One
of the many things that impress many travelers in Thailand
is the ability of the locals to live off of the jungle. Today, most
Thais don’t have to rely on the jungle for sustenance, though
they have retained much of their ability to identify wild edible and
medicinal plants.
Wild
Edible Plants & Jungle Crafts
In
addition to knowing a lot about the plants in the jungle,
many Thais still know how to make temporary shelters and many other
jungle crafts that would make being lost in the verdant terrain…
not so uncomfortable.
PaddleAsia's
Thai guides are well-adapted to living off of the land. All
of our guides came from simple backgrounds and fairly poor families.
I (Dave) will combine their natural jungle survival skills with my
lifelong love of the outdoors and survival skills to provide you with
an opportunity to visit the jungles of Southern Thailand with the
bare minimum of tools. Take advantage of our collective skills.
Jungle Survival Courses
(in Khao Sok National Park)
PaddleAsia
offers a variety ofjungle survival courses
in Thailand. One of our jungle survival
courses take place inKhao
Sok National Park. This course combines jungle survival
with kayaking.
As far
as picking wild edible plants go, we would not pick any plant that
is uncommon or rare.
Rare plants
will be pointed out, but not eaten. In other words, we’d only
sample plants that are very common and that are capable of growing
back rapidly. Luckily for you, there are many plants that fall into
this last category. You’ll get to eat directly from the jungle.
Many of
these plants are actually commonly found in the regular markets of
Thailand!
Jungle
survival courses address the following:
Survival kit items
–
What to take
What not to take
Items specific to tropical conditions
Water (avoiding
dehydration is your #1 priority) -
Learning to find water on land
Learning how to make solar
stills
Conserving water
Fire –
How to use a flint and steel (flint and magnesium fire starters)
The tinder > kindling > Fuel building schemes
Types of fires
Fires for warmth
Fires for cooking
Fires for signaling
Underground fires
Cooking basics
-
Making cooking utensils
Strategy –
Setting priorities (basic needs)
Preparing for the unexpected
Weather concerns
Food –
Wild edible plant
Boiling water in bamboo
Fishing with handlines and bamboo poles
Hunting weapons
Building traps and snares
Food preparation
Shelter –
Finding suitable site
Types of shelters (including natural shelters)
Building shelters with only a knife and know-how.
Rope –
Making rope from plants
How to tie knots
Finding your way
back –
Reading signs
Determining direction
Reading weather
How to use a compass and map
Moving
–
Moving solo through the jungle
Moving a group of people
Planning food and water while traveling
Signaling
Gain
the confidence to tackle life’s problems as they arise.
Regain your self-esteem by proving to yourself that you could survive
alone in a tropical jungle by using your mind and your newly-gained
‘continued existence’ skills.
Our
mission with this endeavor is to help you build the confidence
to stay calm if you ever find yourself lost. You should be able to
analyze your situation and figure out the best course of action.
Jungle
Survival Destinations
You can choose from Khao
Sok National Park whereby kayaking is included in the course.
This is a comfortable way for you to see the jungle and experience
one of the nicest national parks in SE Asia.
For more
budget-minded travelers
who also want a more hardcore jungle survival experience, PaddleAsia
offers a two-day jungle
survival course in Phang Nga Province.
Or, you can choose from
some smaller national parks or conservation areas. Contact
us for details.
Highly
recommended reading - Deep
Survival, Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
by Laurence Gonzales. This book deals primarily with the psychology
of survival with plenty of real-life stories. It points out certain
(often repeated) patterns in many survival fatalities and how they
can be avoided.
Visit the Wilderness
Survival Skills website for information about
safe wilderness travel, what gear to take, survival techniques and
links to survival schools around the planet.
Thailand Jungle Survival
Courses 
Gain
the confidence to tackle life’s problems as they arise.
Regain your self-esteem by proving to yourself that you could survive
alone in a tropical jungle by using your mind and your newly-gained
‘continued existence’ skills.
