Our purpose

Himalayan Gap is driven by one simple force—the passion to provide highly innovative, personalized, and comprehensive cultural immersion programs in the Indian subcontinent. We pride ourselves in our meticulous planning and deep personal involvement that allows us to customize each program to our group's needs. From working for months in advance with faculty members to tailor-make their study-abroad program, to improvising on the spot to accommodate wishes of individual participants, we strive to help you experience and understand India in the most nuanced way and form possible.

How are we different?

The Himalayan Gap experience is not simply one that rests on creative planning, original activities, and ensuring the safety and comfortable transition of the group in India; it particularly implies the passion, energy, and knowledge of its directors, Rajiv, Anu, and Anchal, who are in constant dialogue with students at all levels. Having lived in both India and the United States for several years, we can boast of a level of cultural sensitivity that allows us to put students at ease such that any sense of alienation or rejection from a foreign culture like India’s is prevented. Unlike many other companies, we are not a corporation, where your program in India occupies page 38 in a 100-page brochure, and neither are we tour guides that simply accompany the group on a pre-planned itinerary. We are a family that is passionate about sharing with you our understanding of our country and making sure you encounter India in the most open-hearted way possible.

From personally tending to a tummy-ache at three in the morning, to explaining how laws pertaining to donations at Hindu temples symbolize the nebulous, if existing, Hindu partition between the sacred and the secular, to teaching Indian cooking on-the-move on our rafting trip along the Ganges, we are committed to deploying our understanding and knowledge of Western and Indian culture to make each program the most meaningful experience for each student. We are proud to say that our testimonials, from students, professors, and parents, speak to this commitment.

Welcome to Himalayan Gap! We hope you will consider our program for a truly unique gap year.