On Saturday 1st July, a group of our UV and LVI students embarked on a two week World Challenge trip to Nepal; excited to celebrate the spirit of internationalism for which we are renowned.

World Challenge trips have been refined over 30 years of student travel and aim to inspire the leaders of tomorrow through student-led expeditions.

The girls have been partaking in a variety of enriching activities with an emphasis on student leadership and female empowerment, supervised by both school and world challenge staff. These include community engagement activities and mountain trekking.

Follow below for a day-by-day diary:

July 2nd:

Once we arrived at the airport and had our visas approved we made it out to the city and onto the bus. After a short ride and a walk uphill, we arrived at Hotel Ganesh Himal and were given our rooms and got situated. Then we went out to explore the city. Our trip leader Glyn showed us around, pointing out some restaurants and stores that we would later try out and shop from. After we had gotten our bearings we sat down at a little restaurant and had noodles and dumplings. Once we had eaten we returned to the hotel to spend our first night in Nepal. – Olivia

July 3rd:

At 8am, we woke up and came down for breakfast at the hotel where we ate eggs, toast, fruit and potatoes. After we ate and planned our dinner for that night we met the world challenge team to be briefed on the trek and teach us the local customs of of Nepal like to go the clockwise route and accept things with a right hand.

Once we headed out we tried a new route around the city to get a quick lunch before walking to the monkey temple. After the treacherous trek up the stairs we took in the breathtaking view of the entire city, and had time to explore the statues and shrines and watch the monkeys. We learned about the Buddha and how the bumps on his head represent 108 snails used to protect his head from the sun. After a quick downpour and Ms Westwood’s sprite being stolen by a monkey we headed back down the hill and towards the hotel.

We were given time to shop and explore the city before returning to the hotel at 5pm to discuss the next day’s activities. Then we gathered for a wonderful dinner of rice, curries, momo and spring-rolls. Once we finished dinner, we all sat together outside to play games. Once we went to bed that night we felt closer and had bonded deeper. – Olivia

July 4th:

After an early 7am start we had another filling breakfast and left the hotel by 9. We got on the bus and journeyed out of the city and into the mountains. After an eventful journey including Tara getting covered in a drink and some group selected music we arrived at the site at about 1.30pm.

We were met with flowers and tea which we drank as we were introduced to the crew. After a delicious lunch of curries, rice and vegetables before we walked down to the work site.

We were taught the earth-bag method of building earthquake resistant and eco-friendly structures. They separated us into three groups and moved us between tasks of making bags, harvesting earth and filling bags to stack them. After a long afternoon of hard work, we returned up the hill and ate a dinner of delicious pasta as the rain poured down. – Olivia

July 5th:

Once again, we woke up at 7am for an early but wonderful breakfast of egg, bread and fruits and vegetables. After getting into our work clothes and walking down, our work resumed. After about 3 hours of progress, we returned for another lunch of curry rice and vegetables.

However, due to the rain, we weren’t able to return down the hill to work until 2.30pm. And after another afternoon of work we had almost laid half a layer of bags. When we returned up the hill, we met the family whose house we were helping to build and asked questions about the local culture and expressed our appreciation of being allowed the experience to help change their lives. Our evening ended with a dance lesson and a noodle dinner before we washed up and spent some time together before turning in for the night. – Olivia

July 6th:

In the morning, we woke up to breakfast in the rain. Due to the wet conditions we stayed at the buildings to have a small lesson and discussion on ethical travel and volunteering. Once the rain stopped, we had an adventurous journey down to the rice paddies to see how the crop is harvested and to play in the mud.

After the walk back through the forest, we were given time to wash, relax and recover before helping to make that night’s dinner of momo. We made the filling using cabbage, carrot, radish, garlic, ginger and onion and the dough was made with flour and water. Once the dough and filling were made, we formed the momo by rolling out the dough and adding the filling and shaping it. It felt much better to eat the food that we had worked hard to prepare. – Olivia

July 7th:

As it was our last working day at the village, we set out early to maximise our working time. Once we arrived at the site and got to work, we fell right back into the rhythm of the previous days. After a couple hours in the hot sun, we had finished a layer of the house.

However, by the time we took our break for lunch, quite a few of us were feeling the effects of the heat and took a while to recover and regain our strength. While some stayed due to the heat, many returned to work and continued to build, progressing the house along further.

After the working group returned, there was a small ceremony where we were thanked and were able to share what we enjoyed and learned. It was very beautiful and helped us reflect on all we had done over the past days. Dinner that night was grilled foods and soup. It was delicious and we all had fun discussing highlights from our time there. Once we were done with dinner, we fell asleep one last time, listening to the thunder. – Olivia

July 8th:

We woke up early for breakfast and after a sad goodbye, returned to the bus to begin the journey back into the city. As we returned, we saw some amazing views and had fun on the bus ride back as we all relaxed after our hard work.

When we got back to Thamel we were given time to relax and freshen up before we headed out to a western pizza restaurant. There, we ate amazing pizza and sides and it helped to ease any homesickness that we could have had. Once our meal was finished, we split into separate groups so those who wanted to shop could explore and those who were tired could return to the hotel. It felt amazing to sleep in a proper bed again and we all felt extremely well-rested. – Olivia

July 9th:

After an amazing night sleep on a mattress, we had a familiar breakfast and then were allowed out in groups of four throughout the city. Some of us felt a little under the weather so a few people had a relaxing day at the hotel.

After an afternoon of shopping and eating, many people went to retrieve their laundry (many of us felt dirty after all of the work in the mud). Once we had all returned, there were Oreo milkshakes and dinner that helped us feel back to normal after our time away. Once we had eaten and heard the plan for the first day of our trek, we were allowed to get some much needed rest before our long journey.

July 11th:

After a hearty breakfast of chocolate pancakes and muesli we embarked on day two of the trek. For most of us, this day was the hardest, as it required a laborious and constant pace on rocky inclining routes. Despite this, we were graced with a breathtaking view of the mountain range  and a clear sky. The atmosphere was cheerful when lunchtime came around, and we were all grateful to be met with steaming egg noodle soup and finger chips. Rejuvenated by our lunch, determination fuelled us as we continued trekking uphill once more.

Unfortunately we were caught in one of Nepal’s notorious monsoon episodes, and needless to say we were all drenched within a matter of minutes. The final push towards the lodges was however worth its hardship, as we were all ready for a restful and relaxing evening. Dinner consisted of several sharing plates: egg-fried rice, steamed vegetables and soup. We all willingly went to bed soon after, eager to rejuvenate ourselves and start day 3 with energy and enthusiasm. – Dyala and Sonal

July 12th:

In the downstairs level of the tea house, a group of us ate delicious porridge and pancakes with Glyn, while the other half of the team ate in their part. The tea houses were lovely, and after breakfast we set out to walk. Today, the fog was clearing after the brutal monsoon yesterday, which meant we were able to see the lovely mountainous views, as well as the beautiful, distant villages. It wasn’t too difficult at first, having a downhill walk, and we stopped for a snack. We got some sweets, sharing out gummies together, and buying chocolates. Afterwards, there was a strenuous uphill walk that the team powered through until lunch.

Lunch was a variety of soups and omelettes, paired with tea and hot chocolate. This warmed us up enough to continue trekking uphill, and gave us enough energy to complete the day. As we were walking, we stumbled upon a waterfall which formed a beautiful river. To our surprise, Vishua the trek leader informed us that the only way through was across, and that we had to be prepared to get wet! We all held hands and crossed speedily, soaking our shoes and socks in the process. It was a moment I’ll never forget, as we’re all laughing as we splashed through the ankle-deep water. The last couple of hours of this day were walked slowly and steadily downhill, thus we reached the campsite in what felt like no time. The amazing team of chefs welcomed us with popcorn and biscuits with hot tea, which was just what we needed after the cold and wet journey. Dinner was phenomenal, we were met with a selection of chicken wings, pasta, fried vegetables and spring rolls. We had memorable and heartwarming conversations that night, making for a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere. We went back to our tents at around nine o’clock, and settled into our sleeping bags for the last time. This was by far my favourite night of the trip. – Dyala and Sonal

July 13th:

The breakfast at the campsite was delightful, and the team woke up to cornflakes, tea, coffee, porridge, some of us even opting for a plate of mango, curry, and bread. Once we had packed up our stuff from the tent, we were off again. Today was not a difficult walk, since we were going downhill along a road. There was also a fog, which was beautiful but a shame since we sometimes could not admire the view. However once it did clear, many of us were taking photos of the lovely river in sight, which was beautiful and winding through the mountains. On our travels, we passed a mourning ritual, so we got to see a lot of the locals, which Glyn spoke to in Nepali. After taking some narrower paths, we finally reached the coach and felt a sense of victory! Many of us were wearing large, colourful plastic bags to avoid the rain, so it was fun to take a photo by the coach.

The ride back was bumpy but fun, and then we stopped for lunch. It was the first time we were having soft drinks and a ‘French toilet’ for a while, so the team were very relieved! We got a variety of breads, noodles, and soups. We switched on our group playlist and had a good sing while driving down the bumps of the mountain. We then arrived at Kathmandu and ate dinner in the familiar hotel, given a buffet of different curries, rice, and pasta, ending the night with group games and activities. – Dyala and Sonal

July 14th:

When we woke up, the students and Ms Westwood went out for a western breakfast at the road house café. We ate pancakes and French toast and sandwiches to change up from what we had eaten for the past couple of days. Similar to our previous return to Thamel, we were given the option to recover and rest or continue our adventures through the area. After a long day of shopping, we showed each other what we had bought and made plans for dinner at the roadhouse café.

We had a quick walk through the rain as it bucketed down and when we arrived we prepared for our return home by ordering some of our favourite foods from the west. We heard some beautiful words from Glyn, Miss Herrera and Ms Westwood and we in turn shared our memories and gave gifts. After an eventful dessert, we braved the rain as we returned back to the hotel for one final night in Nepal. – Olivia

July 15th:

We woke up at 6am to eat an early breakfast so that we would beat the traffic once we left. We arrived at the airport in good time and checked our bags before waiting to go through security. Once we were through, we took a quick bus ride to the plane and had a 4 hour flight from Kathmandu to Qatar. Many of us managed to get a few additional hours of sleep on the first flight to try to ease the coming jet lag.

Once we arrived in Qatar, we had to go through security a second time before walking to our next flight. While we waited, many of us had Joe and the Juice and Saffron was able to get the jacket she had been thinking of all trip. After a short delay, we were able to get on our final flight home. Many of us rested up but our spirits were high at the thought of being home after two weeks away. Finally, after 7 hours, we reached Heathrow, and after passport control and quite the wait for our bags, we all said our goodbyes as we made our ways home. – Olivia