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Desert Island Survival in the Virgin Islands

£1,650

Price includes: accommodation, all meals, instruction, bioluminescence kayak experience, surfboard and snorkel hire. It DOES NOT include international airfare. 

Dates: 9th-22nd March 2020

The gentle lap of the waves. The starry night sky as ancient as life itself. Your belly full from food that you have harvested yourself from the wild, cooked over a fire you have made by rubbing bamboo together to create the glowing coals. Climb coconut trees to gain a better perspective or take a deep breath and dive into the clear blue seas. Going right back to the basics, on this two week expedition you’ll be covering a whole range of primitive living and survival skills whilst staying on the beautiful Caribbean island of St Croix.

For seven days you will learn the skills to help you both survive and thrive in a deserted island scenario, before testing your knowledge and resilience during a four day ‘survival’ trip, living in full survival mode bringing only a knife as our only modern tool. Using ancient knowledge passed on from our ancestors and the indigenous Native Americans, the skills covered include; making primitive fire, (inc. bow drill, hand drill, fire saw), making primitive shelters from palm fronds and grasses, bamboo bows and arrows, gathering and preparing plants for your own wild foods and medicines, water purification, climbing coconut trees, making your own spear and nets for fishing, open fire cooking techniques, making pack baskets, pottery and palm leaf hats. As well as providing you with the tools to live in comfort and style we will also cover the hazards you might face and how to prevent them and deal with them including; dehydration, beasties and tropical illness, toxic plants and marine life, emergency signalling, natural navigation, aquatic safety and safe knife/ machete use. See example itinerary below.

In the evenings we will kayak and swim in lagoons lit up with bioluminescence, take an evening stroll to discover the wildlife around us, work on projects and share stories and star lore around the camp fire. There will also be plenty of opportunity to surf, swim and snorkel amongst the corals. This expedition will give you the necessary training and skills needed to survive in a deserted island scenario but in Caribbean Island style! One thousand acres, two watersheds of steep mountains, deep tropical ravines and five miles of wilderness and crashing surf, all accessible for exploring.

For anyone who is not ready to leave their island life behind at the end of this expedition, we can help you stay on longer to explore at your leisure over 1500 acres of mangroves, flats, and reef that serve as nurse shark rookeries, as well as great surf spots.  The old Indian settlement at Salt River is the exact site of the very first bloodshed between native Americans and Europeans anywhere in the “new world”, (Columbus 2nd voyage 1650). There are miles of sandy white beaches, dolphins swimming just off of the coast and many bird species for the excited twitcher. Experience the living history:  the fishermen, the Cruzan rum distillery, the street food, Crucian storytellers and African drum groups, Calypso musicians and Caribbean dance and festival vibes.

If you’re ready to test yourself and are looking for a unique getaway then book now for our 2018 expedition.

 

 

 

 

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Itinerary

The following itinerary is a guideline for the skills we are hoping to cover during your stay with us. There will also be time during the first seven days to work on your own projects, relax in a hammock, share stories around the fire, go for walks around the island or explore the sea through surfing and snorkelling amongst the coral.

Day 1

After arriving at Fredricksted Airport on the island of St Croix, we’ll whisk you back to camp where you’ll have time to relax in hammocks, settle in and explore the local environment and run straight down to the beach and dive into the beautiful Caribbean seas.

Day 2

Orientation and introduction
Safe tool use
Hazard management; Tropical diseases, dehydration, bugs and beasties.
Calabash Bowl making
Bamboo utensils and cups

Day 3

Plant walk (plant i.d. and uses as well as possible collection)
Pottery
Basket Packs
Evening swim and kayak through the bioluminescence

Day 4

Cordage (collection and preparation)
Bamboo Bows
Primitive fishing spear
Aquatic safety

Day 5

Arrows
Bamboo water containers
Net Bags
Water purification

Day 6

Fire Making (bow-drill, hand-drill, fire saw)
Traps (figure 4, paiute, nazo bird trap)
Coconut Skills (including tree climbing techniques)

Day 7

Palm leaf hats
Pottery Firing
Night time nature walk

Day 8

Emergency Signalling and evacuation
Open Skills Day/ Prep for Survival

Days 9-12

Survival Trip!!

Day 13
Return to camp in the late afternoon
Reintegration

Day 14

Closing ceremony

Accommodation

We’ll be met by our hosts Matt and Carmen Corradino at their off grid paradise nestled into the natural environment.

Accommodation for the first week is in single gender lodges (sleeps 4), built from local wind-fallen hard woods, sleeping on hand crafted beds where you can fall asleep to the sound of tree frogs.

mount victory Mahogany Bungalow

There are solar showers and compost toilets, access to fridge and gas burners (all meals are catered for you), and a bar area. There are also areas to relax in hammocks.

mount victory bar

The camp has also been home to a successful breeding programme of the vulnerable red footed tortoise, Chelonoidis carbonaria, for the last two decades.

mount victory tortoise

Physical Requirements

This trip is available to those aged 15+ years. If you are a family or looking to bring a youth group, then please get in touch as we can arrange a separate bespoke trip for you.

You must be able to navigate over uneven ground, and scramble across rocky shores to be able to gather the materials needed for the survival element. If you are registered blind or deaf or have any disability that you feel may impair you then please get in touch as we will try our hardest to accommodate you providing it is safe to do so. If you are physically unable to complete the survival element of the trip but wish to participate in the skills workshops, then please get in touch to discuss options.

Getting Ready for your Trip

Once we have received your booking we will send you further information for example on; visas, vaccinations and suggested kit list.

In the mean time, to get you excited and ready for your adventure, you may be interested in;

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