Boldly Going Nowhere Retreat 2026 Goes to Mexico for the Spirit of the Jungle IV

A Transformational Retreat at Chichen Itza, 1 of the 7 Wonders of the World

The jungle has a spirit and it captures you almost immediately. When we first arrived at Hotel Oka'an, we felt a lightness in our physical bodies, a deepening of our breath, and a softening of our hearts. We were just across the canopy from the Mayan city of Chichen Itza, 1 of the 7 Wonders of the World. The name Chichén means "mouth of the well" and Itzá refers to those who founded it, the Itzáes "water witches", around the year 435. We landed in the energy of the ancient Mayans... and we felt it! We felt partially transported back, a few thousand years. It felt like 50 pounds released from our shoulders. The stillness and peacefulness of this sacred place immediately enveloped us. 

What has eluded you will find you here!

We were fortunate to connect to the owner of the property, Celika, whose late husband called himself an astro-archaeologist and was passionate about educating the world about the brilliance of the Mayan culture. He designed Hotel Oka'an with specific connections to Chichen Itza, which we will allow Celika to explain at the retreat. Celika and her son continue to steward the land and property, sharing this everlasting intention to those who will open their spirit to the whispers of the ancients.

We knew at this moment that this was our next retreat location. Boldly Going Nowhere Spirit of the Jungle in Mexico was born. 

This is a little taste of it all: https://vimeo.com/942482797

Boldly Going Nowhere is a simple play on words.

nowhere = Now Here

Quantum physics often says that everything comes from nothing. NoThing. No thing. Yet how do we translate from quantum to human life? 

Why do many of our best ideas come when we are in the shower, or driving, or on an airplane, or doing what we love? Because we are present, our hands our empty, our brains are quieted, and we are available. We are not multi-tasking, running from app to app or store to store or conversation to conversation. We are not saturated with the incoming. Space is open for something to come in.

Boldly Going Nowhere is about making space. 

When we constantly strive, we never arrive. 

Boldly Going Nowhere is about arriving. 

Nowhere. Now Here. 

To begin.

Again.

Our mission is to inspire a path to nowhere. A place where all is manifest, all ideas are born, all possibilities exist. A place where clarity is born, peace lives, and chaos dies. A place many have been seeking - and through perpetual seeking, have perceived it to be unattainable. 

Boldly Going Nowhere is about un-doing. 

We do this by slowing down. We do this by creating space for joy, new experiences, and unforgettable memories that will forever inhabit your soul. This place is where the seeker becomes the seer, the striver becomes the arriver, the questioner becomes the knower.

Come be undone. 

We are honored and excited to share in this sacred journey with you, and to witness the next version of you. 

Go Boldly,

     Now Here.

Bob and Shannon

Each Boldly Going Nowhere event is held in a space of magnificent beauty. Even if we didn’t do a thing, you will be better for having been there. The energy of the earth places we choose will stay with you forever. This one is, by far, the most exquisite place we have chosen to date. It is 1 of the 7 Wonders of the World!

Each Boldly Going Nowhere event is best with limited devices. It’s not always all about the selfie, though we know you will want to snap some photos to remember your visit, the land, and the new friends you meet.

Each Boldly Going Nowhere event is about developing practices. This stuff will stay with you. You won’t go home scratching your head or wondering, "now what?"

Each Boldly Going Nowhere event features delicious whole food cuisine. Everything served will serve you. 

Each Boldly Going Nowhere event incorporates all of the practices and passions of Shannon and Bob that create a truly experiential retreat. There will be music and singing that will usher new depths of meaning. There will be wisdom discussions and meditation. There will be intentional activities that support contemplation and questioning. There will be breathwork. There will be silence and expansion. There will be movement. There will be ritual. There will be connection to the earth. 

Hear directly from the 2023 Spirit of the Jungle participants: https://youtu.be/6vDRMBqnIT4

The retreat activities will be prepared so the flow of events will build upon the last and a story - your story - will unfold. We ask everyone to be present for all sessions, not just for yourself but to co-create with and for everyone else.

Sometime throughout the week, we will:

-- release with a temazcal (Mayan sweat lodge) on site,

-- rejuvenate at a local cenote (sinkhole that accesses the underground river system), 

-- renew with a massage at Spa Oka'an, and

-- remember with a container of love surrounding you

SPECIAL ACTIVITY: We will visit Chichen Itza for the Spring Equinox. It is one of the most sacred days at the site. We will witness a very special event that people travel from all over the world to see. We will see the serpent arrive and receive all the magic of the Equinox energy. 

Hotel Oka'an is in the jungle with minimal footprint. Expect wildlife from the area to visit you.

There are no elevators. Be prepared for walking up lots of stairs and between buildings. 

You will be asked a series of questions about room type and preference when you register. There will be 15 rooms with two double beds and 4 rooms with king beds available for retreat participants. We will do our best to accommodate as many requests as possible. Please note that ALL rooms have open-air windows and doors, which means that they are composed of screens with adjustable wooden slats. You will hear the sounds of the jungle and, potentially, your neighbors if the AC or heat is not running. Bungalows (or cabanas) have two rooms per building. The hotel-style building (or main house) has 3 floors with 4 rooms on each floor.

Pathways between buildings are unpaved and the property is not "flat". Flip flops are not the best to walk around the property, so bring some decent walking shoes. 

One of the meeting rooms is up 4 flights of stairs in the main building. The observation deck is the 5th floor and requires climbing a metal spiral staircase to the rooftop.

If you fly into Mexico on the first day of the retreat, we ask that you arrive before or as close to noon as feasible. There are two airport options to choose from and many more details are outlined in the FAQs in your registration confirmation email. If you fly in prior to the start of the retreat, you will be picked up at your hotel and join the first group departing for Oka’an. Please add your flight information to your profile as soon as you have it. Airport arrival information and instructions will be added to the WhatsApp group chat within 2 weeks of the start of the retreat.

The travel time from Cancun airport to Hotel Oka'an is about 2.5-3 hours (plus 1-hour time difference). The travel time from Merida airport to Hotel Oka'an is about 2-2.5 hours (in the same time zone). Your transportation driver will remind you to have your offerings ready for your arrival to Hotel Oka'an. As a side note: Merida airport is MUCH EASIER to navigate for everyone involved.

The retreat schedule will be available as needed. We want you to focus on getting to Cancun or Merida and meeting your group for transport. The rest will unfold organically. Each "next" activity or gathering location will be announced at meals.

What you may want to bring in your luggage:

1- Binoculars if you like bird watching. You will be standing ABOVE the jungle canopy if you choose to go to the observation rooftop!

2- Long pants and sweatshirt. The jungle floor may several degrees cooler than the top of the observation deck and offsite areas that we will tour.

3- Backpack to take offsite for souvenirs and change of clothes if you swim in the cenote.

4- Flashlight to walk around the property.

Please read (and KEEP) the more detailed FAQs in your registration confirmation email. They will have suggestions and instructions for booking flights, transportation expectations, packing, and more. The FAQs exist to address the most asked questions and most of them will -- more than likely -- answer your questions. Our responses to most questions are a copy and paste of what is already provided in the FAQs.

Your $500 deposit is non-refundable and due at the time of registration.

You can pay the total amount of $3500 in full at the time of registration or follow the monthly payment plan to complete your installments by December 2025. 

Monthly payment plans for the balance due will be split into 6 equal monthly $500 payments, the first on 14 July and the final payment on 14 December. If you register AFTER 14 July, your initial registration payment will automatically align with where the payment plan is at that time.

If you wish to guarantee a private room, please add that option to your registration. Otherwise, you will be paired with a roommate.

You will receive automatic payment reminder emails from WeTravel. We would greatly appreciate if you actually read them and respond (if necessary) as you receive them.

Please remember your WeTravel login so you can manage your payment information and complete your registration questionnaire as you have the information available.

By submitting your online registration with the non-refundable deposit, an understanding of and agreement with these policies are implied. You will also be required to confirm that you read and understand these policies in your registration questionnaire. Cancellation Policy is as follows:

• Beginning 1 Oct, 50% refund less deposit.
• Beginning 1 Nov, 25% refund less deposit.
• Beginning 1 Dec, no refund.
• Should the retreat be rescheduled for reasons beyond our control (national or international crisis), you will have the option for a full refund OR for the payment(s) to apply to the rescheduled dates.

Registration closes 01 Feb 2026 so we can finalize payment to Oka'an and release unreserved rooms for booking outside of our retreat group.

We do our best to provide all of the pertinent information for you to make an informed decision about attending our retreat. We spent our time including a lot of detail and trust that you will spend time reviewing that information. Between the retreat description on WeTravel and FAQs provided after you register, we believe most of your questions will be answered. 

Please review the WeTravel description and read through the FAQs before posing questions to the facilitators. If the answer was covered in the retreat description or in the FAQs, you will be asked to refer back to them.

The registration questionnaire will help clarify lodging and meal logistics and is where you will identify your preferences, food allergies, etc. Please trust the process and refrain from sending the facilitators questions until AFTER you receive your registration confirmation email. 

You can always return to complete and adjust the answers on your questionnaire by logging into your account. Instructions are included in the FAQs.

The FAQs are part of your registration confirmation email and are lengthy because they were prepared from questions that we received prior to or during previous retreats. Please save the email somewhere and refer to it before posing questions to the facilitators. 

The FAQs will also be the first thing shared in the WhatsApp group chat two weeks prior to the start of the retreat.

Fly into Cancun or Merida Airport. PLEASE consider booking a flight that arrives before or as close to noon as possible. We will have your transportation arranged to travel in groups based on your arrival time. Instructions will be shared with the final group in the WhatsApp group chat after registration closes. We will have a casual first evening with dinner and introductions.

Who to Expect

Your transportation manager and tour guide is Antonio "Tony" Dominguez. We met him in 2020 when he worked for a large tour company. He, along with a business partner, has since started his own, private transportation and tour service. He will be a participant in the retreat, our interpreter (when needed), and our tour guide at Chichen Itza and the cenote. Tony is very proud of the Yucatan's history and continues to expand his knowledge and education to share a rich culture and history with everyone he meets.

The owner of the retreat center is the wife of the late Adalberto Rivera. Her name is Celika and we had a soul connection with her when we visited in 2020. She will join the group to share her husband's (very intentional) vision, design, and planning for the retreat center. I can't wait for you all to meet her. Look up Hotel Oka'an at https://hotelokaan.com

Your Mayan shaman is Jesus "Eduardo" Orduño Guillen. We also met him in 2020 when we visited Cozumel. We had the privilege of having a private temazcal with him and we captured his joyful essence as soon as we saw his smile. We spent the afternoon with him, asking questions of the Mayan beliefs and rituals. His connection to the Earth and to the Heavens is exquisite. He and his beautiful wife, Minori, will be a participate in the retreat and will lead the temazcal for the group.

Your facilitators are Shannon Plummer and Bob Sima.

 ~ more at www.wherethelightgetsin.us

Shannon Plummer is a powerhouse strategic visioning and intentional creation coach and shamanic practitioner wrapped in a divine package. Her approach combines spiritual, shamanic, and metaphysical wisdom with business and management expertise. Her approach is not only unique, but is extraordinarily powerful and will uniquely serve your walk through this world as you create a passionate and purposeful life. Shannon is an instrument – an engaged observer to the story of your life. She will guide you to and through the blind spots, allowing your higher self and vision to illuminate the true passion that lies within. Shannon’s intuitive and heart-centered coaching and visioning process will gently lead you to a more authentic, conscious, and intentional life. Her unique energy and presence creates a sacred space for expansion and deepening of what is waiting to be expressed. She now guides seekers to find, express, and live their truth in their calling. Shannon brings joy, peace, and possibility everywhere she goes.

Bob Sima is to music what Wayne Dyer, Don Miguel Ruiz, and Eckhart Tolle are to books and Rumi, Hafiz, and David Whyte are to poetry. He is troubadour, a way-shower, a guide, an awakener, and a musical mystic. Through the medium of melody and message, he leads listeners to an expanded consciousness, deeper sense of connection, and inner peace and purpose. His music bridges daily life and soul consciousness, the eternal with the now. He delivers instantly accessible songs that take up residence and resonance in your soul. Sima is a dynamic singer-songwriter, performer, storyteller, speaker, servant of humanity, workshop and retreat leader, meditation and breathwork facilitator, and creative collaborator — often weaving all of these elements into a single performance. When Sima opens his mouth to sing, what emerges is far beyond the human sounds of his warm and soulful voice. It’s a call, a remembrance, a soft and steady place to land. He speaks the language of the Universe, the language of the soul, the language of the heart. But he’s not just singing to his audience and it’s not just a performance. It’s a gathering, a connection – somewhat of a musical satsang or gathering of truth – that navigates the audience on a profound musical journey. Bob has an unparalleled ability to connect audiences in a visceral, powerful way, changing the vibration and consciousness in the room.

We have your transportation arranged to return you to Cancun or Merida Airport after breakfast. PLEASE consider booking a return flight that leaves AFTER 1pm if you are departing Mexico the last day of the retreat. The commute back to Cancun is 3 hours plus it includes a time change. (Translated meaning: If your flight is before noon, you will have to leave Oka'an around 5am.) The commute back to Merida is 2 hours in the same time zone.