Cancel Save Where There Be Dragons: Gap Semester Programs (5 reviews)
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Details
Listing Type:Gap Year Programs
Program Delivery:Residential
Destinations:Bolivia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Senegal, Spain, Thailand, Nepal, Taiwan, Guatemala
Credit Awarded:College, None
Program Length:Six Weeks, Semester
Start Month:February, September
Category:Travel/Cultural Immersion
Selective:No
Gender:Coed
Ages:18, 19+, 19
Housing:Homestay, Hotel, Other, Tents
Application Fee:$850
Affiliation:Gap Year Association
Financial Aid:Grants/Scholarships, Payment Terms
Minimum Cost:$5,000 - $9,999
Call: (303) 413-0822
Last Updated:January 2025
Meeting: Schedule a Meeting
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Overview
For over 30 years, Dragons has run the most immersive travel programs available. Offering meaningful—and real—opportunities to engage as travelers rather than tourists, students are able to truly connect with the people and places they visit. Dragons programs are for curious students, who want to experience new realities and go beyond mainstream experiences. Through expert mentorship and support, students ultimately return home with new perspectives, and essential life skills.
Our approach is simple: build meaningful and long-lasting relationships with local communities, work with the best instructors, and stay true to our responsible travel ethics. Travel with purpose and gain skills. Hear stories, discover fresh perspectives, and engage with critical global issues.
Dragons students are travelers, not tourists. Dragon Gap Year Programs are authentic, rugged, and profound opportunities that expose students to the beautiful and complex realities of the countries in which they travel. Programs give students the rare opportunity to genuinely experience the places they travel and create meaningful connections across cultures. Several of Dragons Gap Year programs are available for college credit.
Immersive + Well-Rounded: Dragons students are travelers, not tourists. Course itineraries are built around nine Program Components which engage students in a wide range of hands-on activities such as homestays, trekking, apprenticeships, and language learning.
Small Groups + Professional Instructors: A typical group consists of 12 students and 3 instructors to ensure each student receives individual support and mentorship. On average our instructors are 30+ years of age, have 4+ years living abroad, and are fluent in the local language.
Handcrafted Experiences: We run a limited number of programs because we value quality over quantity. And we never run the same trip twice each program itinerary is intentional and directly infused with the regional expertise and passions of instructors.
Safety: Safety is our first priority. Over almost 30 years we’ve built robust risk management systems and have been vetted by key partners including Princeton University, Tufts University, the Gap Year Association, and the US Secret Service.
Responsible Travel: Dragons programs are environmentally conscious and committed to building meaningful connections. We run longer programs that maximize time abroad, offset carbon emissions, and empower students to learn service responsibly.
Cost and Session Information
Where There Be Dragons Gap Year Dates:
Fall Semester: September 15th - December 3rd
Spring Semester: February 11th - May 1st
Cost for programs varies and is listed on each specific program page
Where There Be Dragons Gap Year Semester Programs:
Optional College Credit is Available
Japan: Arts, Food, & Culture
Guatemala/Mexico Semester: Spanish Language & Social Justice
Senegal Semester: Youth Leadership, Culture, & Art
Morocco & Spain Semester: Crossroads of Culture & Borderlands
Nepal Semester: Himalayan Studies
Bhutan Extension: 10-day Experience
Southeast Asia & China Semester: Travel Intensive
India Semester: Environmental & Climate Change Intensive
China Semester: Mandarin Language Intensive
Indonesia Semester: Conservation and Culture in the World's Largest Archipelago
South America Semester: Andes & Amazon
Reviews For Where There Be Dragons: Gap Semester Programs (5)
This program changed my life...Reviewed on Jan/29/2026
This program changed my life! I loved being in a such a tight knit group of people who started out as strangers and soon became my best friends. I learned some Nepali which was so cool - enough to communicate with my two homestay families! I loved doing an independent study project about Yoga. Now I'm a yoga teacher, actually :-) this program got me outside of my comfort zone in ways that felt approachable. Had I ever slept in a tent before embarking on a three week trek through the Himalayas? No, but Dragons taught me how to be resilient and strong and so, when our trek came halfway through our program, I felt I could tackle it head on.
I was when I took...Reviewed on Jan/26/2026
I was 18 when I took a gap semester to Nepal and my experience has been with me ever since!! The way I learned to connect people wildly different than me, helped me to understand our common ground. I take this with me everyday. Essential skills for any world.
The best experience of my...Reviewed on Jan/26/2026
The best experience of my life. I am still in touch with my instructors and many people from my program even years later. This experience completely influenced what I studied in college, and I grew so much. I would recommend Dragons to anyone who wants a transformative, and truly immersive experience.
This program inspired me to...Reviewed on Dec/16/2021
My Dragons West Africa semester program in 2013 inspired me to go to grad school and pursue a Masters in Anthropology at SOAS University of London with a focus on the history of colonization. But when I look back on the program, the thing that mattered most was the human connections. I'm still in touch with people from our group, and with our drum teacher and homestay families. There was always room for magic on this program. I'll never forget one sleepy night in a small village in southern Senegal with no electricity, someone in our group started playing guitar and two of the homestay moms started dancing. Out of nowhere, some drummers showed up. Soon there were like 70 people (old and young) dancing in the compound. The impromptu party kept going until 2 in the morning!
Where There Be Dragons really...Reviewed on Mar/25/2014
Where There Be Dragons really and truly changed my life. I gained a sense of independence, a strength of character, and a feeling that I could conquer any obstacles that came in my way. I met a truly exceptional group of people, people who I was able to get to know in such a deep and personal way due to our shared experiences. Going to India was by far the most interesting, scary, and amazing experience, and without this program, I would never have been able to experience it the way that I did. Our instructors definitely did an amazing job, for they not only provided help when we needed it, but also allowed us to truly grow in this strange environment. The times I remember most are the times when I or other members in the group had to step up, assume responsibility, and lead the group on. This program is not for those who are not willing to open their hearts and their eyes, and to this day I think of this trip as one of the more difficult things I have ever done. However, it was by far the most amazing thing. I learned to open my eyes in a way I did not dream was possible, I learned to accept things about myself that before I could barely acknowledge, and, above all else, I came back a better person, a better citizen of this world. I cannot do Dragons justice just with these 5 stars and this jumbled review, but to anyone reading this, i beg of you, take a leap of faith, just as I did. You will be changed forever.
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