In order to master the effects on soil infiltration performance of different vegetation cover types around Dianchi Lake Basin in Central Yunnan Plateau, double ring infiltration method was used to explore soil infiltration characteristics. Taking the typical vegetation cover types ofPinus armandiiFranch.+ Keteleeria evelynianaMast.mixed forest, Pinus yunnanensispure forest, Alnus nepalensisD. Don + Quercus acutissimaCarruth.mixed forest, Eucalyptus robustaSmith artificial forest and shrub forest in Dianchi Lake Basin as the research objects, soil infiltration characteristics and its influencing were studied through field investigation and experimental measure. The results showed that:(1) Compared with P. yunnanensis pure forest, A. nepalensisD. Don + Q. acutissimaCarruth.mixed forest and E. robustaSmith artificial forest and shrub forest, P. armandiiFranch.+ K. evelynianaMast.mixed forest had the lowest soil bulk density, the highest content of organic matter, the most water stable aggregates, and the proportion ofporosity and non capillary porosity. (2) Soil infiltration performance significantly differed under different vegetation cover types, which listed in the following order:P. armandiiFranch.+ K. evelynianaMast. mixed forest > A. nepalensisD. Don+ Q. acutissimaCarruth.mixed forest > shrub forest > P. yunnanensispure forest > E. robustaSmith artificial forest. (3) Kostiakov formula, Horton formula, and Philip formula were selected to simulate the soil infiltration process of forest land under five typical vegetation types. Through data comparison, it could be seen that Philip model had the best fitting effect on the soil infiltration process of Dianchi Lake Basin. (4) Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant negative correlation between soil infiltration characteristics and soil bulk density under five typical vegetation types (P<0.05), and there were significant positive correlations between initial infiltration rate and non-capillary porosity, >5 mm water stable aggregate content, and >2 mm water stable aggregate content (P<0.01). Principal component analysis showed that the five main influencing factors of soil infiltration were >2 mm water stable aggregate content, >5 mm water stable aggregate content, bulk density, organic matter, and non-capillary porosity. The research results could provide a basis for soil erosion control and soil erosion control in the study area.