Experiential learning continues to be a valued outcome of international educational mobility. However, underlying this proposition are unexamined or uncritical assumptions about the nature of learning, its relationship to experience, and how place mediates between the two. A fuller, more grounded, specification of experiential learning is more than an exercise in conceptual clarity. Rather, it holds the promise of accessing one’s abilities as a learner in ways hitherto unimagined, especially when found through relational engagement with place. Drawing on Kryder’s work, the article first outlines how experiencing place (re)familiarizes us with our inherent abilities of perception and cognition. Subsequently, it draws on the symbolism of the Pemako or mountain of hidden teachings to thoroughly explore the many facets of treasure discovery as a learning paradigm conducive to experiencing place and tapping into its perennial wisdom