HIMALAYAN OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM
Dear Friends,
​
Forty years of expedition guiding and exploring the Himalayas have made it my second home. It’s a place that continues to inspire my dreams and my work – and I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of establishing close relationships with many local adventure professionals across the region. As a unique group of people whose livelihoods are intimately tied to the mountains and rivers, we experience first-hand – every season – the profound impact that rapid regional development is having across the Himalayas. Roads, dams, tourism infrastructure – all signs of progress – are transforming the landscape in ways both inspiring and concerning.
​
Against this backdrop, I’ve often asked myself:
​
“What can we do to make a meaningful difference?”
​
The birth of the Himalayan Outdoor Education Program (HOEP) was our answer.
​
HOEP partners with professional Himalayan adventure outfitters to do what we do best – design and lead adventures, only this time in collaboration with local communities and government schools. The goal is not just to engage local Himalayan youth, but to inspire them. Because they are the future protectors and stewards of these mountains and rivers we all call home.
​
While thousands of foreign visitors come every year to trek, climb, raft, or kayak in the Himalayas, local communities often lack access, resources, or mentors to safely explore their own natural surroundings. As a result, generation after generation grows up in the shadow of these wild places, yet rarely experiences them with the wonder and joy that visitors do – nor are they given the tools or encouragement to understand how vital it is to protect them.
HOEP is changing that narrative.
​
Through innovative partnerships between outdoor professionals and dedicated schools, we’ve created a multi-day outdoor education program specifically for 10th-grade Himalayan students—an opportunity to step outside the classroom and into the wild. There, through risk, effort, and embracing the unknown, they learn what it truly means to go on an authentic adventure. Our programs cultivate leadership, build confidence, deepen respect for nature, and plant the seeds of curiosity, purpose, and stewardship.
​
We’ve just completed our initial two-year pilot – the first of its kind in the Himalayas – and are now entering an exciting new phase focused on curriculum design and program expansion, with a goal of reaching all 10th-grade students across our five partner schools. Our vision is to grow HOEP into a scalable, region-wide model for outdoor education.
​
Each HOEP location is carefully chosen based on three criteria:
​
-
Proximity to wild rivers and mountain terrain,
-
Partnership with a trusted, high-quality local guiding company,
-
Commitment and enthusiasm from a local secondary school.
​
This model allows each program to become a hub of community-based learning and mentorship – rooted in local expertise, cultural relevance, and a shared love of the outdoors.
​
Our mission is to equip the next generation with the confidence, skills, and perspective to protect the Himalayas – and to imagine what’s possible for themselves and their communities.
​
I hope you’ll join us. Help us grow HOEP. Help us re-imagine what’s possible.
And help us shape the future of the Himalayas, one student at a time.
​
Excited to share more with you soon.
With gratitude and respect,
Gerry Moffatt
Executive Director, HOEP
​
HIMALAYAN OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM
Dear Friends,
​
Forty years of expedition guiding and exploring the Himalayas have made it my second home. It’s a place that continues to inspire my dreams and my work – and I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of establishing close relationships with many local adventure professionals across the region. As a unique group of people whose livelihoods are intimately tied to the mountains and rivers, we experience first-hand – every season – the profound impact that rapid regional development is having across the Himalayas. Roads, dams, tourism infrastructure – all signs of progress – are transforming the landscape in ways both inspiring and concerning.
​
Against this backdrop, I’ve often asked myself:
​
“What can we do to make a meaningful difference?”
​
The birth of the Himalayan Outdoor Education Program (HOEP) was our answer.
​
HOEP partners with professional Himalayan adventure outfitters to do what we do best – design and lead adventures, only this time in collaboration with local communities and government schools. The goal is not just to engage local Himalayan youth, but to inspire them. Because they are the future protectors and stewards of these mountains and rivers we all call home.
​
While thousands of foreign visitors come every year to trek, climb, raft, or kayak in the Himalayas, local communities often lack access, resources, or mentors to safely explore their own natural surroundings. As a result, generation after generation grows up in the shadow of these wild places, yet rarely experiences them with the wonder and joy that visitors do – nor are they given the tools or encouragement to understand how vital it is to protect them.
HOEP is changing that narrative.
​
Through innovative partnerships between outdoor professionals and dedicated schools, we’ve created a multi-day outdoor education program specifically for 10th-grade Himalayan students—an opportunity to step outside the classroom and into the wild. There, through risk, effort, and embracing the unknown, they learn what it truly means to go on an authentic adventure. Our programs cultivate leadership, build confidence, deepen respect for nature, and plant the seeds of curiosity, purpose, and stewardship.
​
We’ve just completed our initial two-year pilot – the first of its kind in the Himalayas – and are now entering an exciting new phase focused on curriculum design and program expansion, with a goal of reaching all 10th-grade students across our five partner schools. Our vision is to grow HOEP into a scalable, region-wide model for outdoor education.
​
Each HOEP location is carefully chosen based on three criteria:
​
-
Proximity to wild rivers and mountain terrain,
-
Partnership with a trusted, high-quality local guiding company,
-
Commitment and enthusiasm from a local secondary school.
​
This model allows each program to become a hub of community-based learning and mentorship – rooted in local expertise, cultural relevance, and a shared love of the outdoors.
​
Our mission is to equip the next generation with the confidence, skills, and perspective to protect the Himalayas – and to imagine what’s possible for themselves and their communities.
​
I hope you’ll join us. Help us grow HOEP. Help us re-imagine what’s possible.
And help us shape the future of the Himalayas, one student at a time.
​
Excited to share more with you soon.
With gratitude and respect,
Gerry Moffatt
Executive Director, HOEP
​
WHERE WE WORK
Explore our impact across Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nepal, where trusted local partners deliver transformative outdoor learning for Himalayan youth.
WHERE WE WORK
Explore our impact across Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nepal, where trusted local partners deliver transformative outdoor learning for Himalayan youth.
WHERE WE WORK
Explore our impact across Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nepal, where trusted local partners deliver transformative outdoor learning for Himalayan youth.
WHERE WE WORK
Explore our impact across Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nepal, where trusted local partners deliver transformative outdoor learning for Himalayan youth.
WHERE WE WORK
Explore our impact across Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nepal, where trusted local partners deliver transformative outdoor learning for Himalayan youth.
WHERE WE WORK
Explore our impact across Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nepal, where trusted local partners deliver transformative outdoor learning for Himalayan youth.
WHERE WE WORK
Explore our impact across Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nepal, where trusted local partners deliver transformative outdoor learning for Himalayan youth.
Mahendra Thapa
Owner, Equator Expeditions
Kathmandu, Nepal
“I’ve spent my life in adventure travel and worked with Gerry Moffatt for over 30 years. HOEP is an opportunity to take all we’ve learned and shape it into an experience that empowers disadvantaged youth—what could be more rewarding?”
Vaibhav Kala
Owner, Aquaterra Adventures
Uttarakhand, India
“We have built our lives in adventure tourism and as stewards of the land. HOEP gives Himalayan youth that same chance—building skills, confidence, and a deep connection to the natural world, so they can carry these experiences into their future.”
Ram Silwal
Owner, Royal Beach Camp
Charundi, Nepal
“Royal Beach Campus partnered with HOEP to strengthen our commitment to world-class outdoor leadership training for Nepali youth—fostering a deep bond with nature and inspiring hope for the next generation.”
Chotak Tsering
Owner, Wet n Wild Exporations
Ladakh, India,
Arunachal Pradesh, India
“We’ve always believed Himalayan youth deserve the skills and confidence that come from outdoor education. HOEP brings the structure, expertise, and global experience to make that vision real—for them, and for us.”
Coming Soon To
BHUTAN
