The part you will never forget.
The Adventurous Journey is the heartbeat of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. It pushes students furthest outside their comfort zone, demands the most of them as a team and produces the stories they will still be telling years later.
Practice first.
Then the real thing.
Every student completes two expeditions at each award level: a practice expedition and a qualifying expedition. The practice expedition is exactly what it sounds like, a chance to apply your training in the field, make mistakes in a supported environment and build the confidence and competence you need before the qualifying journey. The qualifying expedition is the real thing.
All expeditions are self propelled and self sustained. Students carry everything they need, navigate their own route and make their own decisions in the field. That is not a small thing. It is not supposed to be.
Three levels.
Three landscapes.
Destinations are chosen carefully based on the award level, the demands of the terrain and what is appropriate for each student cohort.
Hajar Mountains, UAE
Dramatic, rugged terrain that provides a genuine physical and navigational challenge while remaining accessible for first time expeditioners. Students navigate on foot across two days and one night.
Switzerland
The alpine environment raises the bar significantly: three days and two nights in terrain that demands greater fitness, stronger teamwork and more careful planning, as part of a combined nine day residential trip after Final MYP Exams.
Chosen each year
Previous Gold groups have journeyed in Oman, Switzerland and on Mount Kenya. The four day, three night qualifying expedition is completed entirely unaccompanied: adults are not present in the field.
No one arrives
unprepared
Expedition training is woven into the weekly ECA programme throughout the year and covers navigation, campcraft, team dynamics, kit management, first aid awareness and expedition planning. By the time students reach their practice expedition, they have the tools they need.
Kit requirements and packing guidance are covered in full during the ECA programme. Students will know exactly what to bring, how to pack it and why every item on the list earns its weight.
The foundation
everything is built on
We work exclusively with outstanding expedition providers, led by qualified mountain guides. All NLCS Dubai staff involved in expeditions are fully trained and there is always a wilderness trained first aider nearby throughout every journey.
Supervision is structured to match the award level. At Bronze, we operate with indirect supervision: we have eyes on students at all times, but we give them the space to navigate, problem solve and make decisions as a team. As students progress through Silver and Gold, supervision becomes progressively more remote, but we always know exactly where every student is. We use sophisticated tracking technology between checkpoints.
Every student,
supported
We are committed to supporting every student through their expedition. Students with medical conditions are warmly encouraged to participate, but it is essential that all conditions are declared and discussed with the DofE Coordinator well in advance of any expedition.
Where necessary, reasonable adjustments can be made. However, DofE regulations require that all journeys are self propelled and self sustained and these cannot be overridden. In some cases we will require a doctor's note confirming that a student is fit for expedition.
All medications, including over the counter medicines such as ibuprofen and paracetamol, must be handed to the Award Leader before departure. Students are not permitted to self administer any medication during an expedition.