Studying Indian culture, learning to communicate in Hindi, trekking up snow peaks in Garhwal, exploring the picturesque settlements of Kaza, stumbling across millennia-old monasteries, spotting tigers in Corbett National Park, white-water rafting on the Ganges - there is something for every true adventurer in the Woodstock Gap Semester in the Himalaya.

Ask yourself, would you rather be:

Taking Freshman English or having a Hindi conversation with a shepherd in the Himalaya?

Riding the bus to University or going on a jeep safari looking for tigers?

Eating cafeteria food or sharing a meal with Buddhist monks in a 1000 year old monastery?

Walking the stairs to class or climbing a Himalayan peak?

If you are looking for a meaningful way to take a break before college, then the Woodstock Gap Semester in the Himalaya may be for you...

Highlights of the semester are:

• Learning Hindi and experiencing the culture of the Western Himalaya
• Service-learning projects and homestays in Himalayan villages
• Advanced first aid, basic mountaineering and introductory rafting
• Wildlife safari and an introduction to human-animal conflict

Culture

As you build a foundation in Hindi at the world-renowned Landour Language School, afternoon classes on Indian philosophy, culture and socio-economic issues will keep you engaged. At Kaza, you will learn about the culture and economic challenges of the high-altitude, remote landscape where Buddhism is the main religion. There will be a visit to the millennia-old Tabo monastery and the Ki gompha. You will also spend time in the Kumaon Himalayas, getting to know this region's distinctly different culture and economic challenges.

Service

During your time in the Kaza district of Himachal Pradesh and the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, you will be involved in construction work and service-learning projects in villages. Throughout these projects you will be interacting with a variety of local residents, from school children to village elders.

Adventure

You will attend a ten-day first aid course known as the Wilderness First Responder (WFR), taught by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) USA. In your free time, you will have the opportunity to visit Woodstock School's state-of-the-art gym with its indoor climbing wall, basketball and squash courts, and swimming pool. All of this will help you get fit for the rest of the semester. This will be followed by a week-long trek to the Lahul area of the Himalaya, and a three week basic course in mountaineering skills taught by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, India's foremost school of mountaineering training.

Environment

Hiking around the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, you will learn about the environment and wildlife of this region. Spending time in Corbett National Park (one of India's premier tiger preserves), you will study forest management and wildlife-related issues, including the politics of tourism and human-animal conflict. You will spend many hours birding with trained naturalists, as they guide you through the periphery of the National Park. Game drives to view wildlife will be a highlight.

Programme Links

• National Outdoor Leadership School
• Nehru Institute of Mountaineering
• Landour Language School
• Corbett Tiger preserve

Dates & Cost

August 11 to November 28, 2010

February 16 to June 5, 2011

US $12,000 (starts and ends in New Delhi)

For more information email admissions@woodstock.ac.in