Volunteering as a survival Guide in the Amazon!

I had a great experience in this program. Firstly this program is unique as it feels like your doing several programs at once as well as you stay in different places. Your main home base is in a nice homestay with a great family who is also the person who runs the survival trips. Then there is the base In the jungle a few hours away from Manaus and then we also stay on occasion in temporary camps under the jungle canopy.

The whole experience was amazing! The Host family they were such a loving family and i learned so much being with them. I picked up a whole lot of the Portuguese too, which I used quite successfully in Paulinia, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Oh and I got to see a jaguar in the jungle! After a long hike in the rainforest we were suddenly told to stop talking and be as quiet as possible. The guides had spotted something that they didn't want spooked. Slowly, step by step we silently caught up with them and looked straight up a tree, so tall that you could probably climb it to heaven. Looking up as high as I could, I saw a black mass on one of the branches - a jaguar. Such a cool sighting - i still don't know how the guides saw it so high up. Even with my camera on full zoom, I couldn't take one recognizable picture. You'll just have to take my word on this one - it was really cool"