Staff Arrive in Belize

It's getting closer….! Staff are arriving in Belize to finish preparations for the 2008 Gap Year with Trekforce.

Tasks completed include checking the trek routes which the group will then undertake during their project, field base has been painted, medical kits have been prepared along with a jungle training location and local tradesman have met with logistics staff to go over the equipment and materials they will need to complete the projects successfully.

The Trekforce landrovers have been checked and are in full working order for the group arriving so goods can be transported in and out of the jungle. Our landrovers are a familiar sight around Belize and smiles greet anyone in them from locals who know about the work Trekforce do in Belize.



One of the biggest achievements since staff arrived in Belize was the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Trekforce Worldwide and Friends for Conservation and Development for the long term conservation of the Chiquibul National Park. The partnership will create a unified approach to conservation in Belize's largest national park, with Friends for Conservation and Development identifying vital projects, key to their management plan, and Trekforce providing the manpower and expertise to see the projects through to completion. The project sites have been set up in the North and South of the Chiquibul National Park, the 2 groups will have 2 months to complete an extremely rewarding and very important project.



Volunteers meet staff in Belize on 3rd February where the adventure begins!

Reunion brings together old and new

Trekforce got into the festive spirit at the weekend as we held our annual Christmas party and reunion. It was a great turn out, with volunteers’ turning up from as far back as 1988 to the volunteers from 2007. Everyone was there for the same purpose, to celebrate the impact expeditions with Trekforce have on both the project country and the volunteers.



People travelled the length and breadth of the UK to join us in Newcastle for an afternoon presentation which included a talk by Ed Swales, son of founder of Trekforce Wandy, and presentations by volunteers and leaders who showed us photographs and shared anecdotes. There was a great atmosphere as the group reminisced about their gap year experiences and the worthwhile projects they took part in. The presentations ended and turned into christmas celebrations for the evening when there was a chance for everyone to catch up with each other, medics and members of staff at a local bar.



We hope this is just one of many reunions that are going to take place as Trekforce goes form strength to strength with new jungle expeditions to Borneo, Papua New Guinea, and Guyana for 2008.

Go to www.trekforceworldwide.com to read about how you can join us on an experience of a lifetime.

First Desert Trek a Success

We have returned from Morocco after our first 2 week extreme expedition. The 10 day trek saw the group clock up over 120 miles by foot, walking across black Hamada desert and challenging Sahara sand dunes, experiencing sand storms and enduring searing temperatures. As with all expeditions with Trekforce there was a back to basics approach as the group landed at a new camp each night where they threw down their carry mats and slept under the stars, washed at wells and ate with local Berber guides who accompanied the group with camels to carry the water and food.



The first 2 week desert trek for a leading expedition company has proven to be a massive success, with the group walking over 120 miles off the normal tourist trail.

The group began in the lower Atlas Mountains in 4x4s to reach their starting destination of Merzouga, before heading South West into the Sahara Desert where scorching temperatures could reach 30oC at midday. The trek ended in the small village of Tazarine, where there was an opportunity for the group to wash at a well and repack for the journey back to Marrakech.

Rob Murray- John, Director of Trekforce Worldwide and expedition leader for the 2 week Extreme Expedition explains: "The aim was to take the trek away from the normal tourist trail, avoiding hostels and well trodden routes so that the trekkers could say that they have completed a trek no other visitor will have done. The desert environment is an unforgiving one, with little water or shelter, we are proud of what we have achieved and look forward to repeating this next year."



The trekkers also got the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local Berber culture during the trek as they had chances to stop at nomad villages for lunch en route where the family would cook for them and give them an insight into living as a nomad family.

Andrew Bedwell who joined Trekforce on the expedition says: ‘I loved the simplicity of the whole expedition. Only relying on bare essentials, being able to throw your sleeping bag down wherever you wanted to and experiencing the local foods cooked in the middle of the desert.'

This was a massive accomplishment for Trekforce - building on our renowned strengths in jungle expeditions with a growing expertise in desert environments and with fantastic feedback from the trekkers we are already accepting applications for the 2008 desert trek which takes place in October. Call 0845 241 3085 for details.

Trekforce Morocco Hamada Expedition begins

The Trekforce team have successfully completed the first two phases of their expedition and are now organising their kit and preparing for their main challenge - the 100 mile trek across the fringes of the Sahara to the tiny settlement of Tazarine.

They have already managed to cross the Atlas Mountains on rarely used 4x4 tracks, following nomadic herder routes that have been used for centuries (while some team members discovered they had a problem with car sickness en route!) and have recently completed their desert training and acclimatisation in the spectacular dunes near the village of Merzouga.

Now with the camels ready, and the water skins filled, it is down to them to overcome the major hurdle - ahead of them are many long days of difficult trekking in the searing heat - we wish them all the very best.

Rainforest Conservation expedition ends on a high

Trekforce Worldwide were able to obtain the special permissions needed to enter the Forest Reserve. The trek to be the first team to the Nohoch Ch'en sinkhole (which means very large hole in Mayan!) in many years was amazing and on route we found a new set of caves with stacks of Mayan Pottery (some with painted icons and pictures on, and much of it decorated and glazed). It is approximately 400m deep at the deepest point and around 500m across.

The team completed an outstanding amount of work in a small amount of time. Despite the harsh weather and regular flooding of their basecamp, the team managed to tap a natural spring at the base of a hill, which was then redirected into a series of silting chambers and sinks, allowing visitors to the site access to fresh water for the first time. This was complemented by the construction of a small palapa with two shower areas, and a set of 30 steps which lead to the facility. This took the team only 3 days to complete.

At the main site a large palapa was constructed using almost 2000 bay palm leaves which the volunteers collected from the surrounding forest, and a toilet made from hardwoods completed the facilities. The whole project was completed in 8 days, an incredible effort. Who said volunteers and gap year projects cannot make a lasting difference?

The articles printed in the national press on the 14th August 2007 from a press release of another organsiation, done to try and whip up 'anti-gap year project' feelings are dangerous in their generalisation. We all support codes of conduct with teeth, but in terms of the main thrust of the article, it couldn't be further from the truth as far as Trekforce projects are concerned.

Sunsets, Sharks, and Rum Punch

After a successful trek, it was time for the volunteers to be rewarded with the final party! The group headed to Caye Caulker for a snorkel tour. Accompanied by 'Maggamuffin Tours', the group boarded a sail boat to visit the marine reserves which surround Caye Caulker.

The sites visited were Hol Chan, meaning 'little channel' in Mayan and a natural hang out for marine life, the next site visited was the aptly named Shark and Ray Alley, and as the name suggests it was teaming with Nurse Sharks and Southern Stingrays as well as a huge variety of other marine life.

The group then returned to Caye Caulker watching the sunset and celebrating all of their achievements with a glass of rum punch. They then finished off the evening with a meal at Rasta Pasta where they could choose from local sea food dishes, pasta meals and burritos.

The majority of volunteers will now remain on the island for a week to complete a PADI dive course, while others have headed back to the UK.

This expedition is one that will be remembered by Trekforce for a very long time. The discovery of the sink hole is a unique experience that can never be taken away from the trekkers, the project was more successful than anyone thought it would be, and then to finish it off the volunteers got to reward themselves with time on a Caribbean island. Their achievements illustrate that hard work and a team effort really does pay off!

The UK office will receive more photographs when the trekkers return, so keep a look out on the website for new images of your nearest and dearest coming soon!

Arrived at Caracol in the Rainforest and Beach beyond

The team arrived into Caracol (the second largest Maya ruin in Central America) yesterday afternoon. The looks on their faces were amazing as they came out of the jungle to be met by the awe-inspiring site of ancient ruins appearing out of the jungle canopy.

They camped the night at the base of the ruins, feasted on rice and beans and headed off in the early morning by 4x4 truck to Iguana Junction - where they all are now, enjoying a cold beer, resting their limbs in the Belize River, watching Iguanas and Parrots fight for tree space!

They have achieved so much with their trek and are feeling very chuffed with themselves - what a trek and what a challenge!

Tomorrow morning the trekkers head of for a day and a night on the beach, snorkling and savouring the Caribbean sun.................