Dege (Derge) Travel Guide and Tour Packages
Importance News - Dege is currently open to foreign visitors including expats in China. You are wecome to contact us for detailed travel requirements on foreign visitors.
Derge is a county in Garze and the historical place of the ancient kingdom of Derge. Derge is also the center of Nyingmapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Derge is one of the towns in Garze Tibetan Prefecture in Sichuan. It is located about 900km away from the capital city Chengdu by the northwest of Sichuan Province. Its elevation is 3200 meters and Chola Mountain Massif has many mountains that are over 5000 meters’ high. In Derge, there are many beautiful places worth visiting including Chola Massif Mountains, Yihun Lhatso (Xinluhai Lake), Derge Parkhang, Dzogchen Monastery, Kathok Monastery, Palpung Monastery, Dzongsar Monastery, Bhage Mani Sutra Wall, Songe Mani Sutra City, Sershul Grassland, etc. Derge is a true center of religious Tibet where you find some oldest monasteries of Tibet. Derge is also a very far place. Derge is the cultural center of Kham Tibet. It boasts for “the Origin of Kham” and “Hometown of King Gesar”. Derge Parkhang is the shrine of Tibetan Culture. The Derge Parkhang is also called Dege Scripture Printing Lamasery. It is the biggest printing school in the whole Tibet. Derge is also the origin of South School of Tibetan Medicine. In Derge, five different schools of Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries can be found here. Other natural beauties include Axu Grassland, Dopu Valley, Mt Chla and Xinluhai.
Derge Parkhang, the printing house of Buddhist Sutra
Chola Mountains
Chola Mountains or Que'ershan, is pronounced as Tsola in Tibetan, meaning wings of a giant bird. It is a big mountain range that located in the middle of Derge County, cutting Derge into two parts: to the east being nomadic area and west half nomads and half farming Tibetans. This mountain range provides lots of water to Jinsha River and Yalong River. And in this range, there are over 30+ 5000+ peaks with the highest one called Marong Ezha as high as to 6168 meters. Snow stays on the mountain all year round and it is the fourth highest mountain in Sichuan Province.
Derge Parkhang
Derge Parkhang, or Derge Scripture Printing Lamasary, Derge Typography School, is named the encyclopedia of Tibetan Culture, the Essence of Tibetan Culture and A Treasure by the foot of Snow Mountains. It is located in the town of Dege at Gonchen. It was first built in 1729 and covers an area of over 9000 sqm. Derge Parkhang is a famous and must-see place while traveling in Derge.
Xinluhai Lake (Yihun Lhatso)
Yihun Lhatso is a beautiful and secluded lake by the foot of Mount Chola by the National Highwa 317. It is a lake surrounded by mountain peaks and it is 100 km east to the town of Derge on the east side of Chola Road Pass. Its elevation is about 4100 meters therefore in winter; snow even covers a large part of the lake.
Derge is a land of historical monasteries. There are so many famous monasteries in Derge that are old and big. Derge is the homeland of Nyingmapa Buddhism of Tibet therefore you can find many Nyingmapa monasteries here. The significant monasteries include Dzogchen Monastery, Gongchen Monastery, Kathok Monastery, Palpung Monastery, Dzongsar Monastery and the neighboring Palyul Monastery.
Dege Palpung Monastery
Palpung Monastery is a classic traditional Kham architecture. It is hometown of Tibetan paintings. It is located 100 km south to Derge town. It is a very secluded monastery that is far from big road and town. Palpung Monastery is the origin monastery of Gaju Sect, the white school of Tibetan Monastery. Palpung Monastery was built in 1179. It is one of the oldest monasteries in this area. The monastery is composed of Temples, prayer wheels alleys, libraries and stupas. It is also considered a small version of Potala by local people. A lot of Tibetan researches are conducted here including Buddhism, poetry, Mathmatics, calendar, astronomy and history.
Gongchen Monastery is the major monastery located in the town of Derge. It belongs to the Sakya Sect and a noble monastery founded by Derge King.
Manigange
Manigange is a small Tibetan cowboy town west to Dege. It is considered by travelers as mysterious and dreary. It was an outpost in the old times and today it still plays the role of an outpost. It is a single-street small town full of dusty shops and big trucks. Here you can see the local Tibetan Kham people dress in their traditional clothes, riding horses or maybe motorbikes.
Sershul is the vast land north to Chola Mountains and Derge and home to Gesar and many more monasteries and landscape.
Recommended length of visiting: 2-10 days;
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Chola Mountains
Chola Mountain is a massif of mountains located in the northern Shaluli Mountain Range. It is home to dozens of high peaks over 5000m and many glaciers, lakes, old monasteries and wild valleys and animals. It is by far one of the least explored regions in Sichuan with stunning nature. Highest peak of Chola soars 6168 meters into the sky.
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Derge Parkhang
The Derge Parkhang, Derge Sutra Printing Temple, is the institution printing and preserve Tibetan Literature and Buddhist's works. It is an important cultural and historical centre in Tibet. It is renowed as "the encyclopedia of Tibetan culture" or "Cultural pearl at the foot of Snow Mountain".
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Yihun Lhatso
Xinluhai, more widely known as Yihun Lhatso, is the turquoise lake north to the Chola Mountain. Elevation 4040 meters with three sides surrounded by snow mountains and the north by the side of national highway of 317. Yihun Lhatso is located 100km west to Ganzi and 100km east to Derge.
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Dzogchen Monastery
Dzogchen Monastery is situated in Gengda of Dzogchen in northern Derge with an elevation of almost 10000 ft. It is the monastery of Holy Reincarnation. This Nyingmapa monastery is one of the six great Nyingmapa schools in Tibetan Buddhism of Tibet. It was built in 1685 and during the past 300 years, nutured many Buddhist masters.
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