Our selection of expedition style gap years include thrilling activities like trekking in the Himalayas, exploring remote jungles in South America, diving off the coast of Madagascar, and caring for rhinos and tigers in the forests and prairies of Central Africa. If you are looking for a comfortable, classroom based gap year experience, please take a look at some of our other pages. Below, we focus on adventure gap year trips designed for curious and adventurous travellers.
Explore the world, make lifelong friends, and push your limits! We offer a wide range of gap year adventure programmes, including:
Join an unforgettable gap year travel experience that combines cultural immersion, outdoor adventures, and meaningful volunteering. Whether you want to explore the wilderness of Africa, trek the Himalayas, or dive in pristine reefs, we have the perfect expedition program for you.
Immerse in the language and culture of another country, learn Spanish from experienced teachers and locals, dive into the deep, ancient history of the region, volunteer if you wish to, and enjoy the natural wonders that the landscape has to offer! We also have an online option available!
Travel to exciting locations, work on community-led marine conservation initiatives and even become diver certified. Monitor manta rays and whale sharks off the coast of Africa, assist coral reef conservation efforts in Borneo, or help save the turtles, to name just a few options!
Asia You’ll discover unspoiled paradise beaches and dive and snorkel in the turquoise waters of the world’s most biodiverse oceans. You’ll help collect data vital to the locally led management of vibrant coral reefs while experiencing the culture and the surrounding landscapes of this beautiful cou
Africa Asia SouthAmerica Blue Ventures offers award-winning marine conservation expeditions to Madagascar, Belize and Timor-Leste. Join us and learn to dive on stunning reefs, identify fish and corals and contribute to our vital marine research, working alongside our team of experienced marine scientists.
Travel off the beaten path and have a blast working on community-led sports development initiatives. Organise activities for children at community and childcare centres, in schools or on after-school programs. Coach games, build confidence and work the body and mind!
NorthAmerica SouthAmerica Join a National Geographic Tour of a Lifetime at our beautiful dive camp in the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve in order to improve your dive skills, learn about the marine environment, survey and hunt and dissect invasive lionfish, and contribute to valuable marine research.
Africa You Volunteer with different Volunteer projects around Uganda, These include Teaching, Childcare, Women Empowerment, Special Needs Care, HIV/ AIDS Support, Sports Education. Street and Slum Children Support around Uganda.
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Initiatives. Take a gap year abroad and work on a project designed to contribute to ending local hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition while promoting sustainable agriculture. Learn about Fair Trade, Organic Farming Practices - and more.
Travel off the beaten path and work on community-led initiatives in conservation, community development, education, healthcare, or the arts. Immerse yourself in new cultures and the Spanish language, hike mountains, explore ruins, tunnel through jungles - and make a difference!
Africa Volunteer with Blue Ventures in our remote research and expedition camp in Madagascar and assist our international team of marine biologists, field scientists and sociologists surveying one of the most spectacular ecosystems of the Indian Ocean. Learn to SCUBA dive and collect vital research data.
Asia Spend 3-4 weeks on an epic adventure tour of Thailand! Perfect for both first time and experienced travellers. Experience the culture, trekking, elephants, beaches the awesome full moon parties and so much more...
Africa Not only will you have the amazing opportunity to see some of Africas most incredible wildlife, snorkel with Whale Sharks and paddle to a tropical palm fringed islands but you will also have the opportunity to participate in an important community development projects. Experience the best of SA!
SouthAmerica Blue Ventures
Blue Ventures offers marine conservation expeditions to Madagascar. Join us and learn to dive, identify fish and corals and contribute to our marine research, reports and publications.
Asia On this exclusive adventure you’ll discover unspoiled beaches and dive (or snorkel) on the world's most biodiverse coral reefs. You’ll participate in cetacean surveys, spotting whales and dolphins as well as experience the immersive culture and the stunning landscapes of this beautiful country.
Africa Assist our staff in caring for around 60 mischievous sanctuary primates and learn about their behavior
If you picture the average gap year you might think about someone with a back pack, taking a train from one European capital city to another, marveling at the architecture and enjoying trying out new foods in a range of cafes and bars. Or perhaps you imagine someone teaching English to a classroom full of business people in somewhere like Tokyo, or Beijing. Those are rewarding experiences and make for great gap years, but what if you want to do something a bit different? What if you want a bit more of an expedition, something more exciting that will make your friends stop and listen when you get home?
Luckily there are a handful of specialist gap year companies offering proper adventure gap years. Someone them will still carry your bags and take care of you, others you will be expected to pull your weight - literally! If you are not the type of person who likes to pass the time watching the world go by with a glass of wine and a book, while other people rush about, you will probably want to read on.
Arctic Expeditions are not the sole preserve of the rich and famous. Spend the first few weeks improving your mountaineering skills, arctic living and safe travel. Then it is off to the first expedition base camp. But remember, this is not one of those papered gap years we were talking about earlier. There are skis on your feet and you will be pulling your own sledge of equipment. You will be taking part in valuable scientific research on Svalbard, cooking your own freeze dried food on a Primus stove, in a tent, surrounded by snow.
Prefer your expedition gap year warm? Go to Oman, and take part in an eight week trek through some of the harshest desert environments on Earth. Remember to collect kindling along the way or you will not be able to make the fire on which to cook your food. Enjoy spectacular starry night skies that you will not see in the UK, and make your way to the tropical cloud forests near the Arabian Peninsula.
How about taking part in some extreme sports on your expedition gap year? Try your hand at bungy jumping, zorbing, or rock climbing in New Zealand, skydiving, canyoning and cave diving in the USA, martial arts training camps in South East Asia, getting up close to big game in Africa, or free diving with sharks in Australia.
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Kaya Responsible Travel
