We are planning our China trip and hope to get feedback from anyone who's been to the Stone Forest. Is it worth the day or did you find it dissappointing? Did you use a local guide/driver. Thanks in advance for any tips on Kumning/Dali/Lijiang. - Gayle

The Stone Forest is about 60 miles south of Kuming. It covers over 130 square miles. The limestones were formed 270 million years ago when the area was in a sallow sea. After the area was pushed up, the stones were eroded into magnificent and strangeness rocks and caves. It is one of the best natural wonders in China. When you intend to visit Kuming, Dali and Lijiang, you must see the Shilin. <BR>

I have been to all three places you mention, but chose not to make the trip to the Stone Forest. It seemed somewhat interesting, but not worth the whole day to us. I would recommend spending more time in Dali/Lijiang than Kunming. Kunming has some good temple complexes and a nice market, but overall, the city is modernizing very fast and overall is jsut another big city. Dali and Lijiang were great. We had a great time on our rented bikes in those two places, as it is very easy to get out into the countryside. Also, the restaurants were very good in both places, and much cheaper than in the big cities. <BR> <BR>

My opinion of the Stone Forest falls somewhere between the posts above. The formations are extremely interesting, and fun to hike through. We went on the weekend when it was a Chinese national holiday, and the drive from Kunming was long and slow, and the crowds were enough to make it a bit annoying (the Stone Forest was not so extensive that you could escape them, except by hiking to the perimeter). On a normal day, I would say that a visit would be well worth the time. <BR>Also, while in Kunming, we went to Dragon Gate, a mountain trail cut by hand (one person) through the rocks in some places, with temples strewn along the way. We went to the mountaintop by chair lift, and walked down (although you could walk both ways). The view from the chair (overlooking the lake) was magnificent, and the half day trip was memorable.

Thankyou very much for your answers they're a great help. We are travelling independently for our first trip to China. Any more suggestions or advice for the Yunnan area -like the Dragon Gate would be really appreciated. We are not backpacking but staying in low cost hotels. - thanks again - Gayle

What dates are you going to be there? <BR>I am traveling to China in April and thought about going to Yunnan.

We really liked the stone forest. The formations are quite a wonderful sight, very stark with many areas resembling animals, etc. It gives some insight into some aspects of Chinese art. There were four of us with a guide. I'm not sure we could have found our way alone. We loved China, have a great time.

Thanks all for your responses. Howard where did you stay, Kumning, Lijian, Dali? Thanks Les, the Dragon Gate sounds good. Ed - we will be in Kumning about the 18th October. I hope you have a good time! - gayle