You will spend your day here shadowing veterinary doctors and may be called upon to assist them and to also go out onto the streets of Kathmandu to identify and rescue dogs that need treatment.  Consequently, you may find that tasks vary depending on the needs at the time. However, the main ones consist of, but are not limited to:

• Rescuing and treating injured street dogs
• Sterilisation of female dogs
• Help in feeding stray dogs
• Cleaning their enclosures
• Walking the dogs, cleaning and bathing them, etc.

Mandatory Orientation Day

On the Monday of your first week at this location, you will join our orientation day to get accustomed to your surroundings. Thereafter, your Animal Rehabilitation Volunteer Programme, here in Nepal, will continue as usual from Tuesday onward throughout the rest of the week.

Orientation Day Schedule (Monday)

• Welcoming Ritual – Puja to the Gods & goddess and name-giving ceremony with ice-breaking activities
• Review the schedule,
• Social behaviours norms dos & don’ts in Nepali culture
• Cross-culture seminar on eating, drinking, clothing bathing & toileting customs in Nepal
• Lunch
• Talk on safety & security during the program. Signing up the Code of Conduct, Child Protection Policy and Release & Waiver of Liability. Collection of passport copies, photos, and police clearance
• Information on placement and visiting the placement site.
• Assignment to find the local civics places in and around volunteer centre neighbourhood.
• Clothes shopping at the local market.

Weekly Schedule

Tuesday – Friday

• Breakfast
• Animal rehabilitation volunteering  2-3 hours
• Lunch
• Animal rehabilitation volunteering 2 hours
• Dinner

Please note:

This schedule can be changed depending on weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

Evenings and Weekends

At the end of your day as an Animal Rehabilitation Volunteer here in Kathmandu, you can choose to explore the area or simply relax with new friends back at your accommodation. In fact, many of our volunteers enjoy mixing with their new volunteer friends during the week and plan their weekend adventures together!

Places to Visit

The highlight of Kathmandu has long been Durbar Square, the largest of the palace squares in the three royal cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Temples and monuments of varying shapes, sizes, styles, and faiths can be found here. Thamel is also a tourist hotspot, where shoppers can find Nepalese, Tibetan and Indian artefacts, wood carvings, handicraft and unique clothing. In addition, there are also several malls where you can find all the basics you will need whilst here. Furthermore, if dining out is your thing, you can have a dish from a different country every night, with a plethora of restaurants serving local and international dishes!

Kathmandu Valley is a small, mountain-sheltered valley in the historical centre of Nepal, a place where kingdoms rose and fell, and where Nepali art and culture is central to its history. Rivers and streams run along the brick-red villages, and, excitingly, from here you can even catch a glimpse of the snow-capped peaks of the majestic Himalayas against the intense blue skies! Whatever you choose to do on you adventure, be sure that your stay here in Nepal as an Animal Rehabilitation Volunteer will be a memorable one!

About the Accommodation

Our volunteer centre is basic, but comfortable, and you will be staying in gender-based dorms. Additionally, you’ll find a mini library where you can read, a beautiful garden to relax in and dining and lounge areas where you can hang out with your fellow volunteers. Be aware, however, that there is a curfew of 22.30 at the house, to ensure the safety of yourself and others. Further, no alcohol can be brought into the houses.

Food Arrangements

Nepalese food is delicious, consisting mainly of vegetarian dishes including rice and vegetables.  Three meals a day on weekdays and two meals per day on weekends are included in our programme.  Further, our meals are a mix of Western and Nepalese food, and expect to have a chicken dish about once a week. (vegetarian options are always available). Alternatively, you can also choose to eat out at any of the local restaurants, however, there is also a refrigerator that you are welcome to use to store food and beverages.

Facilities

Our house is located five kilometres away from the city centre, where you can find anything you might need. Further, the nearest ATM and supermarket are only a 15-minute walk away from our accommodation.

Transportation

From this location we provide free transport to your next program at the following location(s):

• Buddhist Monastery
• Kavre
• Mate
• Pokhara

Population: Approx. 28.98 million
Capital: Kathmandu
Language: Nepali
Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR)
Time zone: UTC +5:45

Namaste and welcome to Nepal, a country of high Himalayan Mountains, artistic monuments, exotic wildlife, and diverse cultures. Located between 80 12′ east longitude and between 26 22′ and 30 27′ north latitude, Nepal extends along the south slopes of the Himalayas in central Asia.

Although Nepal is small, it has the greatest latitudinal variation of any country. The land rises from the southern plains of the Terai, barely above sea level at 70 meters, to the top of the Mt. Everest, the highest peak on Earth at 8848 meters above sea level, in a distance of less than 200 km.

Book your volunteer travel  holiday and experience one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world as well as the highest mountain ranges. Nepal has lush valleys that team with exotic wildlife ready to be explored on your gap year adventure.  It is a beautiful country located in South Asia bordering both India and China.  As you enjoy your volunteer travel experience in Nepal you will come across many remote monasteries and villages that adorn the stunning landscape where you will experience the best of Nepal.  The outstanding beauty and friendly Nepalese people are the main reasons people book gap year holidays to Nepal and why they are a popular choice with us.   We have a compreshensive selection of gap year holidays in Nepal with a number of teaching and community programs on offer.

Have a look at our latest gap year experiences in Nepal or contact us for more about work & travel in Nepal or your questions about specific programs.  The volunteer Nepal program is a very good way for you to experience the most of what the spiritual and enchanted land of Nepal has to offer. You may also choose to trek Mount Everest or smaller mountain hikes like Poon Hill.