

Trip Highlights
Trip Summary
See full itineraryBased in a beautiful region of northern India, this Himalaya volunteer and India adventure programme is an excellent choice if you want to make a difference to the lives of local people as well as having a real India adventure in an area that is normally forgotten by many travellers to Asia.
Explore some of the best that Jaipur has to offer including the Amber Fort, the old city and even enjoy a Bollywood film in the city’s most famous cinema!
With a variety of different volunteer placements to choose from, you will be able to leave safe in the knowledge that you have helped to make a lasting difference to the lives of the children and young people that you have met.
| Dates of Departures | Duration | Price (Land Only) | Trip Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Limited Availability | Call Us 01892 882 737 | |
| 27 May 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Limited Availability | Call Us 01892 882 737 | |
| 27 May 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Limited Availability | Call Us 01892 882 737 | |
| 10 June 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 10 June 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 10 June 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
| 24 June 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 24 June 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 24 June 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
| 8 July 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 8 July 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 8 July 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
| 22 July 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 22 July 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 22 July 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
| 19 August 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 19 August 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 19 August 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
| 16 September 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 16 September 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 16 September 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
| 14 October 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 14 October 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 14 October 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
| 11 November 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 11 November 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 11 November 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
| 9 December 2013 | 28 days | £1,199 | Available | Book now | |
| 9 December 2013 | 56 days | £1,699 | Available | Book now | |
| 9 December 2013 | 84 days | £2,099 | Available | Book now | |
Days 1 - 8 Arrival and Orientation (9 days)
Your role as a volunteer: Education Projects (2 - 6 weeks)
Volunteer Role: Childcare projects (2 - 6 weeks)
Volunteer Role: School for mentally challenged children in Thakardwara (2 - 6 weeks)
Extra Afternoon Volunteer Options in Himachal (2 - 6 weeks)
Starting with an overnight stay in Delhi, the group spends 3 days in Jaipur for orientation and sightseeing. Then you’ll board an overnight train bound for Palamphur, which is a quaint hill station set high in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Surrounded by tea gardens and pine forests it is a wonderful setting for your volunteer placement. With this setting in mind you probably would not be surprised to hear that Palamphur is also known as the tea capital of this region of north-west of India. Its name comes from the local word ‘pulum’ which means ‘lots of water’.
For both programmes (four or eight weeks) the schedule is the same for the first seven days:
Day 1 - Arrival in Delhi
Personally met at Delhi Airport and shown to a hotel to refresh and chill out.
Day 2 to 5 - Travel to Jaipur
After breakfast you will travel by deluxe bus to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. This will take five hours but you will stop halfway for lunch on this journey. In Jaipur, you will stay with a local Indian family during a three-day orientation that covers things such as: Indian history and culture, volunteering and community development and introduction to Hindi. The orientations also include time for sightseeing and shopping. One excursion includes a morning visit to Amber Fort, the old city and an elephant ride (if permitted). You will also see a Bollywood movie at Jaipur’s most famous movie theatre. On day 6 you will go on some sightseeing in Jaipur in the morning before having the afternoon free to explore. For those who have always wanted to visit the Taj Mahal there is an optional (cost not included) overnight excursion to Agra to visit this stunning landmark and meeting up with the rest of the group the next day to travel to Himachal.
Day 7 - Travel to Himachal Base Camp
You and the other volunteers will board an overnight train (14 hours) for Palamphur, the closest railhead to the Himachal project placement.
Day 8 - Arrival at Project site
On arrival you will have a three-hour transfer to the camp by taxi. The camp is located in the Bindravan village, which is part of Palampur town (1.5km away). You will then have free time to relax, unpack and become familiar with your new home. After lunch there is a visit to a local market.
Day 9 - Introduction to volunteer projects
After breakfast, you will meet with all the friendly guides that will take care of you for the next three or seven weeks. They are there to offer on-site assistance, helping with any language barriers and will attend the projects with you so there is always help and advice if needed. In the afternoon there are group sessions to plan for the volunteer work.
Starting with an overnight stay in Delhi, the group spends 3 days in Jaipur for orientation and sightseeing. Then you’ll board an overnight train bound for Palamphur, which is a quaint hill station set high in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Surrounded by tea gardens and pine forests it is a wonderful setting for your volunteer placement. With this setting in mind you probably would not be surprised to hear that Palamphur is also known as the tea capital of this region of north-west of India. Its name comes from the local word ‘pulum’ which means ‘lots of water’.
Weeks 2 to 4 / 2 to 8 - dependent on length of stay
Depending on your interests and local needs, you are placed in work settings where you can make a meaningful contribution to the improvement of local social services. You can volunteer by helping, the three main areas are education, childcare centres and a school for mentally challenged children.
You also have the opportunity to do further volunteer work on free afternoons.
Typical placements include additional tutoring for slow learning children, maintenance of institutional facilities, computer training, orphanage work and other similar community orientated projects and services.
Volunteer Options
1. Education
2. Childcare
3. School for mentally challenged children
Wherever your volunteer placement occurs, the general pattern is to work five days a week for approximately three to five hours per day. Most work occurs in the morning before lunch. But some placements require afternoon work as well.
Volunteer Role: Education projects
Class sizes in India can be extremely large, leading teachers to become little more than traffic police attempting to keep order.
Activities include:
Starting with an overnight stay in Delhi, the group spends 3 days in Jaipur for orientation and sightseeing. Then you’ll board an overnight train bound for Palamphur, which is a quaint hill station set high in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Surrounded by tea gardens and pine forests it is a wonderful setting for your volunteer placement. With this setting in mind you probably would not be surprised to hear that Palamphur is also known as the tea capital of this region of north-west of India. Its name comes from the local word ‘pulum’ which means ‘lots of water’.
Childcare volunteers assist in local childcare centres, known as Aanganbari. The concept of ‘pre-school' childcare is a new one in India. Unlike Western countries, where childcare facilities exist primarily to free women to work, the aanganbari's main purpose is to provide a safe, healthy and hygienic space to young children who would not be able to receive proper care at home.
Activities include:
Starting with an overnight stay in Delhi, the group spends 3 days in Jaipur for orientation and sightseeing. Then you’ll board an overnight train bound for Palamphur, which is a quaint hill station set high in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Surrounded by tea gardens and pine forests it is a wonderful setting for your volunteer placement. With this setting in mind you probably would not be surprised to hear that Palamphur is also known as the tea capital of this region of north-west of India. Its name comes from the local word ‘pulum’ which means ‘lots of water’.
Special school for mentally challenged children. Severely understaffed, the two teachers in the school are often struggling to give adequate attention to each of the approximately 20-odd students enrolled in the school.
Activities include:
Starting with an overnight stay in Delhi, the group spends 3 days in Jaipur for orientation and sightseeing. Then you’ll board an overnight train bound for Palamphur, which is a quaint hill station set high in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Surrounded by tea gardens and pine forests it is a wonderful setting for your volunteer placement. With this setting in mind you probably would not be surprised to hear that Palamphur is also known as the tea capital of this region of north-west of India. Its name comes from the local word ‘pulum’ which means ‘lots of water’.
If you would like to get involved in more volunteer work than your core option offers. You may have the option to further volunteer work which can include the following:
1. Additional tutoring for slower learning children
With the help of regularly updated records of school children, interested volunteers can take up special classes for children that need more tutoring at their homes. This activity can have the additional benefit of building more confidence in the community about volunteers’ work and awareness about the need for regular schooling.
2. Conversation English and computer education classes to women
A variety of educational and confidence building activities are organised for the benefit of adolescent girls and women of the local community. These activities are geared towards expanding the horizon of this often-neglected section of the community with the purpose of giving them a sense of self-worth and empowerment. Volunteers contribute significantly in the areas of:
Computer training - Computer knowledge can give students an employability advantage and make it easier for them to access modern means to information and expression. Volunteers can make use of the well-tested and developed modules of imparting basic computer skills to enthusiastic local girls and women.
English classes - In an increasingly unilingual world, knowledge of English can make a huge difference to the confidence, employability and social status of an individual. With English not being the first language in the rural areas, people from a vast majority of Indian population miss out on quality opportunities of gaining confidence in the use of language. Volunteers, with their involvement in teaching English to local women can help the project achieve a multitude of objectives like empowerment and increasing employability.
3. Orphan home, Saliyana
Situated in the village Saliyana, the orphanage houses around 25 children in various age segments. Volunteers can provide the special individual attention that the children miss. Some specific activities can include:
4. Maintenance of institutional facilities
During some afternoons, volunteers can take up maintenance, renovation and decoration of various work places like schools, daycare centres etc. This kind of work will not be available at all times so is an extra activity that you would carry out.
Please note: Itineraries and activities are subject to change.
Trip Notes include a full itinerary, country guides and travel advice on visas, money, insurance and the local weather. By filling in your details you'll also be kept updated on all the latest news, offers and stories on this particular trip. Happy reading!
17 years old with parental consent form
On this programme you will be accommodated in a shared room. These are simple but clean and comfortable rooms and you will share with up to three others in your room. There are a number of bathrooms with western toilets and may have Indian showers- basically you fill a bucket of water and use a jug to pour the water over you (this is to conserve water). It takes a few days getting used to but its fine, all part of the cultural experience. Besides from your personal space, volunteers benefit from a dining area where they eat food prepared by our staff, a kitchen where they can cook special meals, a common area for relaxing, watching movies and holding cultural workshops. Close by there is a small market where you can purchase any additional snacks/drinks and international phone calls are easily made within a short walk. Internet cafes are available in Palampur town (around 1.5km from the camp). There is internet at the camp, however this is not always reliable.
Three meals per day will be provided for you throughout your volunteer programme. They will normally consist of traditional Indian cuisine which is extremely tasty and nutritious. Although the food you will experience will be very different to food you are used to back home, we are sure that you won’t be disappointed.
Travelling at Altitude
Parts of this trip go above 2800 metres / 9200 feet where it is common for travellers to experience some adverse effects on your health due to the altitude. Please see further information on Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE).
Please note: for this trip the deposit payable at the time of booking is £199 plus 10% of the total trip cost.
Throughout your programmes you will have the support and guidance of the programme co-ordinator and team. You will be provided with competent assistance and help with any questions or advice you may need during your stay.
You will be assigned a personal travel advisor who will co-ordinate your programme with you. Feel free to contact them at any time before you go, or when you are on your travels.
In addition, you will have access to a 24 hour emergency contact number so you can contact one of our UK staff at any time should you need to.
We recommend that you take around £70 per week
Whilst volunteering you will need clothes that cover your shoulders, mid-rif and length should be to at least your knees.
All washing will have to be done by hand, so either bring some washing powder or buy some from a shop near to your project.
You can do the Himchal option year round, however, the Rajasthan option does not run over the summer months as it is far too hot in the desert.
You will need to obtain an Indian Tourist visa before you leave the UK.
The trek will take you through the foothills of the Himalaya and normally reaches a height of 3200 metres.
You have booked a programme which requires an enhanced Disclosure Barring Service check to be completed. We can carry this out for you and your travel advisor will explain the charges at the time of booking.
I've done this trip
Write reviewAmazing, meeting people and becoming friends for a life time! Unbelievable
Being in the middle of the Himalayas was amazing, getting off the train after a long trip through the centre of India (Jaipur and Tajmahal) it was just so calming and sereine Getting the chance to help out in the community was amazing! and well worth my time
Dont expect anything. India, is a country where you dont know what to expect Elephants on the highways. Insane drivers And absolutely...no sense of road rules...but thats all part of the experience
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The first week was probably the best, visiting well known places for e.g the Taj Mahal. Another was staying with an Indian family in Jaipur and really experiencing the way different cultures live.
Amazing! Made great friends, some hard work but worth it!
The volunteering, as I had great fun teaching the children, and (hopefully) they got a lot out of it. Visiting the golden temple. It is so beautiful, and it is not something I would have thought to do if I was travelling independently.
If you are going to be teaching, take some grammar and story books with you, aswell as ideas for lesson plans. Keep baggage to a minimum...you want to be able to buy lots of things when you are away. Make sure you have plenty of money for travelling, so you can afford independent weekend trips away with other volunteers!
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Awesome trip, Delhi was crazy , beautiful mountains
The visit to McLORD Ganj and going up the mountain to Trinud was awesome.
Bring dark clothes because they will get dirty. Don't bring to many clothes because u will buy so many clothes here
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Mostly good experience, met lots of different people, unforgettable time.
I really enjoyed the excursions that were included like the trip to the amber fort and the one to the taj. The actual volunteering work was also a highlight of the trip for me.
1) Be prepared to be stared at and have your picture taken a lot, which can be uncomfortable at times. 2) Try to learn a few key words and phrases before arriving as this will help bridge the communication gap. 3)Don't expect everything to go smooth sailing, that way you'll be prepared if any difficulties arise or be pleasantly surprised if all does go without a hitch.
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| Monday - Thursday: | 9am - 7pm |
|---|---|
| Friday: | 9am - 5:30pm |