Expedition Leader Course in Belize

Bear Grylls in Belize

Twelve people from the UK, aged between 19 and 40, have flown out to the heart of the South American jungle to undergo a four month intensive survival training course. The trip has been organised by Trekforce, part of the Gapforce organisation responsible for bringing a group of Maasai warriors to the UK to compete in the 2009 London Marathon.

The 12 adventurers will be able to live out their dreams of following in the footsteps of celebrity adventurer Bear Grylls, known for his pursuits across some of the globes most inhospitable regions, as well as sleeping inside dead camels in the desert.

The Expedition Leader Course will put the recruits through their paces over the ensuing four months, teaching them a range of skills from surviving alone in the wilderness to navigating through raging rivers and testing terrain.

Gapforce spokesman Marcus Watts said: “Not everyone has the physical and mental power to complete this type of training. It is intense, it is tough and it pushes the human body to the extremes. The rise in the popularity of celebrity adventurers such as Bear Grylls is making this type of challenge more appealing to the everyday person.”

Recruits will take part in real time scenarios with the Army, practicing helicopter rescues, animal trapping, night navigation and river crossings.

The four month course will begin with a two week introduction in Wales, where participants will learn the ropes of basic survival and first aid training before being flown to Belize for the remainder of the course.

Bruce Parry, BBC presenter and former Trekforce expedition leader said: “Trekforce really inspired me. This is what expeditions are all about. It is an organisation with a great ethos for making a difference where it is needed most, and a true spirit of raw adventure.”

This is the first expedition of 2010, with two more to follow in May and September this year.