Entering the Stone Forest 石林

Karst Formations at the Stone Forest 石林 in Yunnan 云南

Karst Formations at the Stone Forest 石林 in Yunnan 云南

The Stone Forest in near Kunming in Yunnan province is one of those places which I have always wanted to visit. I always had this fascination with karst as they seem quite otherworldly. Probably because it is not something you see everyday. I had experience seeing karst in different places but it is still very fascinating every single time. Interestingly, this particular region of China seems to be what can be thought of as the largest concentration of karst in the world. So important is this that the place, the Stone Forest included, was elevated to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites – the South China Karst.

UNESCO Marker at the Stone Forest 石林 in Yunnan 云南

UNESCO Marker at the Stone Forest 石林 in Yunnan 云南

The South China Karst encompasses large parts of several provinces here in China, in particular Southwestern China, parts of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi are part of this large karst collection. I believe these limestone formations extend all the way to northern Vietnam and Thailand as well. I have been to the karsts in Guilin and they are simply breathtaking. Different places in China have different types of karst structures for example the beautiful mountains of Guilin and Yangshuo which are actually karst which have made them incredibly famous. The Stone Forest features more of exposed limestone which is similar to the ones found in El Nido in the Philippines and Phuket in Thailand, the difference is that the Stone Forest is all inland.

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