Lufeng

Lufeng (禄丰, Lùfēng) is a county-level city in Chuxiong Prefecture, Central Yunnan.

Understand

Lufeng is perhaps best known for its dinosaurs fossils. Hundreds of complete dinosaur skeletons have been discovered here since the 1930s. The best place to see them is at a park called World Dinosaur Valley, which is where the richest of Lufeng's fossil sites is located. The Lufeng Dinosaur Museum in downtown Lufeng also has a significant collection of dinosaur fossils.

Like most county-level cities in China, Lufeng has many towns, which are geographically separate from each other. The main town is the town of Jinshan (金山, Jīnshān).

Get in

By train

• 1 Lufeng South Railway Station (禄丰南站), Zhuluoji Street (侏罗纪大街) (bus no. 10). As of 2022, this is the only railway station in Lufeng's main urban area that serves passenger trains. The Lufeng Railway Station is now a freight-only station. Trains from Kunming take approximately 40 to 60 minutes to reach Lufeng South. From Chuxiong City, the journey time is about 30 minutes. (updated Apr 2022)

By bus

• 2 Lufeng Bus Station (禄丰客运站), Longcheng Road (龙城路) (bus no. 10), ☏ +86 878 4123900. Lufeng's main central bus station. Buses are available to Kunming as well as multiple destinations in Central Yunnan and beyond. (updated Apr 2022)

Get around

Both taxis and buses are available. The most useful bus from a traveller's point of view is probably the no. 10 bus, which goes to World Dinosaur Valley and can also be used to get to the Lufeng Dinosaur Museum. You can catch the no. 10 bus from the bus stops outside the railway station and the bus station.

See

Jinshan

• 1 Lufeng Dinosaur Museum (禄丰恐龙博物馆), 95 Jinshan South Road, Jinshan Town (镇金山南路95号) (take bus no. 10 to the Electric Power Building (电力大厦), then walk about 200 meters north), ☏ +86 878 4130652. 08:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00, no entry in last 30 minutes,. Displays fossils collected from various sites in Lufeng, including a specimen of Lufengosaurus, a dinosaur species that was first discovered in Lufeng. Besides fossils, the museum also displays bronzeware, ceramics and other human artefacts. Free. (updated Apr 2022)
• 2 Old Town of Jinshan (金山古镇), 48 Huancheng Road (环城东路48号) (about 500 meters north of the Lufeng Dinosaur Museum), ☏ +86 878 4148866. A modern re-creation of Old Jinshan. Free. (updated Apr 2022)

Other towns and areas

• 3 Old Town of Heijing (黑井古镇) (take a train to Heijing from Lufeng South Railway Station - the train takes about one hour and twenty minutes but only runs once a day. alternatively, you can take a bus from Lufeng Bus Station - the bus runs three times a day and takes about two hours), ☏ +86 878 4890288. 08:30-17:30. Unlike Old Jinshan Town, this is a real historic town and has numerous old buildings dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The town can easily be visited on a day trip, though limited accommodation is available for those who wish to stay overnight. ¥30. (updated Apr 2022)

Dinosaur skeletons on display at World Dinosaur Valley

• 4 World Dinosaur Valley (世界恐龙谷), Hangrui Expressway (杭瑞高速) (take bus no. 10 from either the Lufeng Bus Station or the Lufeng South Railway Station), ☏ +86 878 8985777, +86 878 8985888. 09:30-18:00. World Dinosaur Valley is divided into three parts: a hot springs resort, a geological park and a dinosaur-themed amusement park. The geological park is probably the biggest drawcard. It includes a major fossil site where the remains of a huge number of dinosaur skeletons have been discovered. Around 60 of the dinosaur skeletons are on display at a museum built at the site. ¥65 just to visit the geological park, ¥160 to visit both the geological park and the amusement park, ¥118 to bathe in the hot springs; cheaper tickets are available for students, children and the elderly. (updated Apr 2022)

Sleep

Unfortunately the hot springs resort at World Dinosaur Valley does not accommodate foreigners. However, there are several hotels in downtown Lufeng where foreigners can stay.

Go next

• Chuxiong City
• Dali
• Kunming
• Yuanmou