Thailand Jungle Survival
Courses
Thailand's
History of Outdoor Survival Skills
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) 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.
Unlike
what tends to be popular on TV survival shows, you will learn how
to conserve energy and not take chances. True survival is all about
making decisions that affect your longevity and a focus on safety
is paramount to this end. You will not jump off of any cliffs, cross
raging rivers, or scale cliffs to get a better idea about where you
are located. This makes for more interesting TV, but it is not what
you do in a true survival situation.
Jungle Survival Courses
(in Khao Sok National Park)
 PaddleAsia
offers a variety of jungle survival courses
in Thailand. One of our jungle survival
courses take place in Khao
Sok National Park. This course combines jungle survival
with wildlife viewing from a comfortable kayak.
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!
We
do not kill any animals. We will show you how to set up animal
traps, but we do not actually use them to capture animals.
Jungle
survival courses address the following:
Survival kit items
–
What to take
What not to take
Items specific to tropical conditions
Click here to see survival
kit information
Water (avoiding
dehydration is your #1 priority) -
Learning to find water on land
Learning how to find water
in vines
Finding water in bamboo
Conserving water
Transporting water
Fire –
How to use a flint and steel (flint and magnesium fire starters)
How to make a friction fire with bamboo (see YouTube
video)
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.
See a sample itinerary.
Read a former student's review of his week of jungle survival training in Khao Sok.
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.
Bushcraft
courses are also available for those who are more
interested in camping, woodlore and traditional wilderness living
skills than just surivival. If you do not want to travel all the way to Khao Sok and still want to see some incredible jungle, check out our budget Phang Nga Province combo trekking/jungle survival trip. This is only an hour north of Phuket and it costs considerably less as transportation costs are much lower for us. The jungle is every bit as good as Khao Sok if not better. The local guides are exceedingly knowlegeable about their piece of paradise. All-in-all, you cannot go wrong visiting Phang Nga Province. Plus, we offer everything from a one-day program to as many days as you wish. Each trip is customized. Bushcraft courses are available in Phang Nga Province too.
Alternatively, if you don't have a lot of time and/or Khao Sok is out of your budget, you can try our Phuket Wilderness Survival Introductory courses.
Would you
know what to do if you were shipwrecked or in a plane crash? Check
out our coastal
survival training course.
 Check
out the various videos on our YouTube
channel |
See our tour
prices list for prices.
Or, you can choose from
some smaller national parks or conservation areas. Contact
us for details.
Read a story about a previous school group's experience with Jungle survival in Khao Sok.
  Please
follow our jungle survival group on FaceBook. Just click on the iconand/of follow us on Twitter.
 Recommended
reading: The US
Navy Seal Survival Handbook covers a
wide range of topics as well as the issues in various climates.
This books is well-written and easy to read. There is no
shortage of nice color photos.
The first 41 pages covers the types of training that Seals
do. They are certainly hardcore, but this is of course not
a prerequiste for being able to survive in the jungle. It
is interesting.
I contributed
a quite a bit to the tropical section of this book.
|
 For
lots of information on common sense survival and self-reliance
as well as survival supplies, check out my friend Dave
Canterbury's Pathfinder
School.
Dave has a multitude
educational videos on YouTube
pertaining to survival skills.
Dave also offers
a unique magazine called Self
Reliance Illustrated.
Furthermore, if
you're looking for a knife that will last a lifetime, Dave
offers one of the most durable, beautiful, high-quality knives
on the market. Check out his Pathfinder
series knives by Blind Horse.
 My
friend Cody Lundin is a master at primitive
living skills, wilderness living and survival skills. His
Aboriginal
Living Skills School is a must for all
who are interested in training and learning survival techniques
to use in the modern world. Cody proves that ancient skills
are still applicable.
Cody also believes
in sustainable living and his philosophy shines through with
his incredible self-reliant
home. Cody is the author of two best-sellers:
When
All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster
Strikes and 98.6
Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive!
Dave and Cody are
the 'stars' of The Discovery Channel's show Dual
Survival, one of the best survival shows to ever air on TV.
Me
with Dave and Cody
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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.
We
concentrate on honing our safety sense, outdoor skills and
getting certified to international standards. |
Dave
is a BCU
Level 2 Coach
and is Level 3 trained
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Dave
is a certified rescue technician |
Dave
is an EFR instructor |
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Certified
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Join our Jungle
Survival Group
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18/58 Thanon Rasdanusorn, T. Rasada,
Baan Kuku, Phuket 83000
Tel/fax: +66 76 241519
Dave's mobile: 081 8936558
Moo's mobile: 081 7974855
Tourism
Authority of Thailand License Number 31/0204
Insurance by New Hampshire Insurance Co. of Manchester New Hampshire
Policy #670158
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