Adventure Education Trips
Padma adventure education trips are operated by Padma Adventures LLC. They are designed to immerse trip members in the new environments and off the well trodden tourist path.
Trips include educational elements focused on culture, socioeconomic issues, sustainable living practices, and conservation. These trips include adventure activities specific to trip location, such as surfing and scuba diving in Indonesia, mountain climbing in Ecuador, or backpacking in the Azores Islands.
Whenever possible, we include activities with local professionals who have inspired us, and are accomplishing forward thinking projects intended to benefit communities and the environment. This may be marine scientists in the Azores, reef restoration experts in Indonesia, or permaculture farmers in Brazil. From these partnerships with local professionals, trip members often gain insight and inspiration into their own potential university majors, career paths. Getting out of the classroom and hanging out with role models who are all around good human beings, living productive and fulfilling lives doing what they love is something all students should experience, and we strive to provide it.
OUR 2024 TRIPS AT A GLANCE
Azores 10-Day April Adventure
Designed to immerse students in the rich culture, verdant mountains, and clear blue ocean waters of the Azores Islands, this trip explores three of the nine Azores Islands. It includes beachfront camping, hiking, backpacking and a summit ascent of Pico Peak, the highest point in Portugal. Ocean activities include learning about marine conservation and swimming with dolphins, and students will learn about the culture of these unique islands.
Azores Adventure Education
Designed to immerse students in the rich culture, verdant mountains, and clear blue ocean waters of the Azores Islands, this trip explores three of the nine Azores Islands. It includes beachfront camping, hiking, backpacking and a summit ascent of Pico Peak, the highest point in Portugal. Ocean activities include learning about marine conservation and swimming with dolphins, and students will learn about the culture of these unique islands.
Azores Scuba and Marine Science
Engage in whale conservation research and scuba-dive-focused marine conservation. Dive with giant mobula rays, dolphins, whales, sharks, whale sharks, and countless fish, as part of identification and data collection for ongoing research. Ike and camp while seeing flora & fauna found nowhere else in the world.
Indonesia Photography Deep Dive
Travel across Indonesia with a professional nature and underwater photographer and educator. Each day of this trip includes photography and videography tutorials and assignments. This Trip begins in Bali, exploring in and around the ancient city of Ubud. After a few days on the remote northeast coast of Bali we fly to the Komodo National Park. In partnership with marine conservation organizations, we’ll capture shots and footage in the clear waters around Komodo while scuba diving. Staying aboard a sailboat we’ll travel island to island with different dive sites every day. After diving, we’ll visit Komodo Island to get up close and personal with Komodo dragons while learning about their habitat and ongoing threats from overdevelopment. We then spend a few days on Nusa Lembongan capturing underwater images of manta rays for ongoing identification research. Surfing and freediving instruction is also on the agenda, before heading to the surf and yoga mecca of Canggu on our last day before heading home.
Bali/Komodo Scuba And Sail
If you’re into marine science, scuba diving, and travelling to incredible locations, this is your trip. The trip begins in Bali where trip members work on a reef restoration project while staying next to the beach. There are a few refresher scuba dives while here to hone our dive skills for what’s to come. The focus of the trip is a liveaboard sail trip from island to island, beginning from Komodo Island where students learn about ocean biodiversity and conservation while scuba diving in some of the clearest and most life rich waters on the planet. The trip also spends a day on Komodo Island with the dragons, learning about the island and ongoing preservation methods and challenges. The trip then heads to the islands Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida where freedive instruction is coupled with diving with manta rays as part of ongoing research efforts. Take a surf lesson or two on the islands if you'd like, with local professional instructors.