About 90 kilometres east of Kunming, the Shilin — Stone Forest — is a vast field of weathered limestone pinnacles, some standing more than 30 metres high, eroded out of the karst plateau over the last 270 million years. It is the most spectacular landscape close to Kunming and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2007 as part of the South China Karst.
Paths thread between the pillars, sometimes squeezing through narrow gaps and sometimes opening into glades. The most-visited Greater and Lesser Stone Forests are crowded; the Naigu Stone Forest, a couple of kilometres further on, is quieter and arguably more atmospheric. The local Yi people — particularly the Sani branch — run the food stalls and souvenir shops in the park and perform dance shows at fixed times in the central square. Allow most of a day; tour buses leave Kunming East bus station from early morning.