Stone Forest Kunming: Foreigner Tickets, Fees, How to Go

The Stone Forest (Shilin, 石林) is a forest of limestone pillars shaped by wind and rain, in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, 78 km from Kunming according to the scenic area's official site. It was inscribed on the World Natural Heritage list in 2007 as part of the South China Karst. The thing to know before you go is a ticketing rule. The official site announced real-name e-ticketing from 24 January 2025, and the same notice says foreign guests (外宾) must handle their ticket at an on-site ticket point with original documents. We re-read that notice on 17 October 2026. We could not find the entry price on any official page we could read, so the CNY 130 figure comes from unofficial sources and should be treated as a guide.

This page covers the sight. The overview is in the Yunnan travel guide, hotels are on where to stay in Yunnan, and entry rules, payments and internet limits are on the China hub.

Fees and opening hours

The official site publishes notices on ticketing, visitor numbers and the in-park shuttle, but the pages on prices and hours we could open are images or missing. The table therefore labels the status of each line.

A discrepancy: the closing time is 17:30, 18:00 or 18:30 depending on the source. Treat 17:30 as the safe closing time and arrive in the morning. The official site gives 78 km from Kunming while Wikivoyage gives 70 km; they measure from different points.

How to buy, per the official notice

The Stone Forest administration's notice sets out how to buy and enter:

• Ordinary visitors buy through the "石林旅游" mini-program in WeChat or Alipay, or the official "石林旅游" WeChat account, or at a ticket window. You must fill in real visitor details.
• Entry is by ID card (a Chinese resident ID), QR code or face scan.
• A "ticket plus shuttle" package enters through gates 1 and 2, while an entry-only ticket enters at gate 3 and you walk in.
• The notice recommends buying online in advance to avoid queues (for people who can buy online).

"ID card" means a Chinese resident ID card. Foreign visitors should ask the ticket point about using a passport. We do not confirm whether a foreign visitor can scan a QR code or face at the gate like a Chinese visitor.

What is inside

The official site says the core "Stone Forest scenic area" has five zones: Major Stone Forest (大石林), Minor Stone Forest (小石林), Wannian Lingzhi (万年灵芝), Liziyuanjing (李子园箐) and Buxiaoshan (步哨山). The tallest free-standing pillar is more than 40 m high in the Major Stone Forest, and limestone terrain covers more than 1,100 sq km, of which 350 sq km is protected.

The official site adds that the wider area includes Naigu Stone Forest, 8 km north of the main zone, and Long Lake, 26 km away. The Dadieshui waterfall has been closed to visitors since 2019 (notice of 3 May 2019, and the 2026 overview page still says suspended), so do not follow an old map to it. Travel China Guide also lists it as not currently available.

Shuttle cars inside the area

The official notice of 17 April 2026 says that from 24 April 2026 the existing line is extended from about 6.1 km to about 6.7 km at the same CNY 25 per trip, and two lines are added. Line A costs CNY 15, runs about 4.5 km, and goes from the visitor centre via the museum, the welcome square, Lion Pool, Wannian Lingzhi, Liziyuanjing, the husband-waiting stone, Buxiaoshan, Orchid Valley and the lotus pond. Line B costs CNY 10, runs about 2.2 km and goes from the return stop to the Ashima culture city. Tickets are sold at the visitor centre, at the car park, or in the mini-program.

Travel China Guide lists a battery car at CNY 25, which agrees with the main line, but is unofficial.

Getting there from Kunming

This table is unofficial, and we could not read the 12306 timetable.

Times vary with the starting point and traffic, so allow extra and arrive in the morning. Wikivoyage advises arriving early to avoid crowds.

How long to allow

The official site shows a long shuttle line, Lines A and B and five zones, which points to a half day up to nearly a full day for the whole area. We found no visit time on the official site. Travel China Guide suggests 3 to 4 hours. Our suggestion is to allow 4 to 6 hours in the main area, and to plan the day as a round trip from Kunming. This is not an official figure.

Tours from intermediaries

If you would rather not sort out the real-name tickets yourself, several intermediaries sell tours. An example seen through search results on KKday is a private car with driver from Kunming that combines the Stone Forest with Jiuxiang. We could not open the product page on the check day, so we give no price or inclusions. Ask whether the ticket for foreign visitors is included in the price, given the official notice above.

Frequently asked questions

How this page compares

We read Travel China Guide's Stone Forest page (about 930 words), which gives a clear fee, concessions and hours, a battery-car price and nearby sights, but mentions none of the foreign-visitor ticket rule. China Highlights' 7-day Yunnan itinerary puts the Stone Forest on a day-2 route but gives no ticket rule. This page is built on the official notices, flags the foreign-visitor ticket rule that those pages leave out, shows the latest 2026 shuttle changes, and separates unofficial figures plainly. Where we are weaker: we still have no official price and no confirmed opening hours from the Stone Forest's own site.

Links on this page and our earnings

The tour search buttons on this page open the providers' own search pages as of 17 October 2026. We have no registered affiliate link for this product and have earned no commission. Our disclosure page explains how affiliate links work and what we never do.

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.