If you want a winter trip that mixes real skiing with one of the most unusual town plans on earth, Tekes winter travel deserves a top spot on your itinerary. Tucked into the Ili River Valley of western Xinjiang, Tekes is world-famous as the Bagua City: a radial town laid out on the Eight Trigrams of the I Ching, with no traffic lights at all. Come December, the surrounding mountains and the Kalajun grasslands turn into a quiet snow playground where you can ski a beginner-friendly slope, ride a snowmobile through spruce forest, watch Kazakh horse games, and then wander a glowing maze of streets at night. It is an easy, low-altitude alternative to the big Altay resorts and pairs perfectly with broader skiing in Xinjiang.
Why Visit Tekes in Winter
Most foreign skiers fly straight to Altay, but the Ili valley offers something different: snow without the altitude sickness, mild winter temperatures that usually sit between -10°C and -20°C, and a cultural layer you rarely get at a pure ski hill. Tekes leans into this with a seasonal brand called “Snowy Yi City” (Xueyu Yicheng). The 2025-2026 winter opened on December 20 with a ceremony at Kalajun Huanxue Park, featuring snowmobile parades, Kazakh wrestling-on-horseback (dao yang), folk song-and-dance, and free food tastings. Sister venues at Aktas Guniang Peak and the “Bagua City Night” light district lit up the same evening. For travelers who like their powder served with history and hospitality, it is a refreshing change of pace, and a good fit for anyone browsing the full Xinjiang ski resort overview.
The Bagua City: A Maze Without Traffic Lights
The centerpiece of any Tekes visit is the town itself. Eight boulevards radiate from a central altar, and each ring road connects to the next so that every street links to every other. The design is based on a Yuan-dynasty plan attributed to the scholar Guo Shoujing, and the whole thing is laid out on the bagua trigrams. Climb the Taiji Altar (Taiji Tan) for a 360-degree view over the radial street grid, or visit the I Ching Culture Park to see the giant “Taiji Eye” Ferris wheel, which is lit up for night shows. Lijie Folk Street is the place to browse Kazakh embroidery, eat street snacks, and photograph colorful houses under snow. Because there are no traffic lights, the streets stay calm and walkable even at peak season.
Getting Around the City
Within the county seat you can walk, take a cheap taxi, or use a shared e-bike. The famous ring roads mean you are never more than a few minutes from the center. For the outlying snow venues, a free shuttle runs from the Zhouyi Town tourist center to both Kalajun Wild Snow Park and Aktas Peak during the winter season, with a last return around 17:00. Plan your day around that shuttle if you are not driving.
Kalajun Wild Snow Park: Skiing & Snowmobiling
Kalajun is the serious-fun part of a Tekes winter. The Wild Snow Park (Yesue Gongyuan) offers a beginner ski slope that is ideal for first-timers, with rentals around 98 yuan per hour, and an intermediate wild-snow zone for more confident riders. During the 2025-2026 season the park ran generous promos: local and 78th-Regiment residents skied for 58 yuan, outside visitors for 78 yuan, and anyone bringing their own board rode free. A magic carpet takes you up the beginner slope, and self-drive visitors pay no extra service fee. If skiing is not your thing, the snowmobile crossing is the headline thrill: roughly 480 yuan per hour to blast through spruce forest toward the Kuerdai Canyon with a coach. There are also 20-plus play items including snow tubes, electric dog-sleds, and snow rafting that families love. The mid-mountain light and open white make it one of the more photogenic beginners’ slopes in the region.
Camera Tips for Kalajun
The grassland under snow, with distant snow ridges behind a wall of spruce, is genuinely photogenic. Bring a drone if you like, but register it at the Taiji Altar first; unregistered flying is not allowed. Early morning after a fresh snowfall is the best window for clean shots before the crowds arrive, and the late-afternoon light on the spruce is worth staying for.
Aktas Guniang Peak & Kazakh Culture
A short hop from town, Aktas Guniang Peak (Girl Peak) is built around Kazakh heritage. In winter it runs a “horse-treads-snow” (ma ta fei xue) performance, horseback shows, and a nightly “girl chase” (guniang zhui) and dao yang demonstration around 16:00. You can rent a horse-drawn sleigh for about 80 yuan an hour to reach a viewpoint, or dress in Kazakh costume for photos. The on-site hot-pot cabins serve freshly slaughtered lamb hotpot for around 150 yuan per person, paired with salty milk tea to fight the cold. On the winter solstice the park famously handed out 10,000 free dumplings to visitors. Aktas is also a gateway to the more remote Qiongkushitai wooden-village area, where century-old Kazakh log cabins and heated hearths make a memorable overnight stop for travelers who want culture alongside their snow.
Winter Events & Festivals
Tekes packs the cold months with events. The “Yi City Cross-Year” program runs couples’ ice-throwing shows and New Year celebrations at Aktas through mid-January. A county-wide amateur snow-sports series spreads across the stadium and Kalajun with snow football, snow fun-runs, and a snow four-person marathon. The “Bagua City Night” year-end market sells local goods from January 10 to 28, and the Lantern Festival brings dragon dances and a fireworks show to the city center ring road. Even if you miss a specific date, the light displays and folk streets run all season, so the town feels festive whenever you arrive. Timing your visit is easy with our month-by-month Xinjiang ski calendar.
Getting There & Where to Stay
Fly into Yining Airport, then drive or take a shared car about 1.5 to 2 hours to Tekes. If you self-drive, use a four-wheel-drive vehicle with snow tires and chains: G577 can ice up in deep winter. In town, pick a hotel or guesthouse with floor heating near the Taiji Altar or Lijie Street; expect roughly 150 to 300 yuan per person for a comfortable room, or 300 yuan and up for a Kazakh wooden cabin with a real hearth. For a splurge, wilderness camps near Kalajun offer panorama tents with snow hotpot and stargazing from around 1,200 yuan a night including meals. Build a wider Ili loop by combining this stop with our Yili winter ski guide and the resorts covered in the where to ski in Xinjiang guide.
Packing for the Cold
Use the three-layer method: a wicking base, a fleece or down mid-layer, and a windproof waterproof thick down jacket. Add insulated pants, snow boots with grip, a warm hat, thick gloves, a mask, and hand warmers. The reflection off snow is strong, so pack sunglasses to avoid snow blindness on bright days, and carry a power bank since cold drains phone batteries fast.
Food to Warm You Up
Tekes eats like the steppe it sits on. Try hand-grabbed rice (zhua fan), roasted stuffed buns (kao bao zi), lamb rib noodles (yang pai jiu pian zi), and boortsog fried dough with milk tea. For something heartier, order hordog (huo er da ke), a lamb-and-potato stew, at a Lijie family restaurant for around 40 yuan. Winter is also the season for hotpot by a wood fire, which several venues offer as part of the snow packages, and the night market snacks are a cheap way to sample several dishes in one walk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tekes good for beginner skiers?
Yes. Kalajun Wild Snow Park has a dedicated beginner slope with magic-carpet access and hourly rentals, and the 2025-2026 promos made it one of the cheapest places to learn in Xinjiang. It is far gentler than the big Altay resorts.
Do I need a car to visit the snow venues?
Not always. A free shuttle runs from the Zhouyi Town tourist center to Kalajun Wild Snow Park and Aktas Peak during winter, though a private four-wheel-drive car gives you far more flexibility for photography stops.
What is the Bagua City and why no traffic lights?
The town is planned on the Eight Trigrams of the I Ching, with eight radial roads and concentric rings so that every street connects. The layout made conventional signal lights unnecessary, and the city is now famous for it.
When is the best time to go?
Late December through early February has the deepest, most stable snow. Aim for a clear morning after a snowfall for the best photos, and check road and venue notices before long drives.
Can I combine Tekes with other Xinjiang ski areas?
Absolutely. Tekes sits in the Ili valley, so it pairs naturally with nearby Ili resorts and works as a culture-and-snow add-on to a longer Xinjiang ski trip planned by season.