, where the rock looks like a young girl carrying a basket on her back.

Guides wait at the entrance, so there's nothing to book in advance. A guided tour is at about 200 yuan and says Sani guides in embroidered headdresses offer them at the gate. Confirm the price and the route before you set off.

How to Get to the Stone Forest From Kunming

The Stone Forest is about 90 km from the city center. If you skip the tour, here's how to get there yourself.

By Train

You can reach the Stone Forest by train from either Kunming Railway Station or Kunming South Station, and they work very differently.

• From Kunming Railway Station: slower regular trains, with only about two per day, to Shilin Station. The single ride ranges from 1.5 hour to nearly 3 hours, but from Shilin Station, it's only about a 10-minute taxi from there to the park entrance. This is the easy pick if you're staying downtown.
• From Kunming South Station: high-speed trains to Shilin West Station in 24 minutes, and they're far more frequent. But South Station is a long way from the center, and Shilin West is roughly a 30-minute drive from the park (there will be taxis waiting outside the station). If you'd rather keep on going with public transportation, Bus 99 from Shilin West to the scenic area takes about 45 to 60 minutes and is 10 yuan.

We were staying downtown, so we took a slow, old train from Kunming Railway Station out to Shilin. On the way back, we did the second bullet point (in reverse); we took a 30-minute taxi from the park to Shilin West, then the high-speed train to Kunming South Station.

Again, the catch is that South Station is far from downtown, and it took us nearly an hour on the metro to reach the center again, so leave extra time at the end of your day. Book tickets in advance and bring your passport to collect them.

By Bus

Tourist buses leave from Kunming Eastern Bus Station roughly every 30 minutes. They take about 1 hour and 15 minutes and cost around 30 yuan one way.

By Taxi or Private Car

A private car (or Didi) takes 1 to 1.5 hours from central Kunming. It's the most flexible option for a group, and it pairs well with a guide at the gate.

What to See in the Stone Forest

The scenic area is split into seven sections. Most day-trippers stick to the first two below.

Major Stone Forest

The biggest and most dramatic section. Pillars rise so close together that in places only one person fits through, and the paths twist between them. The hilltop Lion Pavilion is the viewpoint over the whole thing, and one of the spots where we found some peace. Expect crowds near the start of the park (more on that below).

Minor Stone Forest and the Ashima Stone

A short walk away. The formations are smaller, with open grass between them, which is definitely more like a sculpture garden. This is where we found peace, and it's home to the Ashima Stone, which is where a guide earns their fee. Don't expect it to be empty, though: it's closer to the start of the park, so it's still busier than the places further out.

Also inside the main park, on the same ticket: three more areas that most day-trippers skip. We haven't seen these ourselves, so this comes from research.

• Bushao Mountain (Bushao Hill): in the northwest section of the main loop.
• Liziyuanjing: a wilder, more spread-out section on the eastern side.
• Ancient Ganoderma (the "Eternal Mushroom" or Ten-thousand-year Lingzhi): on the southern edge of the main loop.

Naigu Stone Forest

Naigu sits roughly 8 to 9 km north of the main park entrance (Shilin Geopark, Yunnan Exploration) and is one of the two UNESCO-inscribed parts. It is far quieter, with darker rock, and you'll need about 2 hours. We only had half a day, so we didn't make it out here, and this one comes from research rather than our own legs. It's the main reason we say to give yourself lots of time: out here, you'd be much more on your own.

Good news on the ticket: the full-price entry ticket (175 yuan per person in peak season, 130 yuan otherwise) that covers the Major and Minor Stone Forests also covers admission to Naigu. You don't need to buy anything extra.

Getting there isn't included, though. The two areas are in different places, so you'll need to take a local shuttle bus (running roughly 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM), hire a taxi, or use the park's electric sightseeing carts, which cost an extra 25 yuan Confirm the current schedule and prices at the gate.

Our Stone Forest Day: What We'd Do Differently

We had only about half a day, because we wanted to see as much of Kunming as humanly possible. Funnily enough, that same logic is exactly what tripped us up. Here's what we learned.

Spend as much time as you can

Our recommendation: overestimate the time. The main reason is Naigu. Give yourself enough hours to reach places like the Naigu Stone Forest, and you'll be much more on your own.

Take the shuttle

To save money, we decided not to take the shuttle from the entrance of the park to where the Stone Forest actually begins, and back. It set us back quite a while, because we had to walk long distances. And once you're inside, you'll be walking a lot again. So take the shuttle for the time alone. The walk from the entrance to the start isn't wowing anyway. The electric shuttle is an optional 25 yuan round trip.

Expect crowds near the start

We went on a Monday in spring, and it was packed. The start of the park and the areas closest to it, the Major and Minor Stone Forests, had lots of people. That doesn't mean it isn't worth it. We still found peace in the Minor Stone Forest and at the Lion Pavilion, but they'll be more crowded than the places further out. Just be ready for it.

Where to eat

If you get hungry, there are a few restaurants once you're done in the Stone Forest, before the shuttle back to the entrance (or the walk... again, don't do this). The food was reasonable for being in a park.

Tips for Visiting the Stone Forest

• Go early or late. Tour groups peak between 10am and 2pm, so aim for around 8am or the late afternoon. We went on a Monday around noon in spring and the start was packed.
• Overestimate your time. We suggest 3 to 4 hours for the Major and Minor Stone Forests, plus about 2 for Naigu. We only had half a day, and it wasn't enough.
• Take the shuttle. The electric shuttle is 25 yuan round trip per. We skipped it to save time and it cost us more, because the walk from the entrance to the start is long and not worth your legs.
• Wear grippy shoes. Stone paths get slippery when wet, and you'll be climbing stairs. Bring water.
• Pick your season. March to May and September to November are the sweet spots. Summer brings heavier rain, and in winter the park closes at 5:30pm instead of 6pm.
• Check the Torch Festival. Each year on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, many Yi people celebrate with folk dances and wrestling competitions.

Where to Stay

Most people stay in Kunming and do the Stone Forest as a day trip, which is what we did. Wikipedia notes there are also hotels in the area around the park if you want an early start.

For Kunming, see our hotel picks, from a budget stay to a five-star Sofitel.

Pair It With the Rest of Your Kunming Day

The Stone Forest takes most of a day, but a few things slot in around it:

• Dinner: mushroom hot pot, a Yunnan specialty. Follow the timer on each batch.
• A relaxing, spa evening: soak at Jinfang Forest Hot Springs. Book hot spring tickets.
• Next stop: Dali is about 2 hours from Kunming by high-speed train. Book the train on Trip.com.

Before You Go: China Travel Essentials

Set up an eSIM and a VPN before you land. You can't install a VPN once you're inside China.

• eSIM: Trip.com's eSIM cards are good value and worked well for us across Yunnan.
• VPN: Our VPN guide explains why.
• Insurance: get your Genki travel insurance before you go.

For visa rules and the full China checklist, see China travel essentials in our Dali guide.

FAQs About Visiting the Stone Forest

Keep Planning Your Yunnan Trip

• The city itself: our guide to the best things to do in Kunming.
• The whole route: the 8 to 10 day Yunnan itinerary puts the Stone Forest on Day 2.
• Next stop by train: things to do in Dali.
• Further north: the 2-day Lijiang itinerary and the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike.
• More on the region: the Yunnan destination page.