Day 1
April 24th to May 6th, 2022
April 24th to May 6th, 2022
Battle of the Buccaneers will begin in Cancun, Mexico, and end near Laguna Bacalar. All participants will need to be in Cancun for orientation by 9am on the Sunday of your start date.
There is no designated route and teams will choose their own adventure as they compete against the other pirates in a battle to collect the most treasure over the given time period and claim the pirate throne.
You can’t go too far of course though, pirates working together achieve more than those working alone. There is a mandatory mid-party where we must gather our spirits, sing the ballads of the seas, dance until our shoes fall off, tell tales of heroic feats of battle, and enjoy a bottle of rum.
Furthermore, on the final day, as the pirates return from their epic quest, the treasure must be counted, various bounties must be paid, and life celebrated to its fullest.
Day 1
All participants will need to be in the country and on location by 9am. We will begin with a country orientation as well as go over game rules including how to use our custom game app. Teams will decorate their idols, create avatars, and work through any technological issues. In the evening we will join together, in character, to begin festivities on board a pirate ship!
Day 2
Those who heeded the warnings and didn’t partake in too many spirits will join us at the official startline. After a short ceremony, the chief swashbucklers will release the crew to embark on their journey.
Day 2-7
For roughly 6 days teams will have the capacity to venture anywhere they choose. Armed with only their teammates, our application, and a quest book, everyone will have to plan their own strategy, chart your own course, and complete as many missions as you can. Nothing is required to be completed so you have complete authority to customize your experience towards the things that interest you most.
Day 7
All teams will be required to meet at the mid-point on Day 7. Points will be docked for arriving late and everyone will need to turn in their idols. That evening we will gather once again, in character, to celebrate the week’s accomplishments, swap tales, and engage in an evening of debauchery!
Day 8
This is a mandatory rest day. Teams can do as they please but will be unable to collect points without their idols. We will have some various game options for those interested along with the beautiful Caribbean Sea to enjoy.
Day 9-13
After receiving their idols the morning of the ninth, teams will head back out for about another 5 days of independent gameplay, the same as they did the first week.
Day 13
On the final day of the quest, teams will need to arrive at the finish line by late afternoon in order to prepare for the night’s festivities. Booty will be counted and a team of captains will be crowned as we raise our glasses to the past two weeks of unforgettable experiences.
Day 14
Do as you please. Yer a free person again.
All teams will be responsible for choosing their vessel to carry them along this quest. We are working with rental companies to provide discounts and have currently secured one through Avis.
Renting a vehicle works just like it does in most places of the world. The rates you see through our group number have everything you need included in the price. No surprises unless you add on extra coverage. We do want you to know, however, that we don’t care where you get your steed.
Click here to reserve your car with our discount.
You can shop on Turo to get one from a local, come and barter with a local, or use a different rental agency all together. If you do the latter, make sure you confirm that the price will include all required insurance coverages. Otherwise it can cost significantly more at pickup. Fortunately, you won’t be able to take this car everywhere.
Isla Holbox, Isla Mujeres, and Cozumel, will require you to take a passenger ferry and then find another means once you are there.
You will have the option of renting a golf cart, scooters, bicycles, or hiring a driver. The choice is yours.
The detailed game rules will be spelled out when everyone arrives in Cancun. We don’t want to spoil all of the fun. But here is a basic outline:
Utilizing our game app and quest book, teams of 2-4 will complete location based and non-location based challenges/missions (kind of like a big scavenger hunt with lots of other fun stuff mixed in).
Obviously there will be a ton more details, tricks, and so forth integrated into the game format but you’ll have to wait for all of that.
Prepare yersleves ye bilge rats, or ye’ll walk the plank! We believe that what makes this experience special is getting you in the proper mindset.
We’ve created a narrative around the legend and lore of the buccaneers (a pirate in the Caribbean) that integrates with local Mexican and Maya traditions.
Not only might you learn something, but this theme will help you to open your eyes to the magic all around you.
You’ll talk differently, dress differently, and, therefore, interact with the world around you in a completely different way.
Upon arrival you’ll be asked to create an avatar for yourself. Basically, you’ll develop a character with a backstory of who you want to be. Of course, we don’t want you to feel limited to pirate references. Be as creative as you want. You can be a Flaminguin, a Banana Wizard, and anything in between (whatever that might be).
There are no limitations except for the ones you put on yourself. You’ll get points for wearing costumes and we encourage you to decorate your vehicles in any non-damaging way you see fit. Really, we just want you to live your best pirate life.
In order for the game and your experience to reach its full potential, we want to try and curate a specific culture of travelers.
This quest is for adventurous souls who don’t take life too seriously, want to immerse themselves in authentic cultures, and want to meet some amazing compañeros from around the world!
By the nature of adventure, we can’t guarantee everything is going to go as planned. So the ability to adapt to changing situations is also recommended.
Sound like you? Then DEFINITELY join the crew!
Let’s start with what this isn’t. This is NOT a race, a vacation (unless you’re cool like dat), or a handheld tour. This combines the best of independent travel and group travel.
You have a detailed guide to this amazing region of the world to help you curate the experience you want, while having an interactive feed and three parties to bond with like-minded people.
Travel and complete missions together, talk trash, flag each other’s posts, and anything else within the Pirate Code, and then join together to share your struggles, funny stories, and successes along the way.
We formulate the contest to make it feel exclusive and unique while immersing you in the region’s culture. That’s why this isn’t a race. If you go too fast you’ll miss all of the good stuff.
So when we tell you it’s about the journey and not the destination, we mean it dammit!
We aren’t trying to get rich off of this thing. We just want to create a kick ass event that we would want to be a part of, live vicariously through you while you compete, and then hang out with y’all at the parties.
Is that too much to ask? All that being said, we try to add as much value and create a completely unique experience where you can lose yourself in the real world gamification.
For now, here is everything you’ll receive with your ticket price:
Solo Buccaneers will be partnered with other adventurous souls!
Ticket Price: $650 per crew member
Non Refundable Deposit at Reservation: $100 per crew member
Your team’s remaining total will be due April 1st after invoices go out in mid March.
Click here to read our complete Terms and Conditions.
How much this event costs you overall will depend on a lot of different variables. Two of the biggest variables, however, will be how big and bougie your crew is.
Obviously the more people you have, the more opportunity there will be to share some of the extra costs such as the car rental, fuel, and accommodation.
You can find reasonable accommodations all over the place and if you eat like a local, food is quite inexpensive. Taking all of that into consideration, here are some very rough estimates on some of the larger expenses that you can use to budget with depending on how you travel:
Car Rental Including Required Insurance: $30-$60 per day per team
Fuel: $150-$200 total per team
Accommodation: $20-$50 per team per night
Ferries, Golf Carts, Scooters Throughout: $80-$100 per person
Food and Drink: $5-$30 per person per day
Entrance Fees and Activities: $100-$150 per person (this is the fun stuff)
We are working hard to build a network of exclusive discounts at accommodations and activities throughout the region. This will continue to go as the event does.
We hate to bring it up, but we’ve got to. In case you weren’t aware, traveling, driving, adventuring, and, well, just living all come with inherent risks!
By signing up for these shenanigans you are exposing yourself to the experience of a lifetime while also exposing yourself to the potential consequences of your choices.
We will NEVER make you do anything and you are free to accept and complete the challenges that fall within your comfort zone. We just have to remind you that accidents do happen. You accept the risk that comes with traveling Mexico dressed like a pirate even if it means financial loss, injury, or death.
We, the organizers, are not to be held reliable for these forces of fate which we cannot control.
Hey, if you think this is cool, join us in Sri Lanka for some more magic!
The TukTuk Tournament is our OG competition, and you’ll get to drive one of our three-wheeled glorified lawnmowers!
In case you weren’t aware, traveling, driving, adventuring, and, well, just living all come with inherent risks! By signing up for these shenanigans you are exposing yourself to the experience of a lifetime while also exposing yourself to the potential consequences of your choices.
We will NEVER make you do anything and you are free to accept and complete the challenges that fall within your comfort zone.
We just have to remind you that accidents do happen. You accept the risk that comes with traveling Mexico dressed like a pirate even if it means financial loss, injury, or death.
We, the organizers, are not to be held reliable for these forces of fate which we cannot control. All that being said, certain regions of Mexico do require extra care and even certain parts of Cancun. But this is the same with any destination.
In general, this region of Mexico receives millions of tourists every year with few incidents. The Mexican and Maya people are amazing and overall the region is very safe as a whole.
Most of the detailed game rules will be spelled out when everyone arrives in Cancun. We don’t want to spoil all of the fun. But here is a basic outline. Utilizing our game app and quest book, teams of 2-4 will complete location based and non-location based challenges/missions (kind of like a big scavenger hunt with lots of other fun stuff mixed in).
To prove you completed the mission, you will need to post, via our app, either a photo or video to your team Instagram page with specific hashtags we provide for you. This is how you will collect your treasure. EVERY photo and video must have at least one teammate in it along with the team’s idol.
This prevents people from splitting up to complete missions. Teams MUST stay together. At the end of the quest, the team with the most treasure will be the winner and Captain’s of the Caribbean!
Obviously there will be a ton more details, tricks, and so forth integrated into the game format but you’ll have to wait for all of that.
There is no cap on our age!
You are never too old for adventure and we love to see the wise teach the young whippersnappers a thing or two. There are some limits to how young you can be.
Someone on the team must be at least 21 years old to rent a vehicle and even then it might cost more than if you have someone who is 25+. Other than that, we encourage families to come down and share this experience together.
The parents/guardians will need to assume full responsibility for anyone under 21 on their team and choose how they would like them to be exposed to any shenanigans at the parties.
Some venues may not allow humans under the age of 18 to partake if we choose to have a party offsite.
If you are fortunate to have a current license in either Spanish or English from your home country, then you are good to go.
If not, you may need to purchase an International Drivers Permit so that it can be translated into the Spanish language.
How much this event costs you overall will depend on a lot of different variables. Two of the biggest variables, however, will be how big and bougie your crew is. Obviously the more people you have, the more opportunity there will be to share some of the extra costs such as the car rental, fuel, and accommodation. You can find reasonable accommodations all over the place and if you eat like a local, food is quite inexpensive. Taking all of that into consideration, here are some very rough estimates on some of the larger expenses that you can use to budget with depending on how you travel:
Car Rental Including Required Insurance: $30-$60 per day per team
Fuel: $150-$200 total per team
Accommodation: $20-$50 per team per night
Ferries, Golf Carts, Scooters Throughout: $80-$100 per person
Food and Drink: $5-$30 per person per day
Entrance Fees and Activities: $100-$150 per person (this is the fun stuff)
We are working hard to build a network of exclusive discounts at accommodations and activities throughout the region. This will continue to go as the event does.
Absolutely not.
We try to capture a wide range of activities so that you can customize your experience to your own needs and desires. However, if you want to win, having too many self-imposed restrictions will make that very difficult.
How depressing is it that we even have to have a section for this?
We know the world is a crazy place right now and we want to be as understanding and accommodating as possible for whatever unexpected events come our way. We appreciate the risk you are taking even by getting your hopes up for this event.
If Mexico or a significant number of countries are shut down in the couple of weeks leading up to the event, we may be forced to cancel or postpone this year’s quest. If we have to do so, we will provide a complete refund minus $50 to help cover a small portion of the costs of our staff and expenses this year.
Participants will also have the option for a full refund on all but the deposit, which they can then move 100% of towards the following year’s event.
With vaccines already beginning to be distributed, we have no idea what kinds of local policies and health recommendations will be in place at the end of April.
We are confident that, if necessary, our game structure can be modified to accommodate these necessities to ensure the safety of all participants and locals we interact with. The main point of suffering will be the group connection at parties, which will suck, but won’t keep us from having a stellar time!
If you make a reservation and can no longer attend, you will have the option to either transfer your deposit to the next year, transfer it to one of our other events, or forfeit it all together.
We ONLY refund deposits if we, the organizers, have to cancel or move the tournament to a different date. No exceptions.
Unfortunately international event planning is difficult and we need to have some kind of numbers to cover our efforts and anticipate how many participants we will have.
If you are worried you might have to cancel after reserving your spot, be sure to take out travel insurance that will cover you.
Once we have received full payment, it is non refundable.
Wherever you want!
Well, kind of. You’ll be limited on where you can go by the format of the game and how many kilometers/miles we permit you to travel on any specific day.
Once again, this isn’t a race. But, generally speaking, our map will cover the entire state of Quintana Roo on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula, along with Chichen Itza and Valladolid. There is nowhere you have to go within that region however.
No team? No problem!
Over at the TukTuk Tournament in Sri Lanka, we always have super fun adventurous individuals sign up. We either partner individuals together or add them to a team to make sure there are always at least two people. Surprisingly, often times these teams are in our top 5 performers!
We will send out final invoices in mid March. Final payments will be due by April 1st to ensure we don’t open your spot to a team on our waiting list.
Because there is no set route and teams can go anywhere at anytime, you will need to book your own accommodation during the 9 nights of active competition.
Where you book will depend on where your team ends up that evening and what your budget is. Don’t plan too much as you don’t want to ruin the adventure! We provide your first and last nights and two nights in the middle.
Unfortunately not. We can’t control who rides with you in your vehicle but the events, discounts, and other activities are exclusive to our participants in the event.
Let’s start with what this isn’t.
This is NOT a race, a vacation (unless you’re cool like dat), or a handheld tour. This combines the best of independent travel and group travel.
You have a detailed guide to this amazing region of the world to help you curate the experience you want, while having an interactive feed and three parties to bond with like-minded people. Travel and complete missions together, talk trash, flag each other’s posts, and anything else within the Pirate Code, and then join together to share your struggles, funny stories, and successes along the way.
We formulate the contest to make it feel exclusive and unique while immersing you in the region’s culture. That’s why this isn’t a race. If you go too fast you’ll miss all of the good stuff.
So when we tell you it’s about the journey and not the destination, we mean it dammit!
You can find the event schedule and itinerary for the two weeks on the Details page of our website.
Ha! I see what you did there.
Despite our use of pirate jargon, we do want you to know that at least 90% of your travel will be on land. You will need to take ferries to get to each of the three islands, we will have our first party on a ship, and there will be lots of opportunities to surf, kayak, canoe, catamaran, etc. depending on which missions you choose to compete.
On top of that, there will be lots of opportunities to snorkel, scuba, and swim. We hope that you have some love of the water, or bring a teammate that does!
We thought you’d never ask!
Your team idol is the essence and spirit of your team. It is a symbol of the power of your capabilities and the key to collecting treasure… It also keeps teams from cheating.
The idol is unique to your team and must be present in every photo/video posted in order to collect the treasure for that activity.
Check with your provider to see if they have free coverage in Mexico or if it can simply be added on during your two week stay.
You can also purchase a sim card upon arrival if you have an unlocked phone. While theoretically you could get by with just a map and evening wifi, it would be EXTREMELY difficult to operate full time like that.
On the other hand, you will definitely not have service everywhere. But that’s what will make it even more of an adventure!
You are required by law in Mexico to have liability insurance on the vehicle you are driving. While most car companies include this in the price, others will tease ridiculously low fairs and then make you add it on when you go to pick it up at a ridiculous price.
We have worked with AVIS to lock in special rates for our activity. We will provide a booking link to that end. However, you can get your car anywhere you would like and purchase third party liability insurance if you prefer.
As for travel insurance, World Nomad’s travel insurance has an adventurous ‘Explorer’ option that covers many extreme sports.
We suggest you consult your government’s authority on this matter. For reference, here is what the CDC recommends:
We suggest you bring enough cash that:
1. You feel comfortable carrying,
2. To cover expenses as you go. With USD, Euros, AUD and more, you can easily exchange money at a number of locations. It is always good to have some backup money hidden away for emergencies.
If you prefer not to carry around your life savings, then you can always withdraw money as you need from ATMs. Make sure you put a travel alert on your card before coming so it doesn’t get shut off. The one downfall to this is that you will likely pay more in fees depending on your bank. Between ATM fees and the foreign transaction fee, it will cost a bit more than just exchanging money. In the more touristy areas, you should always be able to find ATMs and money exchanges. This should make it easier to plan day to day if you don’t want to have to carry around everything you own. It is also quite common to use credit cards in these areas.
If yer not ready to dive in we understand… but be warned, our patience has limits! To help put yer mind at ease, we’ve gone ahead and put together an in depth guide to lay it all out for ye a bit more clearly. Ye can also give us yer email for updates or reach out to the head swashbucklers directly via electronic post.