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Gap year & career breaks to the Himalayas

country:India, Nepal
departures:2008: 23 Oct
2009: 26 Feb
price:From £3705 (12 weeks) excluding flights, from £4180 including flights from the UK
 
the amazing things you'll be doing
Travel through India and Nepal for twelve weeks of Volunteer Projects, amazing communities and expeditions, including trekking to Everest Base Camp.

Three phases make up our trip:
1. Cultural Orientation: religions, castes, real curry and a sprinkling of Hindi.
2. Live and work with village communities.
3. Everest – the ultimate Base Camp Trek.

Trip highlights
  • Camel trek, Thar desert
  • Travel Safety Course in UK before departure
  • Acclimatisation and cultural orientation in India including basic Hindi lessons
  • Community development project in Rajasthan desert
  • Visit the Taj Mahal
  • Work with the Maharaja on a community development project in the Rewa jungle.
  • Tiger safari on elephant back in Bandhavgargh National Park
  • Route map for Gap year and career breaks to the HimalayasGanges sail trek
  • Varanasi ghats, holy Hindu shrine.
  • Calcutta – big city madness
  • Darjeeling, land of the Toy Train and tea plantations
  • Tigers and rhinos in Chitwan National Park, Nepal
  • Kathmandu, capital of the Himalayas
  • Whitewater rafting the Himalayan melt waters
  • Everest Base Camp trek, the world’s highest peak
  • New friends and the time of your life!
      This is an all-inclusive trip, with full support and a range of services provided before, during and after the trip.
      a day in the life of a volunteer
      Community Development Project, Rajhasthan: The main tasks include building desks and benches for pupils to sit at during lessons, decorating classrooms to create a better learning environment and installing electrical cables and fans to keep the classrooms cool during the sweltering summer months. The team also construct on-site kitchens where the school staff can prepare lunch for the pupils under clean and sanitary conditions. Away from the school you will also get the chance to in stall fuel efficient cooking fires and special grinding stones to help improve general conditions in the village. And of course you will have plenty of time to interact with the children.
    • day-by-day itinerary
      Week 1:Cultural Orientation: Explore Delhi and Bikaner before going on a camel safari in Rajasthan.
      Week 2-3:Community Projects: Rajasthan. Live in Mandore Village working on a community project and learning about the incredible Vishnois people.
      Week 4:Cultural Orientation: View the incredible history of India. The Palace of the Winds, The Taj Mahul and Khujaraho jungle temples.
      Week 5-6:Community Projects: Madhya Pradesh. Work with the Maharaja on a community development project in the Rewa Jungle. Home to the legendary Indian Tiger.
      Week 7-8:Expedition India: Varanasi and Calcutta. A sail trek down the Ganges.
      Week 9-12:Expedition Nepal: Darjeeling and Everest Base Camp. Go on tiger safari in Chitwan national park, white water rafting and the inspiring Everest Base Camp trek
      how this holiday makes a difference
      This venture supports the Mandore Village and Rewa Village community projects. As well as our guides you are also accompanied by local guides and project partners. Groups are kept to a maximum of sixteen people, big enough to help the local communities, but not big enough to have a negative affect themselves. Back in the UK we also have our own environmental policy and we believe this is where responsible travel should start, prior to departure. It is simple things that help and perhaps the biggest impact in the office comes from recycling paper, as a rule where possible we print on both sides of paper and it is not until it is completely beyond use that we then send it to be recycled.

      All our development projects have been carefully chosen to satisfy several criteria. They are of definable and sustainable benefit to the indigenous community and allow us the opportunity to work in tandem with the host community. Funding for the projects comes directly from our Trust. For each person that joins us, we, as a company, give at least US $400 to the Trust. 100% of the money the Trust receives is spent on the projects.

      All development projects are over-seen by a resident Project Manager whose role is to co-ordinate the adventures, the funding and the project's objectives.

      Himalayas gap yearWe are committed to direct patronage within the local economies of the countries in which we operate. We pay local tutors to teach languages; accommodation throughout the adventure is in locally owned hostels or based in the project locations; and the entire expedition budget will be spent by the team at local "grass roots" level.

      Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

      We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

      'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

      We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

      We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

      This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.

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