Jungle Survival

Most of our travelers choose from among the softer alternatives available; peacefully swimming with pink dolphins, visiting native villages and canoeing along tranquil rivers while watching monkeys and parrots frolic in the trees above. But the current public fascination with "survivor" themes is currently focusing attention on our more adventurous offerings.
Long before our award-winning lodge was constructed near the Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve, we gained renown as the western Amazon's first adventure camping company. Among the alternatives available in jungle camping is the jungle survival training itinerary. This option is still available for our most adventurous clients.
We expect to have more interest in the near future due to a spate of publicity. Look for a feature article, "The Teachings of Gerineldo Moises Chavez" on our jungle survival program, written by Robert Earle Howells, in January 2001 Outside Magazine. A TV program of the same name premiered on cable TV January 10, 2001 Another TV program filmed at our lodge premiered on Discovery Channel's Science of Survival series April 14, 2006. Finally, Amazonia's owner has recently had his autobiography published, "Diary of an Amazon Jungle Guide," which relates many tales of jungle camping and survival aspects.

We can offer a jungle survival program any week of the year. You can spend all of your nights at the lodge or you can camp out as much as you want (all camping equipment is provided). We can make it fairly easy or hardcore.

Some of the aspects covered are:

• lean-to construction - how to select site, what woods to use, how to use irapay palm fronds to waterproof
  
• construction of fire - recognizing wood that will have hard, dry interior even when waterlogged, use of copal resin as fire starter
  
• sources of pure water - immature yarina fruits, puca huasca vine and cano huasca vine
  
• sources of food - palm fruits, palm hearts, edible grubs, legumes, using barbasco sap to stun fish, canabrava to build a fish trap, tamshi vine to make animal snare
  
• raft construction - using balsa wood, tied together with tamshi vine, oars from remo caspi
  
• mosquito repellent - made from termites
  
• weapons - spear from cumaceba, bow from cashapona, arrows from bamboo and arrowheads from cumaceba
  
• survival medicines - piripiri leaves for snakebite, curarina bark for venomous insects, sanango root for fever, pichirina sap for disinfectant, machimango fiber for field dressing, oje sap for antiparasitical, hierba luisa leaves for dysentery and gastrointestinal distress.