Stone Forest Shilin: Karst Areas and Visit Planning
Plan a Shilin visit: which areas the ticket covers, 2025 prices, the 24-minute train from Kunming South and how real-name tickets work.
Contents
Stone Forest, or Shilin, is a maze of grey limestone pinnacles in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, 78 kilometres from Kunming.[1] UNESCO calls the stone forests of Shilin a superlative natural phenomenon and a world reference for pinnacle karst. Shilin is one of seven karst clusters in the South China Karst World Heritage property, which spreads across four provinces and was first inscribed in 2007.[2]
Choose the scale of your visit
The main Shilin ticket covers five areas: the Greater Stone Forest, the Lesser Stone Forest, Bushaoshan, Liziyuanjing and Wannian Lingzhi, plus the Shilin Karst Geological Museum. Naigu Stone Forest, 8 kilometres from the main area, sells its own ticket. Free song and dance shows run inside the main area at 10:00 and 11:00, each for half an hour.[1]
The Shilin component of the World Heritage property has two core areas and covers 12,070 hectares. Its stone pillars grew over 270 million years, from the Permian to today. Naigu is a stone forest on dolomitic limestone, so it makes a good second stop if you want to compare two kinds of rock.[2] Start in the Greater Stone Forest for the classic pinnacle landscape.
Things to Do
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Plan the Kunming connection
Shilin lies 78 kilometres from Kunming and 13 kilometres from Shilin County town.[1] The quickest way is the high-speed train: D trains from Kunming South to Shilin West take about 24 minutes, and services from Kunming station take 47 minutes to an hour.[3] Allow time for the transfer between the station and the entrance.
Tickets and prices
In 2025 a full ticket for the main areas and the geological museum cost CNY 130 and a half-price ticket CNY 65. Naigu cost CNY 25, the battery car on the inner and outer loops CNY 25 per person, and a guide CNY 160 per tour in Chinese or CNY 200 in a foreign language.[1]
Tickets are real-name e-tickets. Buy them in the "Shilin Tourism" mini-program on WeChat or Alipay, or at the ticket windows, and enter with your ID card, the QR code or face recognition. Children aged 6 and under and visitors aged 70 and over enter free with ID. Foreign visitors and students with concessions complete their ticket at an on-site service point at the visitor centre, the car park or Ashima Tourism Culture City, and show their documents there.[4]
Keep the visit practical
Wear sturdy walking shoes, because the paths wind over uneven stone. Shilin is also the homeland of the Yi people, and UNESCO notes that the relationship between karst and the cultural identity and traditions of minority groups, including the Yi at Shilin, deserves continued respect.[2] Follow the on-site signs and staff instructions on the day.
For the rest of your itinerary, continue with our China travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Shilin Scenic Area (official site): 2025年石林風景名勝區景區票務 (2025 ticket table). Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [2] UNESCO World Heritage Centre: South China Karst. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [3] China Railway (12306): 12306 ticket search: Kunming South to Shilin West, 16 October 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- [4] Shilin Scenic Area Administration: 關於啟動實名制票務系統試運行的公告 (real-name ticketing notice, 23 January 2025). Retrieved October 23, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shilin is a limestone pinnacle landscape in Yunnan, 78 kilometres from Kunming. UNESCO calls it a world reference for pinnacle karst and one of the seven clusters of the South China Karst World Heritage property.
No. South China Karst is a serial property with seven clusters across four provinces. The Shilin component has two core areas and covers 12,070 hectares, and the visitor ticket covers specific scenic areas within it.
The main ticket covers the Greater Stone Forest, Lesser Stone Forest, Bushaoshan, Liziyuanjing, Wannian Lingzhi and the Shilin Karst Geological Museum. Naigu Stone Forest, 8 kilometres away, sells a separate ticket.
In 2025 a full ticket for the main areas cost CNY 130 and a half-price ticket CNY 65. Naigu cost CNY 25 and the battery car CNY 25 per person.
Shilin is 78 kilometres from Kunming and 13 kilometres from Shilin County town. D trains from Kunming South to Shilin West take about 24 minutes.
Tickets are real-name e-tickets sold in the Shilin Tourism mini-program on WeChat or Alipay and at the ticket windows. Foreign visitors complete their ticket at an on-site service point such as the visitor centre or the car park.
Wear sturdy walking shoes, because the paths wind over uneven stone, and bring layers for the changing weather.
