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Starting from an island in Mexico, the teams have to reach the northernmost point of South America in a monumental race across 5,900km
Amelia NeathFriday 21 November 2025 09:22 GMTComments
open image in gallery(Left to right) Tyler West, Molly Rainford, Harleymoon Kemp, Roman Kemp, Anita Rani, Balvinder Singh Nazran, Dylan Llewellyn and Jackie Llewellyn (Studio Lambert/BBC Pictures)
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Race Across the World is back, and this time it's the celebrities who are taking on one of the most challenging adventures on TV, as they compete to be the first to reach the finish line in Colombia.
The first episode saw the teams set off from the Mexican island of Isla Mujeres as they embarked on a 5,900km race across Central America over five weeks.
Taking part in this year's race is broadcaster and writer Anita Rani, competing with her dad, Bal, while Derry Girls actor Dylan Llewellyn has brought along his mum, Jackie.
The only couple to compete this year is DJ Tyler West and actor and singer Molly Rainford, while sibling duo broadcaster Roman Kemp and his singer-songwriter sister Harleymoon complete this series’ line-up.
The pairs will have to travel through towns, cities and rural areas with a limited budget and resources carried in backpacks, making decisions as to what transport they will use, which route to take, where they will sleep, and how much to spend.
They will be passing through five checkpoints. Here is a summary of the locations the teams are navigating during the epic continental journey.
The start
Isla Mujeres, Mexico
open image in galleryThe teams at Isla Mujeres before setting off (Studio Lambert/BBC Pictures)The race begins on the sacred Mayan island of Isla Mujeres, where the coast of Mexico meets the Caribbean Sea. Translating to “Island of Women”, this sliver of limestone is a Mayan pilgrimage site for their goddess of the moon and fertility, Ixchel. The small island is only 7km long and barely 800m at its widest point, yet the little slice is packed with beach bars, chic boutique hotels and ample opportunity for snorkelling and diving in the crystal clear waters brimming with marine life. Elsewhere, visitors to the island will be able to explore Mayan culture by visiting ancient ruins and exploring sunken cenote waters. Once believed to be a hideaway for pirates, the island also has plenty of local legends to discover. At this easternmost point of Mexico, Isla Mujeres is only a short boat ride away from one of Mexico’s most expensive tourist hotspots, Cancun, yet the island offers a slower-paced life away from the crowds.
Checkpoint one
Flores, Peten, Guatemala
open image in galleryFlores Island in Guatemala was where Checkpoint One was situated (Getty Images)On the first leg, teams took varying routes to the first checkpoint, travelling through the resort-lined tourist destination Cancun; the Yucatan’s cultural capital of Merida; one of Mexico's most prolific chilli-producing regions in Campeche; and crossing the border to Belize to check out some Mayan Lamanai ruins. The pairs travelled over 1,100km south to Guatemala, trying to reach a small island in Lake Peten Itza named Flores. This colourful city rising from the waters is a maze of cobble-stoned streets and painted houses built upon the last stronghold in the Maya Kingdom. Travellers often come and stay in Flores while exploring nearby Mayan ruins hidden among Central America’s largest tropical forest. One of the most significant Mayan archaeological sites near here is the Tikal Ruins, a ceremonial complex of temples, palaces and public squares of limestone.
Checkpoint two
El Zonte, El Salvador
open image in galleryVolcanic sands on El Zonte’s beach (Getty Images/iStockphoto)For this leg, the racers had to trek 940km to the south to El Zonte in El Salvador after passing through Mayan agricultural lands, including Punta de Chimino in Guatemala, cocoa farms in Honduras, and Hopkins Beach in Belize, to name a few. Following a turbulent recent history, the pristine coastline in El Salvador has started to attract visitors. El Zonte is beloved by surfers, but also by those who use cryptocurrency, after the town was an early adopter of it as payment, earning it the nickname “Bitcoin Beach”. The small coastal community is lined with private beach houses, hotels and hostels, often booked up by surfers checking out the waves in La Punta that sometimes create barrels up to 10 feet high. The colourful landscape is also home to two beaches with volcanic black sand, backed by a series of sea caves often used for impromptu Instagram photo shoots. Visitors to El Zonte describe the town as a relaxed haven run by friendly locals, with plenty going on from coffee and cacao tours to the seasonal release of baby sea turtles into the waters.
Checkpoint three
Valle de Ángeles, Honduras
open image in galleryValle de Ángeles is a colonial town in the Honduran highlands (Getty Images)After journeying through El Salvador, stopping at points of natural beauty such as the Conchagua volcano and the historic town of Suchitoto, the teams crossed over to the most mountainous country in Central America, Honduras. Marking the halfway point of the race, the pairs were told to head to Valle de Ángeles, a former 16th-century mining town tucked away in the pine forests of the Honduran highlands. The town is often visited by those who need a getaway from the capital of Tegucigalpa, a 45-minute drive away, and retreat into the alpine terrain. The town is a popular tourist destination for those seeking out colonial architecture in Honduras, with traditional homes, cafes and restaurants lining cobbled streets. The town is also home to an abundance of artists' studios creating paintings, wood carvings and sculptures, with this creative energy reflected in the colourful facades and murals on the buildings.
The end
Península de La Guajira, Colombia
open image in galleryDunes meet the sea at Península de La Guajira, Colombia (Getty Images/iStockphoto)To become Race Across the World champions, teams will have to reach the northernmost point of the South American continent, the Peninsula de La Guajira, Colombia. After traversing 5,900km through Central America, the teams will reach this large, expansive region of arid desert. Inhabited by the indigenous Wayúu people, the peninsula is a remote coastal destination often overlooked in favour of more popular places along the Colombian Caribbean coast. Several towns and villages line the water's edge – such as Riohacha and Cabo de la Vela – attracting tourists, some of whom may be on their way to reach the headland of Punta Gallinas, the extreme northermost point where the dunes meet the sea. Further inland, you will find the Macuira National Natural Park, made up of tropical dry forests and high-altitude cloud forests sitting side by side with vast swathes of sand.
Celebrity Race Across The World airs on iPlayer and BBC One on Thursdays at 8pm.
Read more: Race Across the World locations – where was the 2025 series filmed?
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