5 Days Ili Hiking Tour

Upon your arrival in Yining, take the Airport Express for 7 stops to Xi Da Qiao and then walk for 260m to Suhao Business Hotel (Add: 79 Jiefang Road, Yining; Tel: 0999-8098888). Then take the public bus No. 10, 12 and 301 to the street of Han People. People who go to there for the first time will be very puzzled and feel quite strange, because they see hardly any Han people there. What they see are people from many different minorities. Wandering in that street, people will lose themselves among the delicate handicrafts, the colorful traditional clothes, the special snacks and so on. Continue to visit the Yili River Bridge, situated at the south of Yining, about 5 kilometers from the city area. The public bus No. 3, 6, and 7 will take you directly there.

Take the coach to Zhaosu County. The tickets can be bought at Yili Area Passenger Transportation Center (Add: 127 Jiefang Road, Yining; Tel: 0999-8024121). The buses run every 30 minutes from 8:00 in the morning to 18:00 in the afternoon. The tickets is CNY44 per person. Upon arrival in Zhaosu County, which is surrounded by mountains, go and have a look at the dreamlike sea of rape flowers. Stay at Guo Tai Yue Gang Hotel (Add: No. 23 Wenhua Road, Zhaosu; Tel: 0999-6533888).

Take the shuttle bus from Zhaosu bus station to Xiata. The ticket is CNY15 - CNY20 per person. Visit the Xiata Grand Canyon. Here, you will find that it is very difficult to walk quickly. This is not because of poor road condition but the charming and breathtaking scenery that stops you in your tracks. The beautiful and rustic natural scenery, affected just a little by humans, will make you feel that you are walking in a worldly paradise. Return to Zhaosu in the afternoon.

Take the shuttle bus (available from 8:00 to 20:30) from Zhaosu bus station to Tekesi Eight Trigram County. This county is famous for its radial circle layout which looks like a labyrinth. It is the biggest and the most well preserved eight trigram county in the world. And also it is a place where the I Ching culture is widely known. There is a strange thing in this county, no traffic lights can be seen here. No matter which direction you head, you will eventually reach your destinations, because all the roads are closely linked to each other. Find a local hotel to spend the night there.

Today, you will visit the Kalajun Prairie, which is 58 kilometers south of the Tekesi County and covers an area of nearly 3000 square kilometers. In the morning, take the shuttle bus at small town of Tianlu. The bus is available from 08:30 to 10:00 and the ticket is CNY25 per person. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of this high mountain meadow. By the way. Be sure to take raincoats, ready-to-eat food and warm clothes with you. Return to Tekesi in the afternoon and stay an overnight there. You could continue your tour to the next destination. Or you could go back to Urumqi the next day.