Trip Region: Central America
Country(ies): Mexico, Belize, Guatemala
Partners Trek? No
Cost: $2200
Airfare Estimate: $900
Structure: •
Lodging: •
Nightlife: 7 •
Activity: 7
Do you belizeeeee in life after love? While we did check with Cher and unfortunately she’s booked all of August, we still hope you come hang with us in the lands of beautiful beaches and Mayan ruins. Get ready for an adventure to Cancun, Belize and Guatemala that includes all sorts of good things – from cave tours to snorkeling to tikal-a (tequila), we’re here to ensure your Ross experience is off to an amazing start.
Day 1 — Saturday, Aug 15
Bienvenido a Cancún! Once the plane touches the tarmac, don’t you dare unbuckle that seat belt! We’ll first lock in by firing up some tasty licks as you settle into the hotel and we cover trip basics, preparing you to effectively tackle the most joyous 10 days of your life. Things start at the welcome dinner where you will meet each one of your MTrek leaders (and fellow trekkers), and Ledge will escalate things by personally serenading each trekker individually before the group tangos with Mexico’s party capital deep into the night.
Day 2 — Sunday, Aug 16
Who knows what day it is at this point? Off day! While we do not encourage losing an entire day to a Cancun recovery, if that were to mysteriously become your reality you are free to remain as horizontal as necessary a la playa, or alternatively consider an excursion or experience in the area. One option, a Temazcal (not to be confused with Mezcal, though maybe related?) Healing Ceremony may or may not involve each of volcanic rocks, tobacco and a shaman. For those more actively inclined, perhaps a jungle buggy or snorkel are in your future. Rest up to be your best Lara Croft - our next beach sighting isn’t until the end of the trek as we don our Blue Barracuda uniforms to explore the jungles and caves of Belize.
Day 3 — Monday, Aug 17
Today we say sayonara to Mexico and hop on a potentially private flight to Belize City. Upon arrival, we set course for Cahal Pech Village Resort in the San Ignacio area, during which time you will have two bus hours to share sweet nothings with your fellow trekkers and hear from Chris about how customer lifetime value should be calculated in post-Series A startups (if you don’t already follow him on twitter). Once on site, after a short intro walk, you are free to wander as you prefer. Your MTrek leaders may propose a group dinner to give Erin the chance to wax poetic about life as a Pisces, or a few drinks at a local watering hole, though nothing is set in stone. Either way, Erin will tell you about life as a Pisces. Before bed, unpack all cross-shoulder leather rucksacks, brown sable fedora hats and white linen safari shirts in preparation for the next day’s voyage to ATM cave as a squad of Indiana Jones’.
Day 4 — Tuesday, Aug 18
Put on those adventure pantalones and vamanos a Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave, one of the top 10 caves in the world! We’ll start the day with an hour and half drive from the hotel (where we will be serenaded by Jeff) followed by a 40 minute trek through the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve to the cave entrance. We hope you’ve been spending the summer getting #fit, because we’ll be swimming, crawling, and climbing to get to the Crystal Maiden, the cave’s most famous occupant (we’ll spare you the details of what happened to her). If our big friendly giant can do it, so can you!
Day 5 — Wednesday, Aug 19
Travel day! Grab your mochilas like Dora says because today we will leave San Igancio and head to Guatemala! We’ll be driving to Flores, a small beautiful island that is guaranteed to give you some #content with its awesome restaurants, nightlife, and amazing springs called Crater Azul (Google it right now). In the evening, we’ll head back out on the town for a tour with our guide and then the rest of your night is your own!
Day 6 — Thursday, Aug 20
Hopefully you didn’t have too much tikal-a last night, because we’ll be getting up early to go see the real TIKAL, the most stunning of all Mayan sites. Play some hoops with our 6’4 BFG in the ancient ball and stalae courts and see if Alexa gets iced in the plaza. En serio, Tikal’s five monolithic temples pierce the jungle canopy (Temple IV reaching a height of almost 230 feet) and tell of a rich and powerful history when Tikal’s population reached almost 100,000. By the beginning of AD 250 Tikal was competing for regional domination with Uaxactun and Calakmul and later Tikal was briefly dominated by a powerful alliance of Caracol and Calakmul from AD 562 until AD 682. From AD 682 onwards Tikal flourished again under Lord Ah Cacau and continued to dominate the region into the 9th Century. Today the site, along with Kelso’s accent, is recognized as one of the archeological wonders of the Americas. Its unspoiled jungle setting within the Tikal National Park makes it a paradise for birders, nature lovers and amateur archaeologists. Assuming Alexa successfully awoke Xtina for Tikal, we will alllll leave Guatemala and head off to Belize city to catch a boat for San Pedro where we’ll sail to the Belize Cays, a group of islands a short boat ride away from the coast.
Day 7 — Friday, Aug 21
We start our time in Ambergris Caye with a rendezvous to Secret Beach! We’ll enjoy cocktails, an incredible lunch, beach activities, and watch Kelso as he finesses his way into conversations with fellow internationals. After a sun-filled day, we’ll venture back to San Pedro to freshen up and enjoy a local dinner.
Day 8 — Saturday, Aug 22
What is that?! A shark!? A dolphin?! Jeff the big friendly giant!? DING DING DING DING DING! Grab your swim suits (budgie smugglers optional) for a morning of boating and snorkeling. We’ll take you to the best snorkel spots in the Ambergris Caye area using our human compass, Erin. After we make sure Alexa is still surviving outside of her concrete jungle, the afternoon is ours to explore and relax on the island.
Day 9 — Sunday, Aug 23
Today the day is yours! TREAT YO SELF after a few adventurous days by relaxing and soaking up the sun on the beach with a couple cocktails. Or, for those of you who can’t stop won’t stop, choose from a variety of activities to take part in, such as scuba diving in the Great Blue Hole, stand up paddle boarding, renting bicycles, a sunset tour, snorkeling, and more! Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. We’ll end our time together with a goodbye dinner fit for kings.
Day 10 — Monday, Aug 24
By now the locals probably would like us to salir, so from San Pedro we hop on one last water taxi toward Belize City during which time we’ll consider throwing Christine and her unfortunate Spartan past overboard as one last sacrifice to the Mayan gods. Stuff those relics in your checked bag, Tomb Raiders, it’s time to fly away. Show off your sunglasses tan, beginning planning our first reunion on campus, MTrek may be over, but the best two years of your life have just begun!