The Ili travel guide mainly includes must-visit attractions, recommended routes, and special experiences.?
Must-Visit Attractions:?
Sayram Lake: The largest alpine lake in Xinjiang, with sapphire-blue waters resembling a gem, and surrounding scenery resembling a fairy tale, suitable for self-driving tours around the lake and camping by the lake to watch sunrises and sunsets.?
Nalati Grassland: One of the four major alpine valley grasslands in the world, famous for its three-dimensional grassland landscape, with wildflowers covering the mountains in summer, offering experiences such as horseback riding and visiting Kazakh homes.?
Karajun Grassland: A UNESCO World Natural Heritage site famous for its human-shaped grassland curves, with flowers blooming from May to June, and Falcon Viewing Platform offering a distant view of the main peak of the Tianshan Mountains.?
Xiata Ancient Road: A steep and perilous gorge once traveled by Xuanzang in his quest for Buddhist scriptures, integrating glaciers, hot springs, and ancient roads, suitable for hiking and exploration.?
Jiongkushitai Village: A primitive village hidden deep in the Tianshan Mountains, with wooden cabins scattered like a fairy tale world, suitable for deep hiking and photography.?
Recommended Routes:?
6-Day Ili Loop Tour: Urumqi – Sayram Lake – Yining – Lavender Field – Xiata – Jiongkushitai – Tekes – Nalati – Duku Highway – Urumqi?
6-Day Tour of Hidden Gems: Urumqi – S101 Hundred-Mile Danxia – Anjihai Grand Canyon – Jinghe – Sayram Lake – Guozigou Bridge – Kazanqi – Yining – Zhaosu Jade Lake – Tekes – Nalati – Duku Highway – Urumqi?
Special Experiences:?
Guozigou Bridge: The most beautiful viaduct in Xinjiang, with a viewing platform where you can capture breathtaking scenes of the bridge framed by snow-capped mountains.?
Huocheng Lavender Field: In mid-to-late June, ten thousand acres of purple flowers bloom, offering experiences such as flower field photography and essential oil production.?
Tekes Eight Trigrams City: The largest ancient city with an eight-trigram layout in the world, a mysterious city without traffic lights, where you can take a ferris wheel to overlook the streets arranged in the pattern of the I Ching.?
In addition, Ili boasts numerous attractions worth visiting, such as the Duku Highway, Bayinbrook Grassland, Kuerdining Scenic Area, and Ili River Scenic Area. Tourists can choose based on their own schedules and interests. During the trip, why not slow down and deeply experience the natural scenery and folk customs of Ili, feeling the unique charm of this "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall".?