Yuanmou county lies in northern Yunnan, on the dry, hot plateau between Kunming and the Sichuan border, and it is known for two things: the fossils of Homo erectus found there in the 1960s, and a landscape called the earth forest. The earth forest is a badlands formation - thick deposits of clay, sand and gravel laid down by ancient rivers, then cut by water into towers, blades, ridges and gullies that stand in clustered groups like the ruins of a city. Three separate areas are open, and they differ in scale and in how far you can walk among the formations.
How the landscape formed
The plateau here was built up from sediments washed out of the mountains over a long period, and because the material is soft, rainfall and runoff cut it easily. Where a hard crust survived on top of a column, it protected the material beneath and left a pillar; where the crust was broken, gullies cut down. The result is a field of towers with grey and ochre surfaces, striped by the original bedding planes, varying in height from a couple of metres to well over twenty. The erosion is fast in geological terms, so the landscape you see is not stable.
Walking and photography
The main areas have paths and steps threaded through the formations, and the standard approach is to walk in and out rather than across, since the ground between the towers is loose and there are hidden gullies. The palette is at its strongest in early morning and late afternoon, when the low sun picks out the bedding lines and turns the clay orange; the middle of the day flattens everything out. Because the formations are soft, climbing on them is not permitted and causes visible damage.
Practical notes
Yuanmou is around three hours north of Kunming by road, and the earth forest areas lie scattered outside the county town, which means a car and driver is essential; there is no convenient public transport between the sites. The climate is hot and dry - this is one of the driest parts of Yunnan - so go early, carry several litres of water and use strong sun protection, because there is no shade. The sites charge admission separately. Combine the visit with the Yuanmou Man museum in the same area if the fossils interest you.
