Beautiful Mahe Marshes in Tibet

The famous Mahe Marshes is mainly fed by the ice-snow melt runoff from the main mountain crest of the Himalayas and the Gangdise. Many rivers formed by the mountain glaciers melting water on both sides discharge themselves into many large lakes that are originally the valleys and plains around its source; they finally developed into a few scattered swamps.



Located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, 710 kilometers to the west of the capital of Tibet, Mahe Marshes with the altitude of 4,850 meters above sea level are situated in the upper reaches valley of the Yarlung Tsangbo River. Mahe Marshes occupy an area of 142,500 hectares. There're abundant rare and precious trees within the nature protection areas and plant resources with special value, including Kobresia in north Tibet, buttercups on the plateau and many more.



Mahe Marshes is also the home of an abundance of wildlife. The main birds in the summer are black-necked cranes, wild geese, brown-headed gull, ducks and tattlers. In the upper valley of Mahe Marshes, the vast grasslands of sparsely peopled at present are one ecological park where nature and animals live in perfect harmony. As a matter of fact, Mahe marshes are internationally recognized as a breeding site for many kinds of water birds. People are saying that the swamps host over countless species of birds as well as the freshwater fish species in its lakes and marshes.



As soon as you came into the place, wherever your eyes turned, nothing met it but be miles of rough grass marshes melt into low uplands. By and large, at the edge of many lakes and rivers are saturated wetlands or the swamps and marshes that support the limitless variety of creatures and plants, prevent floods, retain sediments, and purify the surrounding water.



Mahe Marshes is one freshwater swamp formed by many lakes, various pools and river network that are a swampy stretch of lowlands nearby the source of Maer River. It's one seasonal flooding plateau meadow. On the vast emptiness of the valley meadow could be scattered rows of the large yellowish gray parabolic dunes. These low dunes resembling the links of a chain are relatively perpendicular to the direction of the wind.



These sand dunes are almost bare river sand during the low-flow seasons like the dry seasons of winter and spring. It's transported and deposited under the effect of prevailing westerly winds. Ma River is a stream tributary to the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Gangdisi Mountains on its north, and the mighty Himalayas on its south. The water supply is mainly glacier melting water and the water of the river.



There the soil is meadow marsh soil and meadow soil. There are plentiful wetland resources around Mahe Marshes which are one of important wetland in China. If you could visit only one wetland in Lhasa the Ancient City, Mahe Marshes would be a worthy choice. The local government takes care of things here, so that the entire world can hear and see some peculiar beauty in its pure state.