Derge and Manigango Travel Guide

Basic information Area code: 0836 Emergency phone: 110, 120, 119 Sichuan Provincial Tourism Bureau complaints phone: 028-86702855 Ganzi Prefecture Tourism Bureau Complaints Telephone: 0836-28354692 Derge County Tourism Bureau Tel: 0836-8223355 Travel information Bring warm clothes with you because weather in […]

Basic information

Area code: 0836
Emergency phone: 110, 120, 119
Sichuan Provincial Tourism Bureau complaints phone: 028-86702855
Ganzi Prefecture Tourism Bureau Complaints Telephone: 0836-28354692
Derge County Tourism Bureau Tel: 0836-8223355

Travel information

Bring warm clothes with you because weather in the mountains are changeable;

Wearing sunglasses so as to protect yourself from the strong light reflected from the ice and snow;

Visitors to the plateau may have altitude sickness, remember to drink plenty of water, try to eat light food, eat more fruits and vegetables, and avoid heavy exercise.

Medical treatment

Derge County People’s Hospital
Address: No. 12 Hygiene Street, Derge County
Tel: 0836-8226120

Security

When walking or camping in the wild at night, always pay attention to Tibetan mastiffs and wild dogs in the Tibetan area.

Destination Overview

 

Destination sketch

Derge is a town in Dêgê County in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan, China. It was once the center of the Kingdom of Derge in Kham.
Manigango town is located on the Tro Chu river on the east side of the Chola Mountains.The area is part of the historical region of Kham in Tibet. Today, Manigango is mainly known for Yihun Lhatso, a glacial lake 10km south of the town. The town is connected via China National Highway 317 with Derge to the west and Ganzi to the east.

Local life

Herdsmen usually eat zanba, butter, milk, yogurt, beef, etc., and tea is an indispensable drink. Every meal can not be separated from tea. Herdsmen are hospitable and guests can eat at Tibetan people’s home when they arrive.

Beliefs and taboos

During the journey, you will encounter religious facilities such as temples, Mani stone piles, and pagodas. You must walk around from left to right, while those who believe in Ben are detoured from the right. Tibetans are mind of others touching their heads with their hands. When entering the temple, avoid smoking, touching Buddha statues, turning books, and hitting the bell.

Culture

 

Guozhuang Dance

Guozhuang (singing and dancing) dance is popular among farmers and herdsmen in eastern Tibet. It consists of two parts, and I think you can guess what they are. Yes, singing, and dancing. Guozhuang is homophonic with Guoxie in Tibetan, and means, yes, singing and dancing in a circle. The tempo at the beginning is slow and as the song progresses the tempo speeds up. The performers conclude their singing by shouting “Ya!” Although it is not to be compared with the Outkast song “Hey Ya!” U.S. hip-hop and Tibetan dance are decidedly different.

Xianzi

Xianzi is the meaning of song and dance. This ancient folk song and dance was introduced to Derge from Batang and Tibet Jiangda in the early years of the Republic of China.

Local Festival

Lantern Festival (the first month of the Tibetan calendar)
The Gelugpa monastery will begin the chanting prayers on the third day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar. The chanting flowers will be displayed on the 15th. The 7-8 meter high ghee flowers are elaborated produced by the lama. The collocation of the color lines will release the Ghajarni and Tsongkhapa. , Songtsan Gambo, Princess Wencheng and other shapes are vivid, and this is a must for Tibetan culture and art.

Language

Almost nobody can speak English here.

Best Travel season

Derge is located in the high mountain area of northwestern Sichuan and has low temperatures. Therefore, it is the best travel season from June to October each year.

Currency and Consumption

 

Consumption level

In the Ganzi area, the average accommodation and catering will cost about 200 yuan. The chartered car is not cheap here. The journey is longer and the road conditions are not good. Usually, the chartered fares are 200 yuan. Travelers come to Derge and Manigango, the average daily consumption is around 300 to 400 yuan.

Practical information

Ganzi Prefecture Tourism Bureau
Address: No. 189 Yanhe West Road, Kangding City
Tel: 0836-2835469
Www.gzzta.gov.cn
Derge Tourism Bureau
Address: No. 9, Shambala Walking Street, Derge County
Tel: 0836-8223355

Intercity traffic

 

Aircraft

Kangding Airport,KGT
Address: Kangding County
Airport Ticketing Center: 0836-2871111

Arrival method
There are no buses and regular taxis around Kangding Airport. Travelers can take the airport bus to Kangding County and drive for about 1 hour. The urban airport ticket center provides a shuttle bus service. The bus departs at around 6am. Taxi to start at 100 yuan.

Long distance bus

Derge Bus Station
Only regular trains to Kangding will be available at the station. Starting at 6:00, the fare will be 183 yuan. The journey will take 2 days. The stops will often stop at Mani Gango, Ganzi, Luhuo and other places. The seats are often full.
Address: No. 18 Chawei Street, Derge County

Manigango Central Station
The buses from Ganzi to Yushu and Shiqu must pass Manigango. This is a stopover between Shiqu and Derge. From the bus stop of Derge, it passes through the Manigango at around 11:00 noon. Off season, travelers can wait in front of Pani Hotel, or stop at the junction of State Road 317 and Shiqu Highway.
Address: Near the intersection of State Road 217 and State Road 317 in Manigengo Town, Derge County

Chartered car

From Derge to Ganzi and Tibet, carpooling costs about 100 yuan/person, and it takes 7-8 hours to drive. The chartered bus goes to Baiyu, about 500 yuan per vehicle, and the journey takes less than 4 hours, but the road conditions on the way are poor. From the county chartered bus to Kangding, the fastest time is 1 day, 1,500 yuan per car.
From Manigango chartered buses to Shiqu, each car costs 500 to 600 yuan, and cost 80 yuan/person. The journey takes 7 hours. Go to Derge about 40 yuan/person and drive for 5 hours.

Attractions

 

Derge Parkhang

It is one of the foremost cultural treasures of Tibet. Derge is a county seat in a high valley in Kham, an eastern district of traditional Tibet which is now part of China’s Sichuan Province. The Derge Parkhang is a living institution devoted to the printing and Preservation of Tibetan literature, a printing temple that holds the greatest number of Tibetan woodblocks in the world.
Address: No. 13, Baiya Street, Yueqing Town, Derge County
How to get there: From Derge Bus Station, walk 1.8 km along Cha Ma Middle Street
Opening hours: From April to October 8:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00, off season only open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
Tickets: 50 yuan

Gengqing Temple

The Gnegqing Temple was built on the back of the Derge Parkhang and is a Sakya temple. If you have enough time, the Buddhist College behind the temple is a good place to sunbathe. The students of the Buddhist Institute often rest here and you can try to communicate with them. Every year on the first day of July in Tibetan calendars, traditional Tibetan operas are staged in the temple and the style is self-contained, also known as Degre Tibetan Opera.
Address:Gengqing Town, Derge County, Ganzi Prefecture
How to get there: 10 minutes walk from the Derge Parkhang

Xinlu Lake White lips deer Nature Reserve

The White-lipped deer nature reserve was established in 1995. It is a provincial-level protected area based on the protection of the natural environment of the plateau and white-lipped deer and other wild animals and plants. The total area is approximately 190 square kilometers.
Address: South of Queshan Dongpo Sichuan-Tibet Line, 100 kilometers away from Derge County
Arrival method: From Manigango Township chartered car 80 to 120 yuan, walk about 2 hours Tickets: 20 yuan

Axu grassland

The Axu grassland is the place where King Gesar was born and grew up. There are Gesar Memorial Hall and Nyingma Temple, and the highest bronze Gesar statue in the world. The Axu grassland is located at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level. There are still not many roads in the area and tourists rarely arrive here, so the folk customs here are more nature.
Address: Northeast of Derge County, 206 km from Derge County and 120 km from Manigango
Arrival method: Round-trip 200-300 yuan from Manigango, it is recommended to stay one night in Axu Township. There are several small restaurants in the township, RMB 10 to RMB 20 per room

Chola Mountain

The mountains were once at the centre of the Kingdom of Derge and many remnant Tibetan Buddhist monasteries can be found in the mountain range’s valleys.
Located in the eastern Tibetan Plateau, the Chola Mountains are a result of uplift caused during the Indian subcontinent’s collision with the Eurasian Plate. The Chola Mountains lie on the northeastern edge of a semi-independent tectonic block as part of the greater Eurasian Plate. The Mountains range’s abrupt northeastern edge is formed by the Ganzi segment of the Xianshuihe Fault where two blocks of the tectonic plate are experiencing strike-slip movement under stress.
Address: The only way to Dage County in Derge County
Arrival method: In order to take care of tourists who have altitude sickness, drivers do not usually stay here for a long time.

Babang Temple

The Babang Temple and the Chubu Monastery in Tibet are the holy places of the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. It was established in the Song Dynasty of Gaozong. It has been more than 800 years old since then. The Babang Temple has been graciously known as the “Draipung Temple” by the local people, and also known as “Small Potala Palace”.
Address: Within the territory of Babang Township, Derge County, 300 meters away from Babang Township.
Arrival method: From 350 yuan to back and forth from Dage charter

Itinerary

 

Sichuan – Tibet trip

Chengdu – Kangding – Bamei – Luhuo – Ganzi – Manigango – xinlu lake – Shiqu – Derge – Changdu – Linzhi – Lhasa
Accommodation

Derge’s place of accommodation is mainly on the Tea Horse Street and on the main street of Gesar, which surrounds the river. The hotel with a higher grade in the local area starts from around 280 yuan. Some small hotels do not provide hot water baths. Remember to confirm the hotel infrastructure with the front desk before check-in.

Food

Zanba, roasted qingke barley flour
Wild vegetables stuffed buns and dumplings.
Butter Milk Tea
Yak yogurt

Shopping

Yak meat, Cordyceps sinensis, Verbal medicine, Tibetan knives, embroidery of the Qiang ethnic minority

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