A small town just 20 kilometers from the Tibetan border, Dege is a city in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province in southwest China. Nestled in a valley in the middle of the Chola Range (The summit is 6168m), Dege is mainly known for its sutras printing press. Tibetans used to say, “Lhasa is the heart of Tibetan religion, while Dege is the heart of Tibetan culture”.
In 2014 a highway from Chengdu to Dege was complete, which means you can go to Dege from Chengdu by 4-wheel drive vehicle in one day (840 kilometers), but you are recommended to stay at least one night at Kangding or Xinduqiao to acclimatize the altitude, for Dege is 3100 meters above sea level while Chengdu is at 500 meters. In 2016, Kangding city, the capital of the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous, built an airport about 135 kilometers away from Derge. From this airport, you will have 3 hours road to Dege.