Detailed Itinerary

Expedition Type: Jungle Trek

You will complete a jungle survival training course with our local guides before you begin your trek that teaches you the skills you need to feel at home in the rainforest, and you will spend your nights under in hammocks in small jungle camps established by your team, allowing you to fully experience the primeval sounds and incredible atmosphere of the jungle. You will begin the trek at a small Mayan community in the south of Belize and trek north into the mountains, en route passing the largest cave system in the western hemisphere and a vast limestone natural arch, buried deep in the rainforest. Tough river crossings and mountain ascents are common, and all equipment and food will be carried by you and your team - a supreme effort. After over 120km of remote trekking you eventually emerge from the forest at the ruined Mayan city of Caracol, the largest in Central America and still largely undocumented. Your final night can be spent on the ruins, watching the sun rise over the rainforest canopy and watching rare toucans and primates in the trees below.  

Day 1
Arrive in Belize City and meet the rest of the expedition team and Trekforce staff. After introductions we will meet our Belizean Defence Force transport that will take us to our jungle training location in southern Belize. Arrive late afternoon and we will stay the night in a small community centre and watch the sun set over the forest for the first time.

Day 2
Begin jungle and survival training in the locality. Medical first aid training and lectures will be combined with navigation exercises and light activity. This allows us to begin the acclimatisation process slowly. A full programme will be provided with your Expedition Joining Pack.

Day 3
Further jungle training exercises continue with river crossings, survival skills, casualty evacuation procedures, communications equipment and satellite phones. The day culminates in your first night in the rainforest sleeping in hammocks.

Day 4
This morning we complete our jungle training and complete our kit packing. We then travel to the south of Belize, where we will meet our guides and porters, and will stay overnight in a traditional Mayan community in preparation for beginning the trek the following day.

Day 5
At first light we will pack up our sleeping systems and rucksacks and head due north on the Maya Divide trek. The first day is spent trekking through largely secondary forest and low forest scrubland to reach our first camp. A long and tiring day. 8 – 10 hours trekking.

Day 6
In the early morning we continue the trek north, entering more remote forest, following old hunting trails and those left by army patrols along the border. The canopy height begins to increase – the terrain is quite flat, but difficult underfoot. Another long day. 8 hours trekking.

Day 7
Our third day of trekking takes us right into one of the most remote parts of the trek, and into areas almost never visited by even army patrols. We reach the foothills of the Maya Mountains and cross the swift mountain streams at their base to camp on the steep hillsides. More animal life can be seen in this area, such as Howler Monkeys and the elusive tapir.

Day 8
Our first real day in the mountains. After leaving the Vaca plateau we are now forced into the steep passes and mountain ravines of the Maya Mountains. Steep ascents, vine covered scrambles and difficult terrain bar the way to our next campsite, deep in the heart of the forest. A very tough and demanding day.

 Day 9
We begin to make our way down from the mountains through lush and fantastic jungle, through some of the most diverse parts of Belize, teeming with wildlife and incredible flora. We camp at the base of the mountains in an old logging camp.

Day 10
From our camp we strike out north on a full days trek to reach the incredible site of Natural Arch – a natural limestone span of 150m length and several hundred feet high, buried in the jungle over a crystal clear river. We take this opportunity for a recovery day if needed before we begin the second phase of our trek, which is as challenging as the first. We may also receive a replenishment of supplies at this point to allow us to continue further.

Day 11
Today we trek to the Chiquibul Chamber – the largest cave system in the western hemisphere, which is a very long and tough day. As we reach the chamber, which stretches for several hundred kilometres underground, we camp in the mouth of the cave and trek inside to reach a vital water source – an underground river that runs through the cave.

Day 12
Carrying as much water as possible we make an attempt to reach the aptly named “Middle of Nowhere Camp”. A tiring an extremely tough day which is made all the more difficult due to the lack of water on this section of the trek.

Day 13
Trekking from “Middle of Nowhere Camp” to the penultimate jungle camp, Retiro Camp.

Day 14
Our final day of trekking will take us to the incredible endpoint of Caracol, the largest ruined Mayan city in Central Americas. We allow you plenty of time to explore the ruins, and we will catch sunset from the top of the ruins and will celebrate the end of this incredible expedition in traditional Belizean style.

Day 15
Our transport will collect you early and we will transfer to the coast where a private speedboat will take you to the deserted and remote Goff’s Caye in the Caribbean. Here we can snorkel and swim all afternoon, and we will throw in a barbeque to finish off the evening. Camping out under the stars will complete a spectacular trip.

Day 16
A speedboat transfer back to the mainland will allow us to make our connecting flights to the UK and onward travel.  

Country Info

Belize & Guatemala, Central America

A tiny jewel of a country, BELIZE is a melting pot of incredible contrasts; a mix of traditional Mayan peoples and vibrant Caribbean culture, unexplored remote jungle and deserted beaches, and some of the most awe inspiring rainforest treks on the planet. GUATEMALA is home to vast lowland tropical forests, wetlands and Mayan ruins, with vast volcanoes rising from coastal plains.

Safety & Support

This expedition has a difficulty rating of 3 out of 4.

For more information on Trekforce Worldwide's safety & back up click here.

Photos