Everest & Nepal Adventure

  Nepal

• Kathmandu: 
Kathmandu

Dates: 04/16/2009-05/21/2009 05/21/2009-06/25/2009

Description: Nepal contains eight of the world's ten highest peaks, but there's more to this narrow sliver of land than just huge mountains. Combining project work and high altitude trekking, this Venture blends awe-inspiring mountain trails with unforgettable encounters with the extraordinary Sherpa and Terai people.

Cultural Orientation, Kathmandu Valley:
(Weeks 1 & 2)
                                                                        
With more than fifty ethnic groups, most of whom still live in traditional ways, each region of Nepal has its own distinct ethnic group. The first two weeks are spent exploring the Terai Plains and Kathmandu Valley. A visit to Chitwan National Park brings you close to its prolific wildlife, including tigers and the rare one-horned Rhino. There's no greater thrill than to spot these remarkable mammals from the vantage point of an elephant! The villages and temples in the Kathmandu Valley offer a fascinating insight to local life, and staying with families in the Valley introduces us to their language, music and crafts.

The Aid Project Nepal:
(Weeks 3 & 4)
                                                        
The inconsistent infrastructure outside the main towns often means that rural people suffer from poor education and ill health. Much of our project work in Nepal is in support of the Mount Everest Trust, an independent NGO which works in the Kathmandu Valley and outlying regions to improve school buildings, sanitation and to provide safe drinking water. This mutually rewarding work reveals a way of life that's more deliberate and considerate than the hectic pace of the West.

Expedition, Everest Base Camp Trek:
(Weeks 5 & 6)
                                                        
The trail leads through the Solu-Khumbu range, the Sherpa heartlands, to the world's highest peak. We make steady progress through the towering peaks to the Sherpa "capital" of Namche Bazaar: following in the footsteps of Hillary and Tenzing through villages and past remote monasteries. Walking in the company of local guides and over-nighting in wayside Teahouses provides both economic benefit to the local people and an insight to Sherpa culture. Finally reaching Base Camp (5,300m) and Kala Patar ridge (5,600m) we are rewarded with the stunning sight of Lhotse, Nuptse and Everest itself.

Highlights:
* Scouting for wildlife on elephant-back in Chitwan National Park
* Exploring the myriad villages and temples of the Kathmandu Valley
* Living and working alongside Terai families
* Trekking up through the Sherpa heartlands, to Everest Base Camp

Cost in US$: $4790 for 6 weeks

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Nepal Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of maximum of 16

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

VentureCo Worldwide's Mission Statement: To provide 3-phase travel experiences that are inovative, imaginative and enjoyable. Phase 1: Language school and cultural orientation. That leads to: Phase 2: the volunteer developement project That leads to: Phase 3: the expedition that explores the neighbouring lands and environments of the host region.

Year Founded: 1999