Program Reviews

The South American Explorer has been an amazing experience a memory that I will remember for life. I have had highs and lows on this trip. The highs are getting to the top of Machu Picchu. Another high is Yanacocha. I had amazing time there and wanted it to carry on. A low is getting altitude sickness for both of the treks. Another low would be having my biking accident in Banos. In this experience I have made friends for on this trip. This trip as been the best to end a year of traveling around the world.

I went into this program really nervous, not knowing what to expect, wanting to change my career, get into the outdoors, and start my travels with a purpose. This program fulfilled all of that and more, I have come out of my shell now, I have been able to make incredible unforgettable friends, and it has helped me make my career in the outdoors. I am lucky to be working in Australia as an outdoor educator 1 year on from having completed my course, and I believe the GapForce program has helped me achieve this.
My highlights from the trip are too long to add into this review, the jungle, the local tribe you get to meet, Costa Rica is amazing, cycling expedition was incredible. I am so happy I waited through Covid to get onto this trip.
The leaders were amazing, the skills of Gaz and the confidence he has in the jungle is so valuable it makes it feels comforting having him around.
Jade is just badass, so confident in the jungle, so knowledgeable about first aid and so many stories to be told especially about cycling.
Collin is just something, managed to work with him after I had finished with Gapforce and he is no different, so much laughter and banter you can have with him. Never a dull moment.

Thank you GapForce for an incredible expedition.

Tour guiding or leading expedition has always been something I wanted to do, but it also hard to get good contacts or get work when starting in the industry. The reason I chose to do the expedition leader training with gapforce, was because of the wide amount of theory and hands on training gained in 4 months to be a good leader. Have training in different environments ex: England and Costa Rica, all the certification achieved by the end the of it and the opportunity to gain a job out of it. Applying and completing the expedition leader training was the best decision I ever made it help me achieve many of my personal goal and lifestyle I was looking for. After putting hard work, discipline and positive attitude during my training i was given the opportunity by gapforce to be one of their own expedition leader. My dream job finally came true. I went from never leaving my own country to begin an international tour guide in just a couple of months. I'm still working with gapforce and I had the chance to lead a few expeditions. The amount of traveling, activities, contacts, friends and more opportunities gained from working with gapforce is absolutely amazing! To summarize it all, if you're looking for an experience with high intensity adventure that will boost your confidence, bring you great leadership skills... don't hesitate and join the training. This one in a lifetime experience will only bring you positive outcomes no matter what career or other path you take afterwards.

I believe that this course helps individuals build their life skills and learn new ones and also grow as a persin and learn new things about themselves and push comfort boundaries. This course has also helped me overcome challenges and gave me new and interesting topics and experiences to talk about and to remember. I would recommend this course to people willing to challange themselves so that they can have new life experiences. On this course I have been able to come closer to wildlife than I was expecting l, which gave me the ability to enjoy the flora and fauna of Costa Rica even more and see how everything in the jungle coexists. Rhis has been a really eye opening trip for me as I have also been able to learn more about the Bribri people and their way of life.

I chose this trip because of my initial worries about being a solo female traveller with no experience. The description of the expedition in the brochure detailed a mixture of volunteering, exploring and relaxing and I can confidently say the trip ticks all three boxes. You truly get an authentic experience as you volunteer at the amazing elephant sanctuary (a real highlight of the trip), explore temples or visit waterfalls, celebrate local traditions and appreciate a new culture and cuisine. For someone who wants to gain proper travelling experience and exposure to an entirely different way of life whilst simultaneously staying safe, with the guarantee of making friends and lifelong memories, I really can’t recommend this trip enough. Our team leader Magnus really made the trip, consistently making everyone feel at ease and comfortable, and often going over and above to make you feel reassured in nerve wracking situations that will naturally come with being in an entirely new and different country. His support and knowledge was the best safety blanket as a first time traveller, whilst also a good insight into how to manage mix-ups and what to do when things go wrong. Overall, the trip is the perfect springboard for those looking to gain confidence and experience proper backpacking travel, and by the end of it, you’re ready for the freedom to lean away from a tight group itinerary and embrace the spontaneity of solo travelling that you’re impatient to start it all over again by yourself, or even with the friends you made along the way!

I had a wonderful time on the south east Asia 8 week trip, I’ve met some amazing people that I will continue to stay in touch with. There were lots of adventurous activities led by our leader, Magnus, who would always ensure our safety as well as support us when we were ill. It is an amazing first trip to introduce travelling if you are nervous, but it has a rigid and set schedule with not much room for leeway. I really enjoyed the time and the people I met so I would enjoy for any first time travelers.

I had a fantastic time on the sea 8 week program!
Had the most amazing experiences, meeting many new friends and doing stuff I would never have done if traveling on my own. From spending a week at the elephant sanctuary, building a house for a family in need, to hiking in the most magnificent caves.
Our leader Magnus organized everything for us, which made the trip stress free.
This trip had a great mix of cities, beaches and hikes in the mountain, so would definitely recommend this trip for any one in their gap year looking for an adventure, you won’t regret it!!

The SEA 8 week programme is a great trip full of activities to experience new cultures, foods and people! I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment, especially because I have been surrounded by a great group of friends and an amazing leader, Magnus. He has been very organised and supportive whilst providing us with the freedom to do what we want in our free time. If any one of us were ill, he was quick to respond and provide the necessary measures to support us. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone wanting to travel and be adventurous in their gap year- you definitely won’t regret it!

The experience is fun, but if you are looking at this as a first step to work in the outdoors and already know how to behave outside, look elsewhere.
This is a program for very young people with no experience, and it's also totally not as hardcore as they sell it. Forget the label "expedition". Totally misleading. This is much more a Tour Guide thing then a Wilderness or Adventure Guide.

No focus on jobs. Never in the full duration we talked about navigating the industry. We did do an infinity of other useless workshops, though. "How to talk to collegues and head office", for instance. Answer: politely. Duration: 1h.
I'm not kidding.

They are also uninterested in training you. Some people kept doing things terribly and the instructors didn't care to correct them or explain again. Feedback is always positive no matter your performances, which in the long term is nauseating and unhelpful.
They win the moment you pay. Wonder why there is no selection process? Right.

The focus is solely on soft skills. You finish the program with nothing to show for it. The most concrete things we "learned" were... shopping for 5-6 days. Taking care of a budget for a week.
No hard skills learned besides reading a map and a compass. No knots, nothing technical.

Their marketing team does a great job at showing a much better program than what it actually is. Btw we also didn't do some of the best parts in the program, for no reason (rafting and mountain tops).

All in all, good fun, some things you will learn, but besides the chance to babysit in their programs don't expect this to be much else than proof of commitment on your CV.

If you never went outside your home, this is the program for you. If you are older and just a little more experienced, you'll be disappointed.

The course is about building up the qualities and skills needed in a leader, through various activities which as mainly practical and hands on. It’s an experience where the more you put in the more you get out, so if you are the type of person to throw your all into things this is for you. I have really enjoyed being in the jungle, arguably the most unique part of the trip. Thanks to the skilled and professional instructors we were able to live and experience the rainforest in all its glory whilst learning how to make shelters, do water rescues and much more.

I would recommend this course to people who are comfortable with being uncomfortable and enjoy a good challenge.

It was a really fun experience and the group I had doing it were all super supportive and it was nice to meet some likeminded people