Volunteer in India Himalaya

Travel to the northern frontiers of India to discover the Himalayan culture and landscape of India.

Surrounded by idyllic tea plantations and rolling foothills of the Himalaya, this picturesque region has been the home-in-exile of the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan refugees since the 1950’s. Volunteers will stay in Palampur, a green hill station that serves as a hub for the surrounding areas, and are able to travel to many of the villages and towns in the area. Dharamsala is a short 36 km bus ride from Palampur. It is here, in a section of town known as McLeod Ganj, named after Sir Donald Friell McLeod, a Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in the 19th century, the Tibetan government in exile is stationed. For the more adventurous, Bir is only 35 km from Palampur and is famous for its hang gliding and paragliding. Bir is even home to the paragliding World Cup! As a volunteer with RCDP in Palampur and Dharamsala, you will get a close-up view of both Tibetan and Indian life, while also helping to serve at-risk children in the area.

The Fee and Dates

RCDP India volunteer Program starts every 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month.

Every year, hundreds of volunteers arrive in India to volunteer from UK and USA based organizations and end up paying up to $2500 to volunteer for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, only a small portion of that money actually goes to host projects and host families. The local host projects (orphanages, school, and local NGOs) in India are resource poor and need external support to run their programs. In our model, you will pay your fee directly to the host families and projects upon arrival in India.When you join our program, we will make sure that all of your money goes to the projects and host families. Part of your fees also helps us to cover our expenses. The program fee is divided in as registration fee ($279) and weekly fee ($80 per week for room, food, coordination, and project donation).
Click to find the allocation of $279

Weekly fee is divided between room/3 local foods a day (50%) and project donation/support of local project staffs (50%). This allocation may be different depending up on location, project type etc. However, our coordinator will explain these issues before you pay the fee. Please find below the breakdown of cost in a weekly basis.

The weekly Fee Does Not Include: Airfare, daily transportation, Visa or Visa extension fee, Airport drop, airport taxes, any personal expenses on food and travel, mineral water and soft drinks, gifts to project staffs and host family, laundry, telephone, immunization.

Arrangement of room/food/supervision :

RCDP is responsible for looking after the accommodation and the meal of the volunteer during your program the India Himalaya. During the first week of language and cultural immersion program, volunteers stay in RCDP's hostel in Delhi where cooks will prepare a variety of Indian food (Nan, curry, dal, chapatti, rice and pickle).

During volunteering programs, volunteers stay in project hostel or with a host family. In both the places, you will be offered a clean, simple, and safe accommodation and local foods 3 times a day and served 3 local meals a day. Our host families in India are well screened and they are socially respected. The family will offer you a safe and secure place to stay. Staying with a host family is a wonderful way to immersion in a local culture.
During the project, we will constantly monitor your progress and inquire if you're happy with the project or not. Our local coordinator lives close to the project and you'll have access to his mobile phone number 24 hours.