10 Days Amazon Jungle Survival Training
Jaguar RaidTM – Amazon Jungle Survival Training lasts 10 days and takes you to the remote Amazon jungle of French Guiana & Suriname, in South America. We will teach you the basics of how to survive in the most untouched primary jungle in the world from just what is around you.
At the start of the training participants will be introduced to the jungle survival techniques of the indigenous peoples. In this case the Maroons. Boekme’s Amazon Jungle Survival training is one of the best combined jungle survival adventure you will ever experience. With the vast knowledge of Sifu Roger Meyer – Head Instructor of the martial arts academy of WOB in Germany, combined with the Amazon jungle survival expertise and hunting experience from senior, indigenous Maroon guides, you will learn how to survive and thrive in the jungle. The tour is relatively demanding but extremely realistic.
This will be the most true to life jungle survival adventure you will ever experience anywhere. You will be traveling deep into the pristine Amazon jungle, far away from civilization, emulating the military way. Our starting point is St Laurent, Du Maroni, French Guiana (and Albina Suriname), from where we head up river, in motorized dugout river canoes deep into the jungle. We will be crossing awesomely fierce rapids and splendid waterfalls.
After 6 to 8 hours of expedition style cruising, we will reach our base camp at Gakaba along the river banks. Here the initial instructions will be provided to you by the guides/instructors about living in the jungle and how to be relatively comfortable in this foreign environment.
The following days we will gradually move deeper into the jungle where we will begin the real exciting work of survival. We will ease you into it, since you will need a bit of time to acclimatize to the environment. This is the real stuff, the way the Amerindians and Maroons have done it for hundreds of years.
You will learn how to find water, make traps, hunt with bow and arrow, make fire to cook and to stay warm, build a shelter, leave signs for rescuers and if all else fails, find your own way and own transport out of the jungle! After these basics comes the reality!
For a few days you and your team members will be placed in an imitated survival situation. You will put into practice all the skills you have learnt.
This is the seclusion phase, where you will have to deal with daily real life problems, as well as dealing with the difficulties of not having luxuries, or a lot of human contact. Note that at all times, our Boekme.com jungle survival guides will be monitoring you through every step.
What will you learn?
In the Jungle Survival component the participants will learn:
- How to navigate and travel through the dense jungle
- How to make fire for cooking and staying warm
- How to build a hut/shelter from the available jungle material
- How to set up your hammock
- How to make traps to catch fish and small animals
- How to make your own bow and arrows
- How to hunt fish with spears and bow/arrow
- How to prepare food from game and fish
- How to conserve meat
- How to find drinkable water
- How to purify water
- How to create a makeshift raft from the jungle material to cross creeks and rivers
- How to maintain hygiene in the jungle
- How to identify edible plants and fruits
- How to identify medicinal and bandaging plants
- How to handle medical emergencies such as cuts and broken limbs
- How to maintain hygiene in the jungle
- How to recognize dangerous situations
- How to avoid the dangers
- How to build weapons from jungle material
- How to use weapons (non-lethal arms)
WHAT to EXPECT as a Participant
- Expect to have a lot of fun away from the daily western luxury
- Expect to hunt for game and fish (under supervision from Boekme.com experts)
- Expect to being muddy, dirty, sweaty and wet for hours
- Expect to use a machete for cutting branches while traveling through jungle and other activities
- Expect the possibility of encountering annoying stinging insects such as mosquitoes, wasps and ants
- Expect the possibility of encountering jungle animals
- Expect to learn some fun, but practical martial arts combat techniques
Travel Dates: Sept 21 – 30, 2024
Trip duration: 10 days
When to book: We recommend to book at least 10 weeks in advance.
Group size: 10-15
Price: $1625 per person
Accommodation Type: You will spend some nights throughout this adventure at a riverside lodge at Gakaba and the some nights in the jungle in your own private hammock under the canopy and stars, our in sheds!
Internet Access: Not guaranteed. And you probably will be happy if there is no access. No calls from pesky and jealous coworkers :). After all you came to escape the daily grind, and be one with nature for a bit:)
Who is this trip for:
- For adventurous hard core nature-loving individuals who have an interest in the rugged outdoors and nature at its purest
- For those who do not mind to get wet and dirty, enjoy jungle trekking and camping on river beaches and banks
- For those who want to experience living with the bare minimum in the jungle, but still comfortable enough to enjoy it
- And finally, it is for those who want to experience sleeping overnight in hammocks, in sheds on river banks deep into the Amazon jungle
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | Albina, Suriname/ St Laurent French Guyana | ||||
| DEPARTURE TIME |
Please arrive at least one day prior to the start of the trip in Suriname or French Guyana |
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Day 1: Departure & River Expedition to Base Camp
At 10 AM we board the boat to take us to base camp at Gakaba. We will make several sightseeing stops along the way including:
- Apatou, a French village on the left banks of the Marowijne river
- Langa Tabiki, a large island in the middle of the Marowijne river
- Ampoma, an island in the middle of the Marowijne river
At our Gakaba base camp (where we will sleep that night), we will have a delicious dinner, drink ice cold beers and party till late with the locals to celebrate your arrival.
Tonight you can choose to sleep in hammocks or bunk beds.
Day 2: Jungle Survival Introduction
After breakfast we double check that we have all the necessary gears and we will issue participants a specific jungle kit. We check all technical equipment, including emergency signals. We will go through some basic jungle safety lessons, emergency response, mental preparedness and jungle hygiene routines. We will, furthermore, provide instructions about the rules of the jungle such as how to identify poisonous plants and dangerous animals, as well as which animals you can hunt for food. Specifically we will also teach you:
- How to make a basic shelter
- How to make fire for cooking/heat
- How to prepare and set up your hammock
- How to make bow/arrows for fishing/hunting small animals/birds
- How to make a spear for fishing
- How to make a basic fish trap
We will also go through all the main skills of handling bow and arrows safely. At the social interaction level, we will also provide instructions as to how to deal with the indigenous people, if/when we go visit them, including what you are allowed to do, how to behave, what not to touch, whom not to look into the eyes 🙂 and which areas not to enter.
After absorbing so much new information, in the late afternoon on day 2, we leave the base camp and head to a waterfall and river beach to relax and swim.
In the early evening we return to base camp where we will have a delicious dinner, drink ice cold beers and party till late with the locals.
Tonight you can choose to sleep in hammocks or bunk beds.
*Throughout this training you will sleep in a hammock in a jungle hut, with meals prepared for you initially. After a few days you will then start to hunt and prepare food for yourselves. Rest assured that if you don’t manage to catch fish or kill game, you still will have plenty of food available to you.
Day 3:Surviving in the Jungle
After a hearty breakfast we leave the base camp and head into the creek by boat to a more remote spot in the jungle. Together all team members will work collaboratively to build a jungle camp to sleep at night and to protect you from the elements. Once the camp is built, the primitive jungle survival experts will then supervise you while you:
- Make your own bow/arrows for fishing/hunting small animals/birds
- Make your own spears for fishing
- Make fish traps to catch fish
Right before sunset dinner will be prepared and a campfire will be made.
Tonight you can sleep in hammocks.
Day 4: Small Groups Jungle Survival
Today, right after breakfast you will be divided into small groups. Each small group will head to their very own part of the jungle to live in for the next couple of days, completely on you own. With just your recently learnt skills to help you, your group will build its own shelter, make fire, hunt for food, and find /purify water.
The very basics in order to survive and make yourself as comfortable as you can. Your team supervisor will give you tasks to complete.
Note that each group will have a Boekme.com guide to watch over you and keep it fun. Once the camp is completed your team will go on a hike through the jungle to explore the area. You will bring your bow/arrows and spear with you to hunt food for dinner.
In the late afternoon each team will return to their camp to prepare dinner.
A campfire will be made to add fun to the night. After dinner you will receive a briefing for the activities of the next day..
Tonight you can sleep in hammocks.
Day 5: Fish Hunting & Night Hike
After dinner, a night walk with night vision devices and radio for orientation will be conducted back to Boekme’s basecamp by the river.
Tonight you can sleep in hammocks.
Day 6: River Voyage to French Destination Maripa Soula
In the mid- morning, after breakfast we will leave Gakaba for a river voyage . We will visit many villages on the French side of the Lawa river such as Belikampoe, Aboenasonga, Cottica and others. In the mid afternoon we will arrive at the French town of MaripaSoula. We will go on a sightseeing tour of this beautiful town and have some local drinks, snacks and lunch. After MaripaSoula we’ll go to a waterfall to enjoy a swim and massage by the falling water. In the late afternoon, we will go to Lawa Tabiki for dinner and relaxation. Tonight you will sleep in hammocks.
Day 7: Wild Game Hunting at Night
In the morning we will return to base camp Gakaba and relax till the early evening. At night the wild game hunting action will start. Around 7 PM the group will head deeper into the jungle to hunt wild game, from a specially designed hunting platform. Your Maroon hunter guide will lead the way.
After a few hours of night hunting we will return to the camp with whatever we managed to catch and then go to sleep.
Tonight you can sleep in hammocks.
Day 8:Rescuing, Rafting and Night Fishing
Today is rescue day. After your morning breakfast, we will simulate a situation where some of your team members are injured. You will be shown how to care for the injured members and how to carry them through the jungle to civilization where they will get medical help. You will have to navigate through natural obstacles to get the injured members to safety.
As part of the rescue simulation you will also learn how to make a raft from raw jungle material. The raft will be your means of transportation to travel down the river.
Every group will be guided to work together to construct and test the makeshift raft.
In the late afternoon you return back to your camp where dinner will also be prepared.
After dinner, a night walk with night vision device and radio for orientation will be conducted to a creek, where we will hunt for fish with spears. After approximately 90 minutes we will return to the camp with whatever we managed to catch and then go to sleep.
Tonight you can sleep in hammocks.
Day 9: Waterfall and Rapids Adventure
Around noon we will travel to a waterfall to enjoy a swim and have good lunch.
In the evening we’ll have a delicious BBQ dinner, drink ice cold beers and party till late with the locals to celebrate your training and say goodbye.
We will also be packing our bags
Tonight you can choose to sleep in hammocks or bunk beds.
Day 10: River Expedition Back to St Laurent/Albina
Today (you are probably a little bit hungover), we travel back to St Laurent, Du Maroni( and Albina) after enjoying a last breakfast with the base camp team. Along the way we will stop at several beautiful uninhabited islands to have a BBQ lunch.
By 5 PM we should be back in Albina/St Laurent, where we will board the waiting bus to Cayenne or (Paramaribo), where you will be able to catch your plane back to your home.
The remote, pristine Amazonian jungle of French Guyana & Suriname, in South America.
