Yellow River Stone Forest of Jingtai, Gansu, China

5KodoDrummer 5:00 PM Nov 6, 2017

Graceful stone forest & a magnificent creation of nature
The Yellow River Stone Forest is a national geological park. It is adjacent to the riverside village of Old Longwan (老龙湾), Jintai district of Baiyin City, Gansu Province. Jingtai County has both mountainous and desert areas and is located at a southerly tip of the Tengger Desert. The size of the stone forest approximates ten square kilometres. The Yellow River flows in an easterly direction, but due to its nine big bends, the direction varies. Nine Bends, the stone forest ten thousand zhang! The landscape of the Yellow River stone forest and the meandering landscape of the Yellow River depend on each other. It looks desolate and solemn on the north-west next door. This nature-created forest is comprised of many different sized and unique shaped, beautiful sand stalagmites, stone pillars, and cliffs. We went down the river on a sheepskin raft. Our boatman has huge lungs. He showed us that he could inflate a large sheepskin airbag with three breaths. Quite amazing. The evening and early morning views bring out spectacular charms of the Yellow River. I don’t know where the river got its name. The water is fairly clear and appears to have a surface colour of blue-green. The Yellow River is one of China’s major rivers, and by size second only to the Yangtze River.

540PeterM172 5:00 PM Aug 18, 2016

Make sure you are there for sunrise and sunset!
I arranged this trip myself, with the help of a Chinese friend who took care of the practical travel and accommodation arrangements. If you do not speak Chinese or have no-one who does, doing a trip here privately will not be easy - I guess you'll need to pay a lot more to go with a tour group. Attractions: The landscape is stunning. Get to go on the river (3 people per raft, RMB90 per raft at time of writing), go up through the forest on the donkeys, use either a buggie or the cablecar (or gondolas) to get to the top of the cliff and look back; If you can, get a car to go to the viewing point (which means you have to go through the park barrier at the top of the cliff) at sunrise. That viewing point will give you the view that you will see on many official pictures - of the bend in the river with the cliffs to your left and right. Practical Arrangements: I travelled from Lanzhou airport to Baiyin by bus, then took another bus (about 2h 30) to Longwan village, at the foot of the cliff which marks the start of the forest. If you take the bus, be prepared for the bus driver to stop several times in villages en route. A lot of the route through Gansu is rural, meaning that the scheduled bus is the only means for people to get from place to place. The roads in rural Gansu province are not always great. (I cannot tell you how easy it is to get back using the reverse route: I went on to Zhangye, hiring the hotel car to drive us 500km at RMB2 per km, so I have no idea where to catch the relevant bus etc. Other reviews might help with that.) The park is situated in Longwan village. Hotels are small, some will provide towels but most won't (getting to see the quality?) and RMB100 for a night is about right. Be prepared for no-one being able to speak English, so ordering food in small cafes in the village can be a challenge. (Gansu food seems to be slightly spicy, and mutton and noodles feature quite a lot.) Travelling from the village to the place where you can 'catch' a donkey is either by electric buggy or by car. 'Hotels' will often have a car and driver which can be at your service for an appropriate fee. (I used one to get to the top of the cliff by 4.30am, for the sunrise.) A stay of 2 nights is sufficient in most cases. You will run out of things to do relatively quickly - other than marvel at the scenery. I went in August, and did not find this in any way overcrowded. The Chinese friends I was with didn't really seem to find this as amazing a place as I did.