The Wusun Grassland: Historic Pasture of the Ili Valley and the Ili Horse

The Wusun grassland is where the old horse lords of the Ili valley once grazed, and today it is the green high pasture that most drivers pass on the way to Nalati without knowing its own name.

The Wusun grassland is the historic high pasture of the Ili valley, named for the Wusun people who kept their famous horses there two thousand years ago, and it spreads through the Zhaosu and Tekes country of the far west. For a self-driver it is the green, quiet answer to the busier Nalati, with wildflowers, herders, and yurt stays at altitude. This guide covers what the grassland is, where it sits in the Ili valley, the horses and the herders, the best season, how to get there, and the nearby lakes that complete the loop.

What the Wusun grassland is

The Wusun grassland is the high summer pasture of the Ili valley, named for the Wusun, a nomadic people who raised a small, tough horse that became famous across the ancient world. The pasture spreads through the Zhaosu and Tekes area, a green sea of grass at two thousand meters bounded by the Tian Shan, and it is the living history of the valley as much as a view. Unlike a park with a gate, the Wusun grassland is a working pasture where herders move with the seasons, so the sight is alive rather than staged. The Ili Valley gives it the water and the mild air that the rest of the region lacks, and the grass is the reason the horses thrive. A driver crossing the west meets the Wusun as the green that the mountains hold, and it is older than any town.

• High pasture of the Ili valley.
• Named for the old Wusun horse lords.
• A living, working pasture.

Where it sits in the Ili valley

The grassland lies in the south of the Ili valley, around Zhaosu and Tekes, a few hours south of Yining and near the better-known Nalati Grassland to the east. The area is also where the Kalajun and Kurdening reserves sit, so the whole south of the valley is one green belt with different gates. From Yining you drive south into the grass, and from Nalati you can cross the range to reach it, which makes the two pastures a natural pair. The roads are good but climbing, so the altitude comes gently. The Wusun country is less crowded than Nalati, so the visit is calmer for it. A loop of the southern valley takes in both, with the Tian Shan as the constant wall.

• South Ili, around Zhaosu and Tekes.
• Near Nalati Grassland to the east.
• Less crowded than Nalati.

The horses and the herders

The Ili horse, descended from the old Wusun mount, is still bred on these pastures, and a horse ride with a herder is the classic way to feel the grass. The herders move with the seasons, set their yurts at the good ground, and welcome a visitor with tea and a quiet pride in the animals. Stay in a yurt for a night to hear the grass and the bells, because the pastoral life is the point, not the photo. The horses are small, sure-footed, and calm, so a beginner ride is fine with a local lead. A few hours on the pasture beats a long stare from the car, and the herder’s tea is the real welcome. The Wusun grassland is where the horse culture of the valley still lives.

• Ili horse, bred from the old Wusun.
• Yurt stay with the herders.
• Beginner ride with a local lead.

Best season and the wildflowers

The best time to visit is June to August, when the grass is deep green and the wildflowers carpet the slopes, with July the peak of the bloom. The valley is mild compared with the desert, but the nights at altitude are cool, so a warm layer is the rule. September turns the grass gold and the crowds thin, a second quiet window before the snow. Winter closes the high pastures, so only go then if you accept a still, frozen scene. The season decides the whole visit, so set the dates for the green or the gold and book the yurt ahead in July. A Wusun day in bloom is the soft heart of the west, and it pairs with the valley’s bigger sights as the everyday beauty.

• June to August, July the peak.
• Cool nights at altitude.
• September gold, thinner crowds.

How to get there

From Yining, the valley hub, you drive south into Zhaosu or Tekes on good road, a few hours that climb into the grass, and a car rental makes the loop flexible without a tour. Fuel and a rest are easy in Yining before the climb, so stock water and a snack for the car. The gates to the pasture reserves take a ticket, so book ahead in peak summer when the valley fills. The road is good but winding in the hills, so take it easy after a long drive. A car rental returned in Urumqi makes the west a loop, and the grassland is the green stop that breaks the highway. The drive south is half the show, with the valley opening into grass.

• From Yining south into Zhaosu, Tekes.
• Car rental makes the loop flexible.
• Book the pasture ticket ahead in summer.

Nearby: Sayram and the loop

Most drivers pair the Wusun grassland with Sayram Lake to the north, the high blue water at nearly two thousand meters that is the alpine counterpoint to the green. The two together make a western loop out of Yining, with the grassland in the south and the lake in the north, and the Tian Shan between. Sayram is best in the morning before the wind, and the grassland is best in the afternoon light, so the day flows from blue to green. The loop is short on distance and long on beauty, which is the gift of the west. A calm evening back in Yining closes the loop, and the grassland is the part most visitors miss. The Wusun and Sayram together are the valley in one relaxed drive.

• Sayram Lake to the north.
• West loop out of Yining.
• Lake morning, grassland afternoon.