Yili Prefecture is rich in tourism resources, with numerous attractions and activities worth visiting.
Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, located in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, attracts numerous tourists with its magnificent natural scenery and rich ethnic culture. There are a wide variety of tourist attractions here, ranging from magnificent grasslands and beautiful lakes to steep gorges and mysterious ancient cities.
As one of the four major alpine valley grasslands in the world, Nalati Grassland is famous for its three-dimensional grassland landscape. Tourists can experience horse riding and visits to Kazakh homes here, and overlook the stunning scenery of snow-capped fir trees intertwined with grasslands from the viewing platform in the airy grassland.
In addition, Sayram Lake is also a core attraction on the Yili loop route, with its water changing colors from blue to green depending on the light. Cycling around the lake and camping under the stars are both excellent choices.
The Karakun Grassland, certified by the United Nations as a "World Natural Heritage Site", is renowned for its human-shaped grassland curves. Here, tourists can admire the colorful carpet formed by the Flower Platform and the magnificent view of the main peak of the Tianshan Mountains from the Falcon Viewing Platform.
The Xiata Ancient Road is a steep and perilous gorge that Xuanzang traveled through on his pilgrimage to obtain Buddhist scriptures, integrating glaciers, hot springs, and ancient roads, providing tourists with rich adventure experiences.
In addition to natural scenery, Yili Prefecture also has numerous attractions filled with historical heritage. For example, Tekes Eight Trigrams City is the largest ancient city laid out in the eight trigrams globally, where tourists can take a ride on the Ferris wheel to overlook the streets designed according to the I Ching八卦, feeling the unique charm of this mysterious city without traffic lights.
The Yili River Scenic Area is a major Central Asian river that flows through the city. The sunset at the Yili River Bridge is praised as the "Most Beautiful Dusk in the Western Regions", and activities such as bird watching in the Wetland Park and folk dances by the riverside also provide tourists with abundant entertainment options.
In addition, Yili Prefecture actively creates high-quality ice and snow tourism products in winter, such as ice drifting cars and sledging entertainment projects at the Yili River Scenic Area, as well as banana boats, snow tubing, and other ice and snow entertainment projects at the Kuerding Scenic Area in Gongliu County, all of which have attracted numerous tourists to experience the charm of ice and snow sports.
In summary, Yili Prefecture boasts diverse tourism resources, whether it is natural scenery or historical culture, both of which are worth exploring by tourists.