India expedition

Find out about our Gap Year Expedition in India

If you are seeking a challenge and excitement on your gap year or career break you should strongly consider an India expedition. India has a fascinating culture, some incredible wildlife and an extremely diverse range of landscapes - and the only way to discover the ‘real' India away from all of the picture postcard sights most overland trips concentrate on is by going on an India expedition. This isn't to say, however, that iconic landmarks like the Taj Mahal or the Red Fort shouldn't be visited on an India expedition. On the contrary, they are an essential part of the experience on an India expedition. However if you really want to get ‘beneath the skin' of the country during an India expedition you also need to venture to other places more off the beaten track.

Another way to fully experience the ‘real' India is by doing some volunteer work on an India expedition. Volunteering on an India expedition gives you a chance to ‘give something back' to some of the people and places you visit during the course of you travels whilst simultaneously enjoying the benefit of spending quality time getting to know the area and local people. Volunteering on an India expedition can be hard work at times but, as the cliché goes, what you put in is what you get out of it and most travellers agree it's a tremendously rewarding experience. On a more practical note once you have eventually returned home from your India expedition being able to say you have worked as a volunteer looks great on a CV too.

If you plan to volunteer on your India expedition, or anywhere else during your gap year for that matter, it's well worth exploring the possibility of raising some sponsorship money to help fund all or part of your trip. For ideas and inspiration on how to go about raising money for an India expedition visit Real Gap's ‘Gap year fundraising, saving for a gap year' page.

Real Gap's most comprehensive and intrepid India expedition is the three month ‘Gap Year Expedition - India' programme. This India expedition packs in many of India's ‘must see' sights along with a fantastic volunteer project and travel to some incredible places most visitors to India never get to. For full details on this India expedition click on the above link. However, in order to give you a brief idea of the kind of things you'll get up to on this India expedition, here are a few of its highlights.

India expedition - Trek in the Himalayas

A real once-in-a-lifetime experience on Real Gap's India expedition is a six day trek along the Singalila Ridge path in the Himalaya Mountains. The trek offers stunning views of Mount Everest as well of plenty of other awe-inspiring mountains.

India expedition - Tiger safari

On the India expedition you travel through the beautiful jungle setting of Ranthambore - sadly one of the few places remaining in the world today where you are almost certain to see tigers roaming wild in their natural habitat.

India expedition - Sacred River Ganges

The River Ganges holds a great deal of religious significance in India and is a real place of pilgrimage for many Indian people. One of the cultural highlights of the India expedition is a visit to the holy city of Haridwar where you can soak up the unique atmosphere beside the river.

India expedition - Experience village life

One of the experiences which really separates this India expedition from anything you will find anywhere else is that it includes a two month stay living and working in an Indian village. The village is located close by to the beautiful old colonial hill station town of Darjeeling and travellers on the expedition help teach at a local state school, becoming an integral part of the community in the process.

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