G'day!

I will be living in the Southern part of China next month, but I still don't know where..

I am coming from Tasmania, Australia, which is known for its clean air and mountains. I wish to prioritise these traits for where I choose to live for three months in China (though I understand China will obviously be a lot different)!

Are there places in Kunming to go rock climbing? Indoor or outdoor? Would it be a good place to base myself for mountain climbing? I was thinking of living in Guilin as an alternative - would that be something you would recommend? I wait in suspense of any good advice from outdoor enthusiasts!

Cheers,

Gemma

Good bit of rock climbing, and I think some indoor wall climbing, done by some western foreigners out of Kunming. Ask at Salvador's Coffee Shop.

I think the rock climbing scene is a bit bigger in Guilin, but it's pretty good here, with a nice, active community. Kunming is probably a nicer place to live, with milder weather, less of a tourist/backpacker orientation and more "normal city" amenities.

Here are some links that might be helpful:

kunmingrock.com/
www.climbchina.net/

There are also seasons to consider.
Kunming has a long wet rainy season, from June until Oct-Nov. The last two years the season has come earlier and gone out later. It often rains everyday and can be very cool as you get higher and further north in Yunnan. Not ideal climbing weather.
The winter is cool and dry, but maybe not too good for making your shoes sticky.
The rainy season also falls during the school holidays, if you are a teacher this would be your main climbing season.

Check out the seasonal weather in Guilin as well, before you make a choice.

Have a look here for one person's comparison. www.chinahighlights.com/[...]

Yangshuo is the big rock climbing scene, not too far from Guilin.

True about Yangshuo, but although the rock-climbing is fantastic, there are no real mountains. Yunnan has mountains.

lot of climbing to be done near Kunming and elsewhere in Yunnan