Zhaosu Heavenly Horses + Xiata Ancient Trail Guide: Ili's Most Underrated Hidden Gem
There are two names in Ili that only seasoned Xinjiang travelers know—Zhaosu and Xiata.
Zhaosu is the "Home of Heavenly Horses," the birthplace of the Ferghana horse prized since the Han Dynasty. Every July, millions of acres of rapeseed bloom simultaneously against a backdrop of snow peaks—Xinjiang's most magnificent natural + cultural combination. The Xiata Ancient Trail lies 80 kilometers south of Zhaosu, a millennium-old path through the Tianshan that Xuanzang walked on his journey west and Silk Road caravans traversed.
🐴 Zhaosu: China's Home of Heavenly Horses
Three must-sees: Heavenly Horse culture (July festival, thousands of Ili horses thundering across the grassland), rapeseed blooms (July, golden ocean stretching to snow peaks), and grassland stone figures (Turkic-period sculptures from the 6th-8th centuries, standing silent against the sky for over a millennium).
🏔️ Xiata Ancient Trail: Tianshan's Time Tunnel
From Zhaosu, 80 kilometers to Xiata's entrance. A shuttle bus takes you deep into the Xiata River Valley—the water runs milky white with glacial sediment, fir forests walling both sides. At Frog Spring (the bus terminus), the view suddenly opens—the Muzart Glacier's white ice tongue looms directly ahead. From here, an 8-kilometer hike (flat trail, 3-4 hours) leads to the glacier's foot—a massive ice cave, the glacier surface laced with pale blue crevasses. Admission: RMB 40 + shuttle RMB 60 = RMB 100.
🗺️ Two-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Yining → Zhaosu (2h), stone figures + rapeseed fields. Day 2: Xiata Valley deep hike, Frog Spring → glacier foot.
💬 What Do Our Travelers Say?
"Xiata was my most stunning stop in Xinjiang. The Muzart Glacier grew larger and larger at the road's end—a pilgrimage-like feeling rivaling Mount Kailash. At the glacier's foot, we watched three ice collapses in silence, all four of us awed by that raw force." — Shanghai Ah Hua ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Zhaosu's rapeseed blooms beat Qinghai's Menyuan—because there are no crowds! Drove through endless golden fields in July, the entire highway empty. Took a photo standing in the flower sea with snow peaks behind—it became my profile cover." — Chengdu Xiao Mei ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Zhaosu and Xiata Belong to Those Willing to Go Deeper Into Ili
Narat Grassland and Sayram Lake are already beautiful enough. But Zhaosu's rapeseed blooms and Xiata's glacier push Ili's beauty to another level—wilder, farther, less disturbed.
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Last updated: July 2026 Author: RoamFun Senior Travel Consultant Questions? Reach us at: vip@roamfun.com
RoamFun Senior Travel Consultant
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