Madagascar: Island of Diversity High School Summer Program
This program has been paused and is currently not being offered. View more programs from Where There Be Dragons.
Video and Photos
About
Madagascar: the eighth continent. Stunningly diverse and colossal in size, more than 80% of the plant and animal species in Madagascar are not found anywhere else in the world. The Malagasy people are similarly unique. Over the past 2,000 years, immigrants have paddled dugout canoes across the Indian Ocean and floated rafts across the Mozambique Channel, blending the influences of Southeast Asia and Africa into a distinct Malagasy identity. Over the course of the summer, we uncover the diverse narratives of the Malagasy people, as well as the diverse species that inhabit this incredible island.
Highlights
- Take a first-hand look at Madagascar's stunning biological and cultural diversity, focusing on local conservation efforts in parks and coastal areas.
- Examine how the political situation has affected local development and meet with local conservation and community organizations.
- Spend six days in a home-stay in a coastal fishing community and five days with a family in a Merina community on the central plateau.
- Learn to speak basic Malagasy through frequent language lessons and practice your French at any level through immersion and supplementary lessons.
- Walk through Madagascar's unique landscapes on a 3-4 day trek in Isalo National Park, spend 2 days hiking in Ranomafana National Park, and enjoy day and night hikes in other parts of the country.
New: Fall and Spring Domestic Gap Semesters
We are excited to announce two North American Gap Semesters - the Rio Grande Semester: Stories of Culture, Identity, & Environment Along the Southern Border and the Colorado River Basin Semester: Sustainable Relationships with Land and Water in the Western United States.