CHARITY CHALLENGES FOR 2009
Fundraise | Travel | Get Fit | Stay Healthy
Namibia | India | Norway | China | Kilimanjaro | Sahara | Peru | Little Tibet | Jordan | Charity Bike Ride | Community Project | Fundraising Trek
An Open Charity Challenge, Trek, Project or Dog Sled, means that you can choose the trip you want to take part in and then raise money for whichever charity you choose, big or small national or international, the only condition is that they must be registered in the UK.
You get a great challenge, your charity gets a load of cash and we get to work with great people in incredible places.
A bit of reassuring blurb. Across The Divide have been running charity and corporate challenges since 1996 and have helped to raise almost £30 million. We pride ourselves on being the safest around offering the best for our clients. The events are often life changing experiences; you visit amazing parts of the world, learn about different cultures and share the spirit of adventure with like-minded people. We ensure that there is at least one qualified UK doctor, with charity expedition experience, on every challenge. All our challenge medical staff have to complete the Expedition and Wilderness Medicine for Medical Professionals Course which is the most comprehensive course of its type for expedition medicine. Medics might also go on to gain further experience by also attending the Polar, Jungle or Desert Medicine courses in addition.
Don’t take our word for how good we are – heres what other people have said.
‘An excellent experience. Thank you so much for a fantastically organised and enjoyable challenge’. Costa Rica Challenge
‘It was my second trek with across the divide, and both have been amazing experiences. People say that staff are hand picked in my job as a Macmillan breast care nurse. I feel that is the same for the members of your team that I have met so far and I felt really safe in the knowledge your team would be able to cope in a calm and responsible manner with most eventualities’. Nepal Base Camp Trek
‘A truly amazing experience which I shall treasure for the rest of my life. I met some wonderful people, saw some beautiful places and have stored away some remarkable memories’. Sahara Trek
What challenges are on offer?
China, Trek the Great Wall of China
Our China trek offers a truly unique experience. Not only is it a chance to visit one of the world’s most impressive historical sites but also, as a result of our local contacts, it offers a rare opportunity to trek and camp in a remote part of rural China and to experience local life in its most unspoilt state.
Step back in time
What it really like | Difficulty Level: Moderate | Terrain: Sections of Steps, Very steep in places, Flagstone, farm tracks and road | Accommodation: Hotels, Camping | Trekking Time: 5- 7 Hours of activity per day 10- 20km per day.
Find out more | Great Wall of China Trek | Webpage | Application Form | More info
Dogsledding above the Arctic Circle
Sledding over 200 kilometres from our base camp into the wilds of the most northern European country of Norway, mushing and looking after your own dog team as your travel through some of Europes most remote wildnerness areas.
An incredibly unique experience.
What’s it really like | Difficulty level: Moderate/difficult Terrain: Snowy and icy, hilly in sections, may involve running in the hilly sections Accommodation: Lodges, Cabins, Hotels | Sledding Time: 8 hours activity, 25-60km per day
Find out more | Charity Dogsledding Trek | Webpage | Application Form | More info
Everest Base Camp Trek
Our ultimate trekking challenge follows in the footsteps of Hilary and Tensing Norgay and to the base camp of Everest, the world’s highest mountain. Supported by Across the Divide’s famous standards for safety and group management, the challenge provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for participants. The trek follows the main route up to Base Camp and passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
What’s it really like | Difficulty Level: Extreme, Altitude adds to the challenge | Terrain: Steep ascents, mountain tracks, Icy and cold in places | Trekking Time: 3-9 hours per day | Altitude: 2623-5364m
Find out more | Nepal EBC Trek | Webpage | Application Form | More info
Sahara Trek
A trek into the Sahara is the ultimate challenge. The Sahara is the world’s biggest desert, larger than the entire United State’s, a vast sea of sand and rock (or 3.5 million square miles of sand and rock) swept by raging winds and shifting dunes. And yet, for centuries, explorers, adventurers and traders have been moved to uncover it mysteries and pit their wits against its fickle topography.
This is not an adventure for the faint hearted.
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Moderate | Terrain: Sandy, Dry loose rocky paths, steep sections, valleys | Accommodation: Hotels, Camping | Trekking Time: 5-25km per day, 8 hours activity per day
Find out more | Sahara Trek | Webpage | Application Form | More info
Peru, Trekking on the Inca Trail
Across the Divide have created a unique route which only we have permission to use, away from the hustle and bustle of the main Inca Trail, which our compatitors have opted for. We use a previously unknown valley where we have helped to rediscover otherwise neglected ruins, constructed toilets helping to promote better health, and community structures in villages that do not otherwise benefit from the monies generated by tourism.
View it differantly.
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Moderate/Difficult, Altitude adds to challenge | Terrain: Steep sections, stone walkways, dirt paths, forest tracks | Accommodation: Hotels, Camping | Trekking Time: 8 hours activity per day | Altitude: 2900-3958m
Find out more | Peru Inca Trek | Webpage | Application Form | More info
Ladakh Himalayan Challenge
This truly is a stunning trek through the Magical Buddhist kingdom of Ladakh, passing charming villages and monasteries, and offering magnificent views of the Himalayas including the highest peak Stok Kangri at 6100m, Karakoram and the rugged Zanskar range.
Explore ‘Little Tibet’
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Difficult, Altitude adds to challenge | Terrain: Steep sections, Gravel, rocky paths mountain trails | Accommodation: Hotels, Camping | Trekking Time: 4-8 hours, 8-15km per day | Temperature: Delhi min25/max34 – Leh min8/max25.
Find out more | Ladakh ’Little Tibet’ Trek | Webpage | Application Form | More info
Climb Kilimanjaro
One of the most magnificent sights in Africa, Kilimanjaro’s snow capped peak climbs 5000 metres over the surrounding plains. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding mountain in the world, made up of 3 volcanoes, Kibo (5896m), Mawenzi (5149m) and Shira (3962m), all of which have been lying dormant for centuries.
Get to the top of Africa.
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Extreme, Altitude adds to the challenge | Terrain: Steep ascents, Forest paths, mountain tracks, snow and ice | Accommodation: Hotels, Camping | Trekking time: 5-10 hours per day | Altitude: 1140-4571m.
Find out more | Climb Kilimanjaro | Webpage | Application Form | More info
Jordan Exploration
A well-travelled bridge between sea and desert, east and west, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a land of mesmerizing beauty and contrasts, from the Jordan Valley, fertile, ever changing, to the remote desert canyons, immense and still. Trek a little known trail along an ancient caravan route to the ‘Hidden Path’ – a secret entrance to ‘rose red city of Petra.
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Tough – quite a lot of up and down | Terrain: Steep ascents, Canyons, mountain tracks |Accommodation: Hotels, Camping | Trekking time: 5-8 hours per day | Altitude: -400 (Dead Sea Valley) – 1100m.
Find out more | Jordan Charity Trek | Webpage | Application Form | More info
India, Land of Kings Bike Ride
Our exhilarating bike ride starts in Bundi, a captivating little town which has retained a medieval atmosphere, and finishes at Bharatpur National Park. We travel along the Aravali mountain range (the oldest mountain range in the world), past tribal villages, fascinating temples, dense forest, sandy deserts, with views of dramatic ruined forts.
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Moderate – some hilly sections | Terrain: Tarmac roads, some tracks, gravel and occasionally rocky trails | Accommodation: Hotels, Camping | Cycling time: 30-85 kilometres per day
Find out more | India, Land of Kings Bike Ride | Webpage | Application Form | More info
Namibia, Community Project
Working with the locals who live in this harshest of environments, we will help to refurbish the kindergarten used by the locals of the area. Participants will be involved in the following types of work: Building walls, fixing windows, tiling, fixing doors, installing bathrooms, general repair work, cleaning, plastering, painting, sanding, replacing existing flooring, improving the garden, building play areas
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Physically easy but lots of hard work for a great cause| Accommodation: Hotels, Camping | Working time: 5-8 hours per day.
Find out more | Namibia Community Project | Webpage | Application Form | More info
London – Amsterdam – Brussels, Charity Bike Ride
This unique itinerary is designed to give the participant a huge feeling of achievement in taking on a great challenge and a chance to visit three of Europe’s most vibrant cities. Along the way the cyclists will experience rural England, Holland and Belgium and return on the world famous Eurostar, a unique travel experience in itself.
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Moderate to difficult | Terrain: Tarmac roads, gravel cycle ways and traffic free roads | Accommodation: Hotels | Cycling time: 55 – 91 miles per day
Find out more | London to Brussels Charity Bike Ride | Webpage | Application Form | More info
London – Paris, Charity Bike Ride
Cycling from London to Paris is a classic journey and a unique and challenging way of experiencing both the rural and urban sides of England and France. Four days of cycling will take you from the centre of London, through the rolling Kent countryside, across the channel, along quiet French roads and into the heart of Paris finishing at the Eiffel Tower.
What it’s really like | Difficulty level: Moderate to difficult | Terrain: Tarmac roads, gravel cycle ways and traffic free roads | Accommodation: Hotels | Cycling time: 55 – 91 miles per day
Find out more | London to Paris Charity Bike Ride | Webpage | Application Form | More info
What a fab blog full of interesting facts & stories! I can’t wait to join ATD at the Peru Trek in October ‘08.