Our first week started with an 8-hour bus ride to the depths of the Mexican jungle in the Calakmul Biosphere reserve, and essential protected biodiversity hotspot. It was a definite shock to the system and we got a real glimpse of how challenging conservation field work can be, but the payoff in the experiences was immeasurable.

We spent our days tracking Jaguar, Tapir and other large mammals, using mist nets to catch and release beautiful local birds, and hunting stunning butterflies.

By night, we went out into the rainforest searching for snakes, frogs, lizards and turtles, and again used mist nets to catch the many different species of bat that live in the rainforest.

Everyone got up close and personal with the wildlife, working with scientists to measure the length of snakes, size of bat wings, weights of birds and all kinds of other data to record the health of the biodiversity in the area. Data that will be essential for protecting an area that is under real threat from climate change and local construction projects like the Tren Maya.

While in the rain forest we also had the unbelievable opportunity of visiting two sites of ancient Mayan cities, one of them the largest to have existed in Mexico. The experience of climbing ancient Mayan pyramids that have existed hidden away for thousands of years, to sit in the sun above the rainforest was one that words cannot describe.

Our second week delivered us to the relative luxury of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, in the town of Akumal.

Here we spent every day at the beach and either snorkelling or scuba diving in the stunning cobalt waters of Akumal bay.

Once again, we were paired with scientists carrying out active research in the protection of Akumal’s Sea Turtle populations and biodiversity of the coral reef.

Over the next six days we racked up nine dives, exploring the amazing underwater environments on offer. No two dives were the same, with everyone swimming with turtles, nurse sharks, moray eels, eagle rays and the countless tropical fish and corals.

We also learned about essential, underwater research techniques and gained a real insight into how much more challenging being underwater makes a task that seems as simple as “count the number of fish”. The week in Akumal was an absolute highlight, with some of the best diving in the world being balanced out by exploring the local town and cuisine and working on our tans on the white sands under the palm trees.

Both staff and students returned home tired, but with a collection of experiences and memories that will stay with us forever. In the words of Hannah Thorpe (Year 13) “It is one of the coolest trips I’ve ever done. It was so satisfying looking back. I have so many fond memories and, despite the challenges, it was a truly epic adventure that I will forever cherish and look back on”.

You can view a video of the highlights here.