WildChina works with schools from all over the world to deliver hands-on travel experiences that challenge students and expand their global understanding. Here’s a look back from our education travel team on some of their favorite student travel moments last year.
1. Week on Mother Nature and Sustainability in Zhejiang
“I didn’t know I could walk that far…now I know that if I believe in myself, I can hike over two mountains!”
Korean Middle School Student
On one of our most environmentally meaningful trips, we led students through the forested hills, moss-covered streams, and rural countryside of Moganshan giving them an interactive lecture on the importance of bamboo as a natural resource in southern China. Later we cranked their brains to create a raft from simple tools, knots, and bamboo at a beautiful water reservoir. The students then stayed in an isolated village hidden within layers of bamboo hills. Okay, so maybe they didn’t necessarily love planting rice seedlings in muddy fields, but that and all the other unique experiences at Moganshan will forever remain in their memories.
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2. Camping Foundations in Guangxi
“I’ll never forget joking with my friends when we hiked to our camp site, and it was surrounded by cool mountains!”
American High School Student
This student was in the middle of cooking up breakfast under the kitchen tent with a team of classmates when a tour leader asked him about what he had liked so far. WildChina likes to combine education and fun into everything we do. For our outdoor and service journey to Yangshuo, we added cooking and cleaning techniques to our camping curriculum. We must say, the students learned quickly and made some really good grub to boot. Yum!
Yangshuo is a very popular tourist destination, but in this program, we stepped away from the beaten path by spending time in the outdoors—hiking, rock climbing, rafting. We also worked with locals to conduct a full-day service project. Students built a sustainable stove for a village to mitigate littering.
Discover our student tours to Yangshou near Guilin
3. Desert Survival Workshop in Inner Mongolia
“What if we fill the bottles with sand?”
Italian Middle School Student
How can you collect water with empty water bottles, some plastic bags, a bowl, and endless sand dunes? It sounds like a trick question, but this student with his group put their brains together to successfully make a solar still, a handmade tool to distill water with the help of a little condensation. Channeling Bear Grylls, we fused together critical thinking and fun with a desert survival course as a way for students to build on their camping foundations.
Beyond the desert, this trip brought students to diverse landscapes of Inner Mongolia from the fringes of the Gobi to luscious grasslands alongside nomadic Mongolians. The sunrise above the dunes and Milky Way blanketing grasslands were the twin cherries on top that portrayed the absolute beauty of this less-traveled province. The dune sliding and the Nadaam-style wrestling tournament were definitely student favorites.
Want to sign up for some sandsliding and tasty Mongolian barbeque in the desert? Check out our Inner Mongolia student tour.
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4. Climbing and Kayaking in Fujian
“The second time I went zip-lining I kept my eyes open!”
British High School Student
This student and many of her classmates conquered their fear of heights when they cheered on each other as one-by-one zipped across a canyon, carabineer and all. These students had a blast enjoying climbing natural rocks. WildChina specializes in creating cultural journeys, and our program to Fujian brought together a great mix of cultural wonders—three-story mud homes—and outdoor adventure—zip lining, climbing, hiking and kayaking.
Students gave back to the local environment on this trip by becoming aware of mangrove ecology and the importance of its conservation, and produced a project based on interviews with local farmers. They ended with a fabulous time on Gulangyu Island on a mud home scavenger hunt.
Embark on a journey to Fujian’s Hakka tulou homes with WildChina.
