Trigonal tellurium nanowire bundles have been successfully synthesized from an ionic liquid precursor via a directed-growth route. The as-obtained samples were well characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and high-resolution transmission electron microscope. Moreover, the influences of experimental parameters (i.e., ionic liquid, precursor concentration, and reaction temperature) on the morphology of final samples are discussed. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of trigonal tellurium nanowire bundles are well explained from the viewpoints of Ostwald ripening and kinetics of ionic liquid ([TEAH]⁺[BF4]⁻). Our methodology provides a simple and convenient route to inorganic nanomaterials with high hierarchical nanostructures. In addition, our obtained trigonal tellurium nanowire bundles may potentially act as templates to produce metal telluride-based thermoelectric materials (i.e., Bi₂Te₃ and PbTe) with excellent thermoelectric performance.