Ili

Ili: upland grassland, pastoral routes and seasonal visits

Nalati’s grassland landscape is shaped by mountains, valley, pastoral use and attraction transport; the “Sky Grassland” is a managed visitor sector, not permission to drive, camp or approach livestock across every pasture.

• Recognise the setting in which culture actually occurs — Compare forest edge, open slopes, snow mountains and road nodes, distinguishing pastoral from visitor infrastructure; do not treat residents, riders or livestock as freely posed subjects.
• Participate only where the setting clearly allows it — Check season, shuttle, self-drive policy and weather before choosing an open route; use licensed operators for riding or food and confirm price, safety equipment and boundaries first.
• Separate residents’ lives, ritual and performance — Stay on open roads, out of enclosed pasture and away from chasing livestock; ask before close portraits, and do not generalise local food or gifts to every Kazakh household.

City sources

Use the original publishers to verify city context, local culture and scope.

• Nalati received more than two million visitors in 2024 — Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture People’s Government
• 2024 Nalati Zijin Music Festival and Ili food guide — Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture People’s Government

Understand the city

Ili: upland grassland, pastoral routes and seasonal visits

Region: Xinjiang

Places to visit

• Nalati Tourism Area, Ili — Nalati lies in the eastern Ili Valley and is a national 5A attraction recognised in 2011, combining Tianshan mountains, open slop…
• Kalajun Scenic Area — Kalajun Scenic Area in Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture is a national 5A attraction assessed in 2016. Rolling alpine meadows, fore…
• Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture Museum — At 44 Ruyi Street in Yining, the Ili Prefecture Museum is a useful first stop before the long journeys into the valley, not a sub…
• Huiyuan Ancient Town — In Huocheng County, Xinjiang, Huiyuan centres on a bell-and-drum tower at a crossroads, with the Ili General’s Office and survivi…
• Dengta Educated Youth Museum, Zhaosu — Dengta Educated Youth Museum stands in Tugeleqinbulake village, Zhaosu Township. Former farm buildings, tools, photographs and ne…
• Zhaosu Tekes River National Wetland Park — Zhaosu Tekes River National Wetland Park brings together flowing channels, shallows, grass and riverside shrubs beneath a broad m…