Hawaii + Western USA Semester Program | Pacific Discovery
- United States of America
- Hawaii
About Program
This 10-week gap year semester program combines conservation volunteer projects in diverse reserves; outdoor expeditions including rock climbing, yoga and surfing; and educational adventure travel through the west’s stunning mountain, rainforest and desert environments.
Mountain bike through the famous red rocks of Sedona, stargaze on the summit of a dormant volcano in Hawaii, sled down the sand dunes of White Sands National Park and test your balance during a yoga retreat! You will also learn more about the weaving and cooking traditions of the Native Americans, the navigating skills of the indigenous Polynesians, and the National Parks’ efforts to mitigate deforestation and reintroduce endemic wildlife. Uncover more about your own backyard than you even knew existed.
Video and Photos
Diversity & Inclusion 💙
BIPOC Support
LGBTQIA+ Support
Neurodivergent Support
Accessibility Support
Impact 🌎
Sustainability
We recently embarked on a Net Positive Benefit project where we are qualifying what impacts our groups have on the local communities, taking into consideration carbon emissions +/- social impacts +/- conservation impacts +/- community impacts. On our programs, students engage with non-profit organisations such as Litter Intelligence, Scholars of Sustenance, Ulu Mau puanui, Llama Pack project where they directly work for a better future - planting trees, eradicating invasive weed species, helping local communities and food banks.
Ethical Impact
Program Highlights
- Yoga & hiking retreat in the otherworldly Joshua Tree National Park, California
- Sustainable farming project on Hawaii’s Big Island
- Rock-climbing skills camp in Joshua Tree
- Catch some waves off the Kona coastline during surf lessons
- Stargaze from the base of the Big Island’s most sacred peak - Mauna Kea