Good Friday Feb 28 2025 (Day 19 Stone Forest Scenic Area UNESCO) Part 1 - a must visit when in Kunming, after an early breakfast (07.00), we e-hailed a Didi from our hotel & showed up in Stone Forest (90km, 1.5hr car journey), a down the memory lane visit for me since my last visit to this UNESCO site 27 years ago in 1998 & Black (Naigu) Stone Forest in 2019 !
Ground Transport:
- Dreamscape Rainbow Hotel, Kunming City > Stone Forest (approx 85km, 1.5hr) - Didi cab CNY150 + Toll CNY45 = CNY195 @ CNY49 (cost sharing of 4)
- Entrance Fee & Buggy: FOC for KM above 70+, Normal adult CNY130 + Buggy CNY25, 50% rebate for Senior above 60+.
1) Hotel buffet breakfast (Day 1) - my first buffet breakfast in this Kunming hotel, liked the food here especially the noodle soup with fried egg, steamed sweet potatoes & pumpkin, porridge, fried rice, hard boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, oranges, green vegetables, soya milk etc.
2) After a breakfast, our group of 4 e-hailed a Didi car (CNY150 + Toll CNY45) from Dreamscape Rainbow Hotel > Stone Forest (approx 90km); a brief stopover for toilet run at a R & R complex along the Expressway after a 45 minutes car drive; oldies like me badly in need of a washroom after the breakfast !
3) Arriving in Stone Forest (UNESCO) - Shilin Welcoming You ! - my last visit to this UNESCO site was in 1998 on a package tour to Kunming & Guizhou together with my ex-colleague, a lapse of 27 years. But in 2019, both my wife & myself visited the Black (Naigu) Stone Forest (approx 7km from the Stone Forest UNESCO site), another interesting touristy place frequented by locals & tourists in Yunnan !
Kunming Stone Forest - UNESCO Heritage of Karst Miracle - the most unique karst landform in the world, formed 270 million years ago, entire area is 1,100 sq m, dominant of Yi ethnic culture & the legend of Ashima representing the image of Stone Forest, located approx 80km from Kunming, busloads of tourists visiting this 5As UNESCO site so in the main Stone Forest entrance, expect the area to be filled with people & tourists jostling for a spot to take selfies or group photos !
4) The Monuments of Tianshangguan Blocking Action in Shilin, Yunnan dating back to Sept 1949 Chinese Civil War. Mao's army (led by Yunnan uprising KMT leader, Lu Han) successfully defended the site after a fierce battle with Chiang Kai Sek's regiment !
5) Shilin UNESCO Global Geopark Museum - just slipped my mind so did not enter, so near yet so far !
6) Flowers in full bloom in Stone Forest
7) Shilin Stone Forest Visitor Centre & Ticketing Counter - free admission for me aged over 70+' normal adult is CNY130 + buggy CNY25, 50% discount for senior above 60+
8) Entry Point - Ticketing & Buggy Ride Inspection - buggy ride to Stone Forest Scenic Area is approx 2.5km, if your both legs have strong muscle like that of an Incredible Hulk, just take the challenge & start walking ...... enjoy the Stone Forest Scenery Area from now on ......
9) Entering the Major Stone Forest (Da Shilin) - the entire area is made of dense stone peaks, highest rock pillar is 40m.
10) Peak View Pavilion - Major Stone Forest - a panoramic view of Stone Forest peaks at the viewpoint top, very crowded & had to inched my way to from the lower to upper floor !
11) Stone Forest Marvels - A Wonderland ! A Paradise ! A Dreamland ! A 5-Star Natural Wonder of The World
12) Lotus Pond - the front is Major Shilin (Dai Shilin) & the rear is Minor Shilin (Xiao Shilin), so the lotus pond is sandwiched by the Big & Small Shilin Stone Forest, well guarded making the place & surrounding the most surreal & beautiful landscape in Stone Forest !
13) Entering the Minor Stone Forest (Xio Shilin) - a beautiful natural garden characterised by graceful stone pillars, tranquil water pools & verdant grasslands
14) Minor Stone Forest (Xiao Shilin) & The Green Patch - a perfect match
15) Ashima, Stone Forest - according to the legend, the forest is the birthplace of Ashima, a beautiful girl of Yi people, after falling in love she was forbidden to marry her chosen suitor & instead turned into a stone in the forest that still bears her name, each year on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, many Yi people celebrate the Torch Festival which features folk dances & wrestling competitions.
16) Shilin Stone Forest & The Common Birds - A big learning curve for me !
17) Exiting the Shilin Stone Forest - Hope to see you again, KM ! Don't mention it, I am overtly happy with my presence together with my 3 travel buddies who are 1st timers here ! Having visited Stone Forest three times, are you ready to shout for another return to this wonderland which attracts millions of local & overseas tourists year in & year out ...... as for the answer, everyone could like to echo what General MacArthur said " I came through & I shall return" !
18) The Shilin Bus & E-hailing Stop - time to say bye bye to Stone Forest, I am glad to show up again in this spectacular UNESCO site one more time since my last visit in 1998 ! From this bus stop, my group of 4 e-hailed a Didi to Jiuxiang Scenic Area, our next destination.
19) My Good Old Days in Stone Forest, Yunnan, China - once upon a time 27 years ago, I was a Young One in my late 40's, it was my 2nd visit to China (1998) on a package tour to Yunnan & Guiyang with my ex-colleague & visited this famous Stone Forest. I am no fortune teller, as it was hard for me to predict the future that one day I will show up again at the front entrance of Stone Forest to reminisce about good memories of my first visit to Stone Forest two decades ago ! KM, you are blessed at the age of 75 to leave your footprints in this wonderland for one more time !
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| Stone Forest, Kunming (1998) |
20) My Good Days in Black (Naigu) Stone Forest, Yunnan, China - my wife & myself joined a package tour in Nov 2019 & visited the Black Stone Forest, (8km from the Major Stone Forest) Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Jade Dragon Mountain & Chuxiong; so the story of the stone & the forest in Kunming, Yunnan covering my 3 visits in 1998, 2019 & 2025 thus far will no doubt ring loud & be in my good memory for many years to come !
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| Black Stone Forest 2019 |
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