Election Day is not the easiest for flying out of Kathmandu, all roads are closed. But if you find yourself needing to get around on said day, apparently a scooter ride under the cover of early morning darkness is the

Read moreROAD CLOSURES, HELI-HITCHIN, AND MEDEVACS, OH MY!

This has been a year of geographic expansion for SOI with new courses in Washington State, USA, then Tajikistan, and now the Himalaya of Nepal. Each new territory can bring new challenges of language, marketing and student needs. Despite the

Read moreHELPING CAN BE HARD, BUT WE CARRY ON, HIMALAYA HERE WE COME!

Excerpt from the seminal paper by UK’s Department for International Development reflecting on the crucial role tourism can play in developing countries. “Tourism is the fastest growing industry in the world, and tourism in developing countries is growing twice as

Read moreIMPORTANCE OF TOURISM FOR DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION

The group spent 4 rainy days in the Sidz valley where they established a BC at about 12,000 ft. The weather limited the climbing opportunities, but 10 students learned the basics of backpacking and alpine LNT, plus they got plenty

Read morePAMIR MOUNTAIN TRAINING

The team made the 14 hour drive on an ancient route that was part of the Silk Road and is now the World’s second highest international highway. The M41, along the Tajikistan and Afghanistan border, took them into Pamir to

Read moreINTO THE PAMIR