Witnessing Tibetan antelopes along the Qinghai-Xizang Highway

Traversing northwest China’s Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve, the Qinghai-Xizang Highway – which connects Xining in Qinghai Province with Lhasa in Xizang Autonomous Region – offers travelers the opportunity to encounter Tibetan antelopes, especially during their peak migration season.

Every year between May and July, hundreds of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes migrate to Zonag Lake in the heart of Hoh Xil to give birth, and leave with their offspring in August. During this time, patrols monitor the movements of the antelopes and temporarily stop vehicles on the highway to ensure the animals can cross safely.

With an average elevation of over 4,000 meters, the Qinghai-Xizang Highway is one of the highest roads in the world. Spanning 1,937 kilometers, it opened to traffic in 1954.