South China Karst中国南方喀斯特 · Zhōngguó Nánfāng Kāsītè — the world's great karst showcase
A serial listing of the most spectacular humid-tropical karst on earth, scattered across Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Chongqing — stone forests, cave systems, natural bridges and the peak-and-tower landscapes that define southern China.
Every kind of karst, at its most extreme.
South China Karst is one of the world's most spectacular examples of humid tropical to subtropical karst. A serial site spread across Guizhou, Guangxi, Yunnan and Chongqing, it showcases the full range of karst landforms — pinnacle 'stone forests', tower and cone karst, giant caves, natural bridges and sinkholes — in a single World Heritage listing.
These are textbook landscapes made monumental: Yunnan's Shilin, a forest of limestone blades; the peak clusters and gorges of Guizhou's Libo; and the towering natural bridges of Chongqing's Wulong. Together they record millions of years of water dissolving stone into the scenery that shaped Chinese painting.
A serial site — its components are hundreds of kilometres apart in different provinces, each visited separately. The Guilin/Yangshuo tower karst most travellers picture belongs to a later extension of the same story.
One listing, four provinces of karst.
This is a serial site assembled from separate karst areas that each show a different landform. You visit whichever is near your route, not all of them.
Shilin Stone Forest 云南石林
Yunnan's 'stone forest' near Kunming — a maze of grey limestone pinnacles, the classic pinnacle karst, about 1.5 hours from the city.
Libo Karst 贵州荔波
Guizhou's cone-and-tower karst of forested peaks, rivers and the Xiaoqikong 'small seven arches' scenery.
Wulong Karst 重庆武隆
Chongqing's Three Natural Bridges and giant Furong cave — colossal collapse-karst, a film-set landscape southeast of the city.
Guilin Karst 桂林喀斯特
The tower karst of the Li River and Yangshuo — the peaks-and-river scenery of a thousand scroll paintings (a later extension).
The signature landscapes.
Each component is its own trip. These are the ones most travellers reach.
Tap or hover a photo for access details.
Shilin Stone Forest 石林
A walkable maze of limestone blades and pinnacles near Kunming — the definitive pinnacle karst.From Kunming ~1.5 h · Ticket ~¥130
Wulong Three Natural Bridges 武隆天生三桥
Three colossal stone bridges over a sunken valley (a Transformers and Curse of the Golden Flower filming site), near Chongqing.From Chongqing ~2 h · Ticket ~¥135
Libo Karst 荔波
Guizhou's forested cone karst, rivers and small waterfalls — greener and wilder than the stone forests.From Guiyang by road
Guilin & Yangshuo 桂林・阳朔
The tower karst of the Li River — the peaks-and-water scenery most people picture as 'Chinese landscape'.See our Guilin guide
Autumn, and around the summer rains.
September–November and spring are the most comfortable across the karst provinces. Summer brings heavy rain that swells the rivers and can flood cave and gorge sections; winter is cool and dry but greyer.
Don't try to 'do' the whole listing — pick by route. Its components are hundreds of kilometres apart in four different provinces, so choose the one near where you're already going: Shilin from Kunming, Wulong from Chongqing, the Li River from Guilin. Summer rain can close gorge and cave sections, so check conditions.
For foreign travelers.
- Choose components by your route — Shilin near Kunming, Wulong near Chongqing, Guilin's karst from Guilin — rather than chasing all four.
- Each has its own ticket and booking; treat them as separate day trips.
- Summer rain can flood caves and gorges; spring and autumn are safer and clearer.
- For the classic Li River karst, see our Guilin guide.