The Learning Adventure has an advisor and “friend of the company” who spent his career working in the youth and student travel industry and travelling to every far-flung corner of the planet. We recently asked him to name his favorite travel destination and his answer was Nepal. This is a truly magical country which has attracted travelers for generations. It is an increasingly popular destination for school groups, attracted here by its lofty mountain peaks, lush low jungles, sleepy hill-side villages and scatterings of golden temples. Our student trips to Nepal are a journey into some of the most magical places.
A school trip here can be suitable for a number of educational themes. There are of course the classic, trekking-expedition school trips, where students challenge themselves during a multi-day hike deep into the Himalayas. Other schools prefer service based trips, where students integrate deeply into local communities whilst contributing to them in a meaningful way. We also get requests for trips such as religious studies trips or geography trips, which we can also facilitate. The tailor-made nature of all of our student trips to Nepal allow us to build the perfect itinerary for your school as you travel in Nepal, so we hope some of these ideas may provide some inspiration for you as you start arranging your trip.
Hike to Annapurna Base Camp:
One of our most popular trekking trips for school groups which have a longer trip planned (16 days or more) is a trek to Annapurna Base Camp. After flying into to Kathmandu you drive out to Pokhara on your second day in Nepal. Pokhara serves as the base for so many of Nepal’s mountainous adventures. From Pokhara we head on to Khara, where it’s time to get out of the 4x4s and start getting up the mountains under your own steam!
After 5 days of trekking along mountain ridges, through deep valleys carved by glaciers and over mountain ridges flanked by Himalayan wildlife, you’ll at arrive at Annapurna Base Camp. The altitude here is 4,130m and you may feel the effects of the thinner air, but be rest assured that we have full safety management systems in place to deal with any incident that may occur. Look out over the amphitheater of snowcapped mountains and gaze at the colossal Annapurna Mountain Peak, towering over you with a height of 8,091m.
Volunteer with a Women’s Empowerment Program:
Nepal is known to have a strongly patriarchal culture and some NGOs here highlight the shortage of places where vulnerable women can turn for help. HER FARM is an NGO which is operated by a group of women on a mission to provide a safe shelter for women who have been victims of domestic abuse. The organic farm provides a healing opportunity as well as and employment for the residents here, and the organization also equips them with other skills and support to succeed in their new independent lives.
Visitors to the farm can assist with a number of projects such as fund raising, helping with agricultural tasks on the farm, providing digital solutions to assist in the farms mission and assisting with community projects.
A Monastery Experience in Pharphing
Pharphing, a town in the lower reaches of the Himalayas about 6 hours east of Kathmandu, is home to a Buddhist monastery which welcomes us into their grounds to experience for ourselves what the life of a Buddhist monk is like.
Our first activity after arriving is usually observing the monks’ debating session, where you are encouraged to them observe them chat and debate Buddhist topics in their native language in the gardens of the temple. Join them in the chant of their daily protection puja and then take a seat alongside them to enjoy a traditional Buddhist dinner.
Our accommodation is in basic but clean guesthouses, ideal for school groups and which flank the grounds of the monastery. This allows us to rise early and join the monks for their morning prayers before having breakfast with them in their refectory. We usually also make time for a hike up to the cave where Padmasambhava, one of the great masters of Buddhism, is known to have spent time meditating.
After a school trip to Nepal, you too will understand why it is listed time and time again as one of the world’s great travel destinations. It’s a land filled with experiential learning opportunities which are active, educational and create memories which will last you and your students a lifetime.
If you are considering a trip to Nepal and would like us to build an itinerary for you to consider then please do reach out to us by enquiring on our website’s contact us page, or send an email to our team directly, who can be reached at info@thelearningadventure.com.
The mountains are waiting, and we look forward to being there alongside you for every step of this epic journey.
