Explore Mumbai and the Himalayan foothills, and renovate a school for impoverished students in Mumbai. 

Dates: September 25 - October 7, 2012
Price: $3499 / person

Single supplement available upon request.

Renovate a school for impoverished students in Mumbai. While you're there, dive into the incomparable Ganesh Festival and its culmination, Immersion Day, with the help of local guides. Then we'll explore an India few see as we do: morning yoga, hiking, biking, and whitewater rafting through the foothills of the Himalayas & the Ganges River, while we visit rarely seen villages, canyons, caves and waterfalls.

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So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. ~ Mark Twain, in "Following the Equator"

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Mumbai celebrates Ganesh with a palpable combination of sanctity and fervor. Ecstatic bursts of song and dance fill the streets while families quietly perform rituals in small groups throughout the city. At the end of the festival, a procession of Ganesh statues 35 feet tall parade through Mumbai, their final destination the Arabian Sea to join thousands of other immersed statues - bringing the festival full circle.

On this 13-day adventure philanthropy expedition, you'll experience India not as a tourist but as an India insider with Shana Dressler on her 7th visit to the subcontinent.

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expedition route & itinerary

Your first 5 days will be spent in Mumbai - an Indian city with legendary energy, color and tumult. We'll begin our volunteer project on Wednesday, working alongside students and teachers at a local school adding badly needed renovations to classrooms.

During the volunteer project, we'll take time to explore the Ganesh Festival and private (household) pandals and mandips. On Immersion Day we'll be on the shores of the Arabian Sea to witness the festival's wild & colorful climax.

After that, we fly to the Himalayan town of Dehradun, the launchpad for our outdoor adventure, in India's northwest. We’ll start the days with gentle yoga, then hike into the Himalayan foothills, bike along the Ganges outside of Rishikesh, and paddle and raft the Ganges in class II-IV rapids. All the while, we'll explore remote villages, ashrams, temples, caves, waterfalls and canyons.

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your volunteer project

We’ll work with a widely respected nonprofit organization, Teach for India, in Mumbai to renovate a local primary school for underprivileged children in a slum rehabilitation colony. 

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what's included in this expedition?

The price for this adventure philanthropy expedition includes full lodging in superior lodging while in Mumbai, all meals, ground transportation, equipment rentals, fees and guides, planned activities, and two domestic flights.

It also includes an organized and sustainable volunteer project developed in cooperation with our non-profit partner. 

The price does not include international airfare, visas, tips for local guides, alcohol/spirits, & one or two meals taken during your free time.

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lodging & food

This is not India on a shoestring! While you'll get your hands dirty and experience the behind-the-scenes India, you’ll also get to experience its more luxurious side. While in Mumbai we'll be in comfortable lodging in a hip neighborhood - a soft landing and introduction to India and it's most artful metropolis. In the Northwest, you'll lodge in safari-style tents with beds, some with utilities.

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arrival & departure

Clients should arrive no later than Tuesday, September 25 in Mumbai, where you’ll be greeted at the airport by a Roadmonkey leader. All clients have the option of arriving earlier to allow a day or more to adjust for jet lag - we can help arrange lodging.

Departures from Delhi can begin as early as after dinner on Saturday night, October 6^th, or on Sunday, October 7^th.

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