Yunnan's premier natural wonder is Shilin , the Stone Forest , an exposed bed of limestone spires weathered and split into intriguing clusters, 130km east of Kunming near the town of LUNAN . There are many such "forests" in southwestern China, but here the black, house-sized rocks are embellished with trees and vines, steps, paths and pavilions. An enjoyable day trip if you can accept the fairground atmosphere and crowds dutifully tagging behind their cosmetically perfect tour guides, it takes about an hour to cover slowly the main circuit through the pinnacles to Sword Peak Pond , an ornamental pool surrounded by particularly sharp ridges which you can climb along a narrow track leading right up across the top of the forest. This is the most frequented part of the park, with large red characters incised into famous rocks and ethnic Sani , a Yi subgroup, in unnaturally clean dresses strategically placed for photographers, but paths heading out towards the perimeter are far quieter and lead out to smaller, separate stone groupings in the fields beyond. You can see a bit more by staying the night, as Shilin is surrounded by Sani villages - if you do, Wednesday is market day in Lunan (a thirty-minute ride on a motorbike-taxi from outside the park gates), where Sani sell their wares and sport embroidered costumes.

 

Transport to Shilin is not a problem. A comfortable option are the day tours run by hotels and agents in Kunming from ¥50 upwards, and there are also early morning tour minibuses (about ¥30) from the corner of Huancheng Nan Lu, next to the King World Hotel - look for the blue, bilingual sign. Note that the latter are Chinese-oriented, and involve plenty of stops at souvenir shops along the way, giving you only about two hours at Shilin - though some find this adequate. Otherwise, the journey takes around three hours and ends at a mess of stalls at the park gates selling poor souvenir embroideries and excellent, reasonably priced food - roast duck (a local speciality), pheasant, pigeon or fish.

Entry costs ¥40, after which you cross the bridge and bear left up the hill for 50m to a basic hostel (up to ¥30) in the square. Continue round the lake and you'll find the ageing but comfortable Stone Forest Hotel (tel 0871/7711405; ¥150-200) and the more modern Shilin Summer Palace Hotel (tel 0871/7711888; ¥150-200) either side of steps which lead directly down into the forest itself. Keep going around the lake and uphill for the better-value Yunlin Hotel (tel 0871/7711409; ¥100-150), which offers singles, doubles and triples. All of the places to stay have decent restaurants , and the hotels host infrequent evenings of Sani dancing , surprisingly enthusiastic, spontaneous events which counter the tacky image portrayed by hawkers at the park.