The Qinghai-Tibet Highway (National Route 109) runs for over 1,900 kilometres from Xining to Lhasa and crosses the eastern edge of Hoh Xil at altitudes consistently above 4,500 metres. This section of the highway — between Golmud in Qinghai and Amdo County in Tibet — is one of the most dramatic drives in China, across a landscape of extraordinary emptiness: flat plateau, distant snow peaks, and a sky that seems larger than anywhere else on earth.
Travelling the highway by bus or private vehicle, you will almost certainly see wildlife: chiru in large or small groups, wild yaks grazing in the middle distance, kiang (Tibetan wild ass) at astonishing galloping speeds alongside the road, and Tibetan foxes and wolves if you are attentive. The altitude means the bus is at the boundary of what the body can process — bring warm layers even in summer, stay hydrated, and do not rush. The section through Hoh Xil takes several hours and includes the Fenghuo Pass at 4,767 metres, the highest point on the highway.