[Objective] The changes of land use pattern in the Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve from 1994 to 2017 were analyzed, and the impacts of returning farmland to forests and ecotourism on the change of land pattern were revealed in order to provide a basis for the protection and utilization of forestland in the nature reserve.[Methods] Land use information was extracted from four LandsatTM/ETM⁺/OLI images from the years of 1994, 2002, 2012 and 2017. By use of supervise classification and transition matrix, the dynamic changes of land use pattern and its transfer characteristics in the nature reserve were analyzed during the past 20 years.[Results] The results showed that the land use structure in the nature reserve changed dramatically from 1994 to 2017. The forest land, residential areas and gardens increased, while the cultivated land decreased significantly. The main change was that cultivated land converted into gardens and residential areas, and a small part of forest land was transformed into residential areas. From 1994 to 2002, the area of forest land increased greatly, and the cultivated land decreased greatly. From 2002 to 2012, the residential area showed a trend of expansion, the area of garden increased greatly, while the cultivated land decreased. The amount of land use conversion was relatively small during the period from 2012 to 2017, the area of residential land, woodland and garden increased slightly, and the area of cultivated land reduced relatively.[Conclusion] The change of land use pattern in the Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve is the result of returning farmland to forests, tea industry and tourism development. Returning farmland to forests has resulted in the reduction of farmland and the increase of forest land, and the tourism development has resulted the increase of residential land.