Real Life Survival Stories From Around The World
By Aaron Love
11 months ago
Yossi Ghinsberg
Image Source: Reddit
Yossi Ghinsberg is the centrepiece of one of the most well-known amazon rainforest survival stories of all time! He became separated from his companions back in 1984 and had to endure weeks of illness and wildlife encounters alone before he was rescued. He actually wrote a book titled 'Jungle' after he returned home detailing how he managed to survive this terrible situation.Juliane Koepcke
Image Source: Reddit
Back in 1971, this young lady, Juliane Koepcke, managed to survive a plane crash within the Amazon Rainforest reaching through the country of Peru. Somehow she managed to stay alive after she fell around two miles stuck in her seat all the way through to the jungle floor. Even though she was injured, she endured nearly 2 weeks using some survival instincts until someone arrived to save her, even pouring gasoline in to an infected wound!Jungle Jim
Image Source: Reddit
Back in 2014 a man by the name of Antonio Laudo Ferreira, who later became known as Jungle Jim managed to survive a period of just over a month in the rainforest. During a gold-mining expedition he was separated from his companions and had to survive using just his survival skills and knowledge to know how to build shelters and also eat whatever he could forage or kill.Mauricio And Hector
Image Source: Wix
If you ever needed to hear a story about something to put you off travelling through the amazon rainforest then this might be it! As you might know, many people use to travel via boat through the river, but a duo known only as Hector and Mauricio actually ended up being left without food for 9 days after their boat capsized. They had to walk for 9 days until they reached civilization again down the river.Francisco Rios
Image Source: Reddit
So that isn't Francisco above, but it does show a group of fishermen within the Amazon rainforest and that's exactly how Rios nearly lost his life! Unlike some of the others, Rios ended up being trapped in the Amazon for an extremely long period of time after losing his companions during a fishing trip. After a year (YES A YEAR) alone in the rainforest, a separate group of fishermen found him.Paulo Aoki
Image Source: Reddit
Back in 2008 a Brazillian man by the name of Paulo Aoki managed to survive an Anaconda attack within the Amazon Rainforest. He attempted to capture the snake but it bit him on the arm and attempted to constrict on him! Somehow he managed to conjure up enough strength and bravery to bite the head of the Anaconda until that it died! That is absolutely crazy!Plane Crash Kids
Image Source: Reddit
This might be one of the craziest stories you'll ever hear, but four Colombian children actually survived this plane crash and then 40 MORE days in the rainforest before they were found. Bare in mind these children were aged 13, 9, 4 and 11 months they actually all survived whilst the rest of the passengers on board (all adults) unfortunately lost their lives.Jhonattan Acosta
Image Source: BBC
This Bolivian man managed to survive for a month on his own in the Amazon rainforest in Bolivia after he was separated from his companions during a hunting trip. In interviews after he was rescued he praised god and said that he managed to survive by eating worms and bugs and drinking rainwater that he managed to collect in his shoes. A very, very lucky man if you ask me!Gileno Viera da Rocha
Image Source: The Mirror
This 65 year old man from Brazil was working on the Trans-Amazonian highway when he ended up going missing. He managed to survive for 12 days and claimed to have only survived as a result of a diet of just wasps and flies. Fortunately, after nearly 2 weeks a group of police officers and sniffer dogs finally managed to track him down as he stumbled through the huge rainforest.Denise Ciunek
Image Source: Gazeta do Povo
This lady, Denise Ciunek went out travelling throughout the Brazilian Rainforest for a solo hike but ended up being held up by a gunman. He had attacked her and threatened to rape and kill her so in order to try and save herself she jumped into the river. This saved her from the gunman but unfortunately forced her to become stranded in the forest for nearly 20 days until she was found by some firemen.Maykool Coroseo Acuna
Image Source: NY Post
This Chilean tourist was travelling through the Bolivian part of the Amazon when he ended up going missing out of nowhere, after acting quite suspiciously in the hours leading up to his disappearance. Supposedly though, after he ran in to the forest to avoid his mind, he was actually saved by monkeys within the forest that chose to lead him to water and give him some of their fruit.Antonio Sena
Image Source: NZ Herald
Antonio Sena was a pilot that miraculously survived a plane crash over the Amazon rainforest and then 36 days in it after that! His engine failed and he was stranded; but fortunately he had previously studied how to survive the jungle knowing the dangers of his job. He trekked 27 km in 4 weeks and lost 25 km but somehow managed to avoid almost all injuries.Hazen Audel
Image Source: Reddit
This is quite a weird one as Hazen Audel purposely put himself through the ordeal of being trapped in the Amazon Rainforest. You might know him as a survivalist with his own TV show and his team chose to travel 500 km through the rainforest tackling challenges like bacteria, flesh-eating bugs and flash floods they managed to hunt and survive for months!Ed Stafford
Image Source: Reddit
Just like Hazen Audel, Ed Stafford chose to put himself through this challenging ordeal! He decided to walk the entire length of the Amazon River which is more than 4000 miles ], the first person ever recorded to do so. During this time he hunted for his own food as well as camped alongside some of nature's most dangerous and wild animals out there.The Last Of The Tribe
Image Source: BBC
It's hard to make out exactly what it is you're seeing here, but it's actually the last of an indigenous Amazonian tribe. He has been dubbed as the loneliest man in the world as the rest of his tribe were killed 22 years ago; and he continues to survive using tribal techniques to build shelter and hunt food. He has been monitored from afar since, in order to protect his safety.The Yanomami Tribe
Image Source: Reddit
You might be surprised to hear that there are actually more than 400 tribes still living within the Amazon Rainforest, most of which choose to avoid anyone not part of their own! One of these is the Yanomano tribe who follow a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and are reliant on themselves for farming, fishing and hunting for their own food. It's still possible to live that lifestyle for now!Aron Ralston
Image Source: Reddit
Okay so yes, this wasn't actually within the Amazon Rainforest but it is perhaps the most well-documented story of someone having to survive a dreadful ordeal alone! Whilst hiking in Utah he fell and had his arm trapped by a boulder and after 5 days he decided he had to amputate his own arm with a multitool. You might have heard of this following the film 127 hours.Ricky Megee
Image Source: Daily Star
Again, this wasn't in the Amazon but actually in the Australian Outback instead! Back in 2006 Ricky Megee found himself stranded in the outback after his truck broke down and he was left miles and miles from human civilization. He somehow managed to survive over two months alone living off of plants and insects as well as any rainwater he was lucky enough to get.Mauro Prosperi
Image Source: BBC News
Yet again, this person was actually stranded outside of the Amazon, instead he was found in the Sahara desert after taking a wrong turn during the Marathon des Sables. Somehow, no one managed to notice he'd gone off path and ended up wandering the desert alone without any supplies for more than a week. He managed to survive on just a diet of his own urine!Matthew Allen
Image Source: IBTimes UK
After two months of searching, it appeared as though the hunt for Matthew Allen was going to end in tragedy; but somehow they found him just out in the Australian Bush. Two hikers spotted him covered in leeches on the ground and it turned out that he has actually gone partially blind as a result of his ordeal. I'm sure he'd take survival over loss of sight any day!Harrison Odjegba Okene
Image Source: The Mirror
This survival story actually took place off of the coast of Nigeria, where a ship sank to the bottom of the ocean. 3 days after the sinking rescuers found a man STILL ALIVE after he found a small air pocket in the ship. That must have been some of the most terrifying days of a person's life, being stuck at the bottom of the ocean with no way to get down and help anyone.Steven Callahan
Image Source: Reddit
It's really one thing being stranded on land, never mind being stranded on the surface of the ocean for two and a half months! That's right, Steven Callahan, an American Sailor, tried to swim across the Atlantic in 1981 but ended up having to leave his boat and float away on an inflatable raft for 76 days spearing fish and drinking rainwater until he was spotted by some fishermen.Tamra McBeath-Riley and Phu Tan
Image Source: Deseret News
Image Source: The Sun
Image Source: Bored Panda
Image Source: Reddit
Image Source: Bushcraft Buddy
Image Source: Public Health Insider
Image Source: Reddit