Why We’re Taking Grades V–IX Camping at Gandikota

At the end of January, students from Grades V to IX will take the train to Gandikota in Andhra Pradesh for three days of climbing, trekking, caving and camping. Here is why we think a few days outdoors can teach children things a classroom cannot, what the camp involves, and how we keep children safe.

What a camp teaches that a classroom can't

Between 10 and 14, children are working out who they are when an adult isn't steering every step. A well-run camp gives them that chance in a safe setting:

• Confidence through real challenge. Standing at the top of a rock face and stepping back into a harness is hard. Doing it anyway, with a friend cheering below, changes how a child sees themselves.
• Independence. Pitching your own tent, keeping track of your own bag and getting ready on time without a reminder from home are small jobs that build self-reliance quickly.
• Teamwork and leadership. Ropes, routes and group challenges only work when children listen, encourage each other and take turns leading.
• Resilience. Tired legs, an early start, a route that takes three tries: children learn they can be uncomfortable for a while and still finish well.
• Friendships across classes. Shared meals, a campfire and a long train ride bring together children who rarely meet during the school week.

Why Gandikota

Gandikota, in Kadapa district, is often called India's Grand Canyon. The Pennar river has cut a deep red-rock gorge here, and the cliffs make natural ground for climbing and rappelling. History and geography come with the landscape: the old Gandikota Fort sits on the edge of the gorge, and the Belum Caves nearby are among the longest cave systems in India, with stalactites and underground passages to walk through. On the way, students visit a wind farm and see how wind energy becomes electricity.

Three days, in brief

• Day 1: Arrive and settle. Train from Chennai, team-building games, the windmill visit and a first night at camp, with students pitching their own tents.
• Day 2: Climb and celebrate. Rock climbing, a high rope course, rappelling and a zip-line, ending with a campfire night.
• Day 3: Explore and return. A walk through Gandikota Fort, a gorge trek and the Belum Caves, then the journey home.

Who runs it, and how children stay safe

The camp is run with the Transcend Academy of Rock Climbing (TARC), which has been taking school groups outdoors since 2012. Safety is the first question every parent asks, so here is how it works:

• Certified instructors lead every adventure activity.
• Proper equipment. Harnesses, ropes, helmets and carabiners are checked before every programme.
• First aid on site. Trained first aiders and on-site nursing are present throughout, with emergency plans in place, and every student is covered by accident insurance.
• Darwin teachers travel with the group as escorts, from the train in Chennai to the return home.
• Parents share medical details when they give consent, and any child can be kept out of an activity on safety or medical grounds.

Where it fits at Darwin

Field trips and leadership are part of the 40% in our 60/40 Model, the time we protect for sport, the arts, life skills and learning beyond the textbook. Most of that happens on campus, week after week. A camp like Gandikota stretches it further: the same habits of trying, persisting and working as a team, in a place that asks a little more of every child.

How parents can help

• Talk through any worries before the trip, whether about heights, the dark or sleeping away from home. Naming a fear makes it smaller.
• Let your child pack their own bag from the list, with you checking at the end.
• Break in the sports shoes they will wear, and keep valuables at home.
• When they come back, ask what was hardest and what they would try again, not just whether it was fun.

For Darwin families

The camp is optional and open to students of Grades V to IX. Families have received the full details and the online consent form through the school app. If you have a question, please speak to your child's class teacher.