TREK DIFFICULTY

Easy-Moderate

DURATION

3 days

AGE LIMIT

10 to 16 years

Winter Camp for Children

For over eight years, we have taken thousands of children trekking in and around Bangalore. We notice extraordinary changes in the children within just 4-5 hours of trekking. They discover a new connection to nature, find an unknown confidence in themselves, and unlock a different level of camaraderie with their peers. Add a camping experience to this, and their learning multiplies manifold. 

This is why we have opened up Winter Camp with trekking near Bangalore for children. These are 3-day programmes where children go on trekking adventures and camp outdoors. At the same time, unknown to them, they gain rare life skills and values that are otherwise difficult to imbibe in daily life or school life. We bring these learnings to life through methods of experiential learning.

Our expertise in camping programmes for children has grown over the years, especially after running summer camps in the Himalayas for 10-16 years olds. You'll see multiple parents vouching for our summer camp programme here

With our experienced facilitators, you will see recognisable changes in them when they are back after this program. So if your child is between the ages of 10 and 16, this is a priceless adventure.

For over eight years, we have taken thousands of children trekking in and around Bangalore. We notice extraordinary changes in the children within just 4-5 hours of trekking. They discover a new connection to nature, find an unknown confidence in themselves, and unlock a different level of camaraderie with their peers. Add a camping experience to this, and their learning multiplies manifold. 

This is why we have opened up Winter Camp with trekking near Bangalore for children. These are 3-day programmes where children go on trekking adventures and camp outdoors. At the same time, unknown to them, they gain rare life skills and values that are otherwise difficult to imbibe in daily life or school life. We bring these learnings to life through methods of experiential learning.

Winter Camp 2023: Complete Information

We have always wanted trekkers to be well-informed before they go on a trek. Knowledge is the difference between a safe trek and a dangerous one. It’s also the difference between a wholesome experience and a surficial experience.

Use this section to learn about the Indiahikes Southern Campus trek. It has in-depth information about each day of the trek, what to expect, and how you need to prepare for it. Many years of expertise have gone into this content. Don’t miss the 'Frequently Asked Questions' section at the end. Trekkers find that extremely useful.

What Children Learn in Winter Camp Programs

1. Trekking and Camping skills

Our winter camp are a mix of fun, adventure and learning. Through the course of the trek and the program design, children learn the basics of trekking, camping and wilderness survival. 

  • Building a shelter out of bare minimum resources
  • First aid skills through mock drills
  • Navigation skills using maps and GPS tools
  • Skills to identify and set up campsites in the outdoors
  • Cooking in the wild
  • Learning through uncomfortable situations - Camping or trekking as a team

Pitching your own tent. One of the much-loved activities for children. Photo from Indiahikes Archive.

2. Nature skills

Given that children are in the biodiversity of learning from nature, they learn first-hand about plants, birdlife, animals and all natural elements around them. 

  • See and feel the rich biodiversity of Tumkur and Madhugiri district
  • Learn about birdlife and animals endemic to the region
  • Learn about the stars and the Milky Way by experiencing it in real-life
  • Nature journaling
  • Exploring and the Thrill of Climbing the Granite Rock

Children naturally become more creative, drawing inspiration from nature. The photo depicts children using our specially designed trek memory booklet to journal their trek experience. Photo by Vishnu GS

3. Sustainability skills

At Indiahikes, we are very conscious about how we trek and how we treat the outdoors. There’s a certain spirit of trekking we believe in — a minimal and sustainable way of trekking. These are imparted by our Green Trails initiative, which inevitably has a big impact on children.

  • Learn a minimal way of living by exploring lifestyles in remote villages in the foothills
  • Clean trekking trails and leave mountains better
  • Understand the importance of saving natural resources
  • Learn the basics of waste management — segregating and composting waste
  • Understand how to make composting toilets in the outdoors

At Indiahikes, we trek sustainably. As a result, the also learn lifeskills such as how to use resources minimally. Children using the water contraption system to wash their dishes is one such example. Photo by Vishnu GS

4. Life skills and behaviours

Finally, the program design imparts priceless personal behaviours and skills among children. We see remarkable changes in children. Children start displaying life skills that usually take years to develop. 

  • Gain life-long confidence after climbing to a high mountain summit 
  • Get accustomed to hardships
  • Build resilience through overcoming difficulties
  • Learn how to work collaboratively with a team 
  • Learn to own and share responsibilities 
  • Understand how to deal with healthy conflicts and resolve them 
  • Learn interpersonal communication skills

Winter Camp Photo Gallery

How We Keep Children Safe

Indiahikes stands for safety.  Indiahikes is the largest and the safest trekking organization in India.  Over the past few years, we have had over 8000 students from schools across the country with us on treks.

We have had no untoward incident on these programs. This is because of our robust Risk Assessment and Management System that rests on the 3 pillars of our three pillars - people, processes and equipment.  And we constantly work on them.

Our Trek Leaders are certified mountaineers with a Basic Mountaineering Course or Advanced Mountaineering Course. Trek Leaders assigned to lead student treks are Wilderness First Responders (WFR) and NOLS certified.  We have constant refresher courses and specialized training for them year-round - towards building capacity to handle any risks. 

Apart from the Trek Leaders we have technical guides, trek guides, program facilitators and assistants who accompany all team members of the Outdoor Leadership Program. All of them are trained to handle emergency mountain situations.

Read more about how we keep your students safe here .

Ultimately, even an expert team such as ours cannot keep all students safe unless they follow stringent safety processes. 

There is a process for preparing team members, a process to monitor their health 3 times a day, a process for management of accidents, a process for managing altitude sickness, and a process for evacuation. There are processes for even trekking and a separate process for difficult sections. Any potential risk is nipped in the bud.

Our extensive trek experience matters here. The trekking trails are not new to us. These trekking trails have been nurtured and developed by us for many years. We have our own base camps on these trails. 

From the time the program starts till it ends, safety of all team members is our responsibility.

Indiahikes is extremely meticulous in the safety processes we follow for risk assessment and management. We draw up a Risk Assessment and Management plan before every trek - especially so if it involves children. We prepare a risk assessment and management plan for each project we take with a school or children on a trek. You can download our sample safety plan here.

Most of the modern safety equipment used in the Indian trekking community has been introduced by us. This has fundamentally changed how trekking is done in our country.

In all of our high altitude treks in the Himalayas, we carry a high-altitude medical kit, an evacuation kit, a technical kit, radio equipment, and oxygen cylinders (pulse oximeters and BP monitors are standard equipment carried by our Trek Leaders, including ropes and carabiners). 

Over here for our Indiahikes Southern Campus, a similar system will carry forward with walkie talkies, ropes, medical kit and other equipment for the program.

Indiahikes Southern Campus Videos

Watch these videos to prepare well for your trek

Why Indiahikes

You are safe with us

As industry leaders, we have innovated and set safety standards in the trekking industry. Our people, our processes, and our equipment—these are what make Indiahikes the safest trekking organisation in India.

You experience transformation

Trekkers often call the Indiahikes Experience “life-changing.” This is because, through our treks, we consciously bring about a transformative impact on your mind, body and spirit.

You trek sustainably

Green Trails is our promise to leave the mountains better. We have cleaned over 1 lakh kilos of waste from trekking trails. Yet this is a small percentage of what we do. Green Trails dives into reducing the use of resources, reducing our carbon footprint, and bringing about a change in the daily practices of our trekkers too.

You learn to trek on your own

On our treks, you learn skills that teach you to trek independently. Besides, not every time you trek, you will have Indiahikes next to you. Our vast database of trek information gives you all the confidence you need to trek on your own.

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