When is the best season to travel to Yili?

1. The best tourist season in Yili is spring and summer. The tourist season starts in April and ends in October. The peak season is from May to August. May and June are when wildflowers and lavender bloom. From July to August, the melons and fruits are fragrant and you can enjoy your food anywhere, but the flowers on the grassland begin to disappear in August.

2. Starting from September, river valleys and forests enter autumn. Those who enjoy hiking should catch this safer season. After the end of October, Yili enters winter. Although many attractions and hotels are closed, it's still fun to enjoy the snow alone.

3. Although Ili is covered with ice and snow in April, the apricot flowers here are already blooming in the cold valley, ushering in the half-year flower season.

4. The spring of May is the peak season of Tianshan’s red flowers blooming, which lasts until the end of June and the early summer. At that time, it was also the most spectacular season for lavender in the river valley, hence the name "Chinese Provence".

5. It’s not just China’s Provence. After July, under the snow line of the Tianshan Mountains, rapeseed flowers, perilla and wild flowers are everywhere in the Tekes Valley. Dazzling sunflowers can also be seen in the vineyards and watermelon fields surrounding the river valley.