SUMMER PROGRAM (JULY 5 - AUGUST 9)

 

Our summer cultural immersion program takes place in Kalimpong, a beautiful hill town in the Himalayas at an altitude of about 4000 ft. During the first four weeks of the program, students can take Hindi language lessons, yoga lessons, Indian classical dance and music lessons, Tanghka painting lessons and volunteer with one of several ongoing community service projects in the region. In the fourth week, students embark upon a week-long trek to the Valley of Flowers in the Garhwal Himalayas.

The Valley of Flowers is a breathtaking meadow, lush with green grass and a myriad variety of flowers, at an altitude of 11,000 ft. It was discovered by Frank Smythe, a British mountaineer and botanist, on one of his expeditions to Mt. Kamet. During the monsoon season, the valley is vibrant with over 300 varieties of flowers including ferns, iris, larkspur, rhododendrons, primula, blue poppies, asters, and wild lavender. The valley was declared one of the eight world heritage sites by UNESCO In 2005.

At the end of the trek, students will have the opportunity of traveling to Agra to see the TajMahal, a great architectural masterpiece of the Mughal period that is often cited as ‘the eighth wonder of the world.’