Mud Forest

CCTV.COM (07.10 2003 16:04)

    The Mud Forest, 42.9 square meter in size of Yuanmo Township is located about 110 kilometers northeast of Chuxiong. It is the formation of a few million year old rock and mud mixture, which from a distance resembles a petrified forest, The journey, through villages built in the traditional local style, lasts merely three hours.

    A horseback ride through this landscape is highly recommended, for although the colour of the rocks is monotonous, the sharp angles and shapes create strong shadowy contrasts, very good for photograraphy. Coming out of the cave turn left and follow the sand road you will find a Castle-like View on the right and then turn left to the down hill path to reach more magnificent sights.

    The Chinese saying that an old horse knows its own path, expresses the situation of Tulin Mud Forest perfectly. The horse will just carry you all the way through the mountain road without any hesitation or mistakes on the rather complicated paths.

    With the exception of southern Yunnan, all of northeast Chuxiong lies within the tropics. This means that regardless of when you visit, the weather is likely to be warm or even downright hot. Dry is also common, with few areas far enough inland to enjoy. Of course, temperatures are much cooler in the mountains such as Tulin Mud Forest.

    Broadly speaking, there are two main weather patterns in the region, that of mainland south east Yunnan, and that of mountainous areas such as Chuxiong generally has a relatively cool season from November to late February, followed by hot dry season from March to May, and then a hot raining season that starts sometime in June and peters out by September or October. Fortunately, even during the rainy season it seldom rains all day in these areas, and travel is possible over most of the region.

Editor:Han Ling