Starting your Goa Adventure with an Introduction week. This is where you will get to explore and immerse yourself in Goa’s culture and history with new friends.

Monday

• 8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast at the centre
• 9.30 – 12:15 Introduction to the program including Do’s and Don’ts (House Rules), cultural shock. Discussion about safety, transport and orientation on projects which includes a PowerPoint presentation.
• 12.30 – 13:30 Lunch at the Center
• 14.00 – 17:00 Mapusa city visit by local bus and to the local Market
• 18.00 – 19:00 Dinner at the Center
• 19:30 – 20:30 Session on introducing previous participants to the new participants

Tuesday

• 7:00 – 7:15 Light Breakfast at the centre
• 7:30 – 8:30 Self defence Session. Drive back to centre to refresh
• 9:15 – 9:45 Main Course Breakfast
• 10:00 – 12:15 Join a practical session of Indian Cooking
• 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch at the centre
• 14:00 -17:00 Sightseeing tour to visit the Fort Aguada and Sinquerim Beach
• 18:00 – 19:00 Dinner at the Center
• 19:30 onwards Watch a documentary on Indian History

Wednesday

• 6:00 – 6:45 Light Breakfast
• 7:00 – 8:00 Join a Yoga session
• 8:15 – 9:00 Main Course Breakfast
• 9:30 – 12:15 Hindi Language Lesson (Alphabets, sentences, phrases, names of fruits and vegetables, numbers); a short break to learn making Indian Chai (tea)
• 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch at the centre
• 14:00 – 17:00 Beach visit
• 18:00 – 19:00 Dinner at the centre
• 19:30 onwards Enjoy a Bollywood movie at the centre

Thursday

• 8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast at the centre
• 9:30 – 12.00 Project visit (Kindergarten, Old Age Home, Animal Shelter)
• 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch at the centre
• 14.00 – 17:00 Project Visit (Community Outreach project)
• 18.00 – 19:00 Dinner at the centre
• 19:30 onwards Training on Project activities and group discussion along with explanation about project structure

Friday

• 8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast at the centre
• 9:00 – 12:30 Visit a Portuguese Church and a Spice Plantation
• 12.30 – 13:30 Special lunch at the spice plantation
• 14:00 -17:00 Scenic boat ride and explore a beautiful waterfall
• 18:00 – 19:00 Dinner at the centre
• 19:30 – 20:30 Feedback, project evaluation, group activities and discussion

This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

Saturday & Sunday

Free day

Monday
In the morning, we take a bus into the mountains and arrive at the jungle camp. After a welcome snack, you will get one hour introduction about Castle rock and the western ghats and a brief description of the 5 day program. Then, you set out for a trek to a nearby rural village (Pompalvaddi, 7kms from CR farm), and relax near a small perennial waterfall. Lunch will be cooked and served while you enjoy the waterfall. Then you will trek back to base camp by 16.00.

Campfire and dinner from 18.30 to 20.30.

Tuesday
You will have breakfast at 6.30 and then drive for around 12 kms towards Kuveshi village in 4×4 open jeeps, where you will trek for 7kms to the source of the gigantic Dudhsagar waterfalls. Here you can relax and have the packed lunch and be at leisure till 16.00. After that you will trek back to the village and enjoy the drive back to base camp. Enroute you may stop for photography and probable sites of wildlife (which you may as well call ‘a safari’).

Dinner at base camp from 19.00 to 21.00.

Wednesday
You will have breakfast at 07.00 and then walk to an 18th century British colonial structure and explore the surrounding areas in a radius of 3 km from our base camp.

Lunch will be ready at the base camp, after which you can relax till 16.00 and then leave for the fishing trip inside the forest. You will return by 18.00 to freshen up and be ready for a barbeque dinner by 19.00 around the campfire with a few sing along games. You shall retire by 21.30 at the camping site.

Thursday
Breakfast will be served at 07.30 and after that we will set out into the wood for caving exploration. You will have your packed lunch for the day, which you can enjoy in the woods and you will return to the camp by 17.00, to freshen up and get ready for a barbeque dinner at night. You can enjoy and have quality time with the other participants until 22.00 as this is your last night at the camp.

Friday
After having breakfast at 07.30 we walk to the nearby village to meet and interact with the villagers. You can buy some homemade handicrafts, spices or local honey here. Lunch will be at a local house cooked by the local women served on banana leaves. At about 15.00 we will depart from the camp and come back to our centre.

Saturday & Sunday

Free Time to Relax and Explore Incredible India! 🙂

This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

Consistently ranked among India’s top tourist destinations, Goa is the ideal place for first time travellers and adventurers alike to acclimatise to a different culture. From caves behind waterfalls to villages hidden in sandy coconut forests, there is always something more waiting to be rediscovered. The mountain ranges and spice plantations enhance the beauty of this glorious state. Apart from its natural beauty, this former capital of Portuguese India and home to various UNESCO World Heritage sites has a lot to offer in terms of architecture with churches, cathedrals and forts abounding. Put together, it is all of these aspects and more that make Goa the ultimate travel destination.

Accommodation & Food

You will be based at our volunteer house, The accommodation is standard with rooms being shared on a single gender basis, 4-6 people per room. You may also opt for a private room, this is subject to availability and at an additional cost. The house has a is a mini library, a dining room, a lounge area where you can hang out with fellow participants and a beautiful garden to relax. You will also be camping out on your adventure. Ensure to bring a sleeping bag..

Food Arrangements
The meals are a mix of Western and Indian food, consisting mainly of vegetarian dishes including rice and vegetables. You can expect to have a chicken dish about twice per week. You can also use the kitchen facilities to cook for yourself or eat out at any of the local restaurants.There is a refrigerator which you are welcome to use to store food and beverages.

Facilities
ATMs: There are ATM’s around our centers. The closest one to our residence is about a 15 minute walk from the house.

Shop: The closest local supermarket is a 15 minute walk from the centre.

Sights & Surroundings
Goa has a very long coastline with an almost unbroken sand cover. So, if you’ve come looking for sun, sand and sea without the crowds and the fuss you’ll be pleased to discover these beaches tucked away in quiet recesses where you can go to truly escape the world. Here is our list of secluded beaches to try during your Goa weekend getaways. You might have to take your own food and water as there are no eateries or accommodation near some of them. And though some of them may seem out of their way, you’ll be glad for the peace and quiet when you get there.

• Butterfly Beach
• Kakolem Beach
• Galjibag Beach
• Hollant Beach
• Betul Beach
• Arambol Beach
• Agonda Beach
• Cola Beach
• Velsao Beach
• Sinquerim Beach
• Siridao Beach

Goa has a pleasant climate all around the year. Monsoon season is from June to September which is the rainy season for Goa. Goa gets an average rainfall of 330 cm annually which is about 90% of its annual rainfall. This season also happens to be the favourite of the travellers coming to Goa with its various celebrations happening. And from October to March it gets a very pleasant climate with clear skies and nights being busy with the festivals and sky full of fireworks. Summer starts in April and the long sandy beaches and the sunshine are so welcoming.

Capital: New Delhi
Language: Hindi, English and 22 other officially recognized languages
Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
Time zone: UTC +5:30

India is known for its pyramid-like temples, its colorful streets and it’s crowded cities. This country represents one of the most vivid and the largest cultures in the world. From the golden triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra to the coast where Ayurveda medicine was born, India offers a 360 degree journey through the most magical of lands. Known for being the second most populated country in the world, India will show you the faces of thousands of Hindu gods in its very vast collection of temples all throughout the country. The land of colors and smiles is ready to take you on your next adventure whether road tripping or helping out in local communities, this sub-continent will amaze your senses. India will shift the way you see the world.

India’s literacy rate is around 60% for women and 80% for men. The principal language is Hindi and English is also commonly used in all major cities. New Delhi, the capital of India, is what many would call the real deal when travelling through the country. It is one of the biggest and most populated cities in the whole world with up to 25 million citizens. New Delhi is known for its amazing cuisine and its new modality of “street food”, which means restaurants with every specialty you can imagine are available to you all throughout the city! Chennai is another of the biggest cities in India, known as the “Detroit of India” for its automobile industry. If you are looking for a quieter spot Kerala is the centre of lifestyle, art, architecture, language and literature in all of the country!

Gap year programs to India are enjoyed in a country with wonderful history that dates back several thousand years. In particular, one of the most incredible historical points of India is how four separate world religions originated here – Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Beyond this, however, India has only truly been independent as a nation since 1947, just a couple years after World War 2 concluded.

In that time, India has grown to be the eleventh largest economy in the world as well as the second most populous nation, second only to China. This isn’t particularly surprising when you consider that India has been an economic powerhouse for trade routes in the past, but it is very impressive to consider that India has almost reached the status of superpower over the course of 66 years.

The geography of India has been a target for nature lovers for many years but is finally becoming an easy place to visit and explore for foreign tourists. With the Himalayas to the north, the desert in the centre and the luxurious beaches to the west, India has a type of climate that suits the desires of just about anyone. Even if you have a soft spot for snow, you can easily embrace that love by visiting some of the northern mountains which are nearly always capped in snow and ice!

With thousands of years of history and an incredibly diverse climate, India is not a place you can simply read about and understand. You have to visit and immerse yourself within the various Indian cultures before you get an idea of just how amazing India really is. So what are you waiting for? Get in touch now to find out more about our amazing gap year volunteer programs and holidays in India or browse the latest experiences below.

Please Note TRU are not currently able to accept any volunteers in India due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. We will be sure to update you when it is safe to travel and restrictions ease in India.