Types of Programs

Western China offers a rich diversity of vibrant cultures and stunning natural areas well-suited to creating exciting experiences and valuable learning opportunities. There are a few thematic focuses that a school trip may take, or combine, to create a diverse and meaningful program:

Outdoor Education Focus: The strong link between outdoor pursuits, teambuilding, group dynamics and personal development is global in nature and recognized in school curriculums around the world. The challenge many schools face is how to facilitate these experiences in Asia. We have the experience and qualifications to put together adventure education programs for your school including activities such as day hikes; multi-day village to village treks; multi-day camping based rural and wilderness journeys; rock climbing; vertical challenges such as abseiling and traverses; mountain biking; kayaking & water based team activities; introductory caving; teambuilding and initiative challenges.

Cultural Focus: Visiting China and especially the rural west offers a tremendous opportunity to interact with local culture and learn about Chinese traditions. Culture focused activities include agricultural and village experiences; cooking schools; music, art and martial arts experiences like Wushu, Kung Fu and Tai Chi; language studies and interactions and exchanges with local youth.

Educational Focus: China is the 3rd largest country in the world so it is no surprise that there are an enormous range of interesting environments worthy of experience and study. Nature, confronted with population pressure and economic development creates a further opportunity for case study as China represents somewhat of a litmus test for the general future health of the planet. Our educational programs can tie in with specific school field work and curriculum goals in unique settings. Past examples of our educational programs include looking at agrarian societies, development patterns, tourism, Chinese history and archaeology, geography and environmental field work such as river studies, glacial studies, desertification, alpine/karst geology, botanical diversity and conservation efforts.

Service Focus: In cooperation with our charity, Terratribes Charity, students will spend time in a local rural school. Besides playing games with the local students, we will be performing some physical service work.  In the past we typically have done things like repainting a school (with students encouraged to use their creativity and paint something interesting), helping weed the school garden, planting trees, help setting up an electric pump at the school well, building a concrete ping-pong table, building small libraries in each classroom, and various other building repairs.  Terratribes believes that service activities benefit not only the local schools, but the volunteering students. 

The Mix: In practice, perhaps because it provides the most fun and indelible learning experiences, the type of trip most schools opt for is a mixture of the above themes.

For further information on activities and locations please visit our Locations and activities section.
For a consultation and private trip itinerary/quote please Contact us or Make an inquiry.