Panama

Desert Island Survival Adventure in Panama

From:

£3,290

Duration:

8 days

Date:

21 Mar – 29 Mar 2025

Max People:

12

Min Age:

18+

People drinking out of coconut bowls on the beach

Silhouettes of people playing frisbee on the beach at sunset.

A group of people sitting around a campfire at night.

Siblings on beach with a ball in their hand

A group of people walking along a deserted beach with trees in the background.

A woman kneeling down next to a fire in the woods.

A woman relaxing in a hammock in the woods.

A group of people are sitting under the stars on a beach.

A man is working on a piece of wood in the sand.

A group of people braving risks on a boat in the ocean.

Kara and Nate in a helicopter. Ready for their survival experience

The Highlights of our panama adventure

Primary tropical rainforest right down to the beach

Huge expansive beaches

Phosphorescent plankton lighting up the ocean

Excellent fishing

Diverse birdlife

Nestling Turtles

Great international connections

Overview
Itinerary
Island
Inclusions
FAQ
Travel Advice

Trip Summary

Embark on an adventure that blends human connection, bushcraft, and survival on a remote desert island paradise in Panama— where you’ll push your limits, collaborate with others, and face challenges that will help you grow in unexpected ways.

So here is the plan: You’ll arrive in the dynamic capital of Panama City where we spend one night in a vibrant downtown hotel. You’ll meet your new tribe, head out for dinner in the old town and cover the expedition briefing. Try to get a good night’s sleep—tomorrow, the real adventure begins!

The next morning, we’ll take you on a 90-minute speedboat ride to an uninhabited desert island—your new home for the next few days. This untouched paradise will be the setting for a 3-night immersive bushcraft experience. You’ll learn essential survival skills in a supportive environment designed to build your confidence. Nights are spent sleeping in expedition hammocks, cooking over a campfire, and sharing stories (and a bottle of rum). This phase is all about fun, learning, and connection.

Just as you are starting to feel a little too comfortable, it’s time for the real challenge. You and your tribe will transition to a more remote part of the island for a 48-hour survival test. No hammock. No instructors. Just a machete, a satellite phone, and your wits. You’ll build shelters, find food, make fire, and purify water—all on your own. It will be tough, but you’ll feel more alive than ever.

After 3 days, you are rescued and head back to what now feels like a 10 star hotel for the best shower of your life and a survival feast.

By the end of this adventure, you might realize navigating a desert island isn’t so different from the challenges you face everyday.

Sounds like your type of adventure? We hope so!

Day 1

Meet your fellow adventurers poolside at the hotel for cocktails, an expedition briefing, and dinner.

Day 2

After breakfast, board a speedboat to the island.
Explore the island, set up camp, and build your shelter.
Share stories around the campfire with rum in hand before retiring to your hammock.

Day 3

Morning: Master the art of making fire by friction.
Afternoon: Learn to catch fish and prepare a feast

Day 4

Discover various techniques for finding food, including primitive hand-lining and spearfishing.
Celebrate with fresh pina coladas made from island coconuts, followed by tribal-themed festivities and beach games.

Day 5

Begin the survival phase. The fire goes out, the instructors leave, and it’s just you and your tribe against the elements.

Day 6

Survival phase – day 2

Day 7

Rescue day. Nothing will feel sweeter than seeing the rescue boats arrive, stocked with ice-cold drinks.
Celebrate your achievement with a survival feast and stay at a boutique hotel on Contadora Island.

Day 8

Enjoy a leisurely morning before heading back to Panama City in the afternoon.

The Island

A Tropical Wilderness Awaits

Immerse yourself in a 560-acre island paradise where unbroken jungle meets pristine white sand beaches. Part of Panama’s Pearl Islands archipelago, this untouched haven is just 60 miles from Panama City yet feels worlds away. With 23 beaches, nesting sea turtles, phosphorescent plankton, and over 40 bird species, it’s the perfect setting for adventure and survival.

Depending on the season, you may witness turtles—Olive Ridley, Green, or even Leatherbacks—nesting on the beach. The island is also home to vibrant wildlife, including the brilliantly colored Halloween Moon crabs.

This adventure is designed to push your boundaries, build resilience, and teach invaluable skills—all within the breathtaking beauty of Panama’s wild frontier.

1 uninhabited private island
3 days survival training by world-class bushcraft instructors (incl. hammocks, camping gear, etc.)
2 days raw survival
1 night accommodation in Panama City (twin rooms, shared)
1 night accommodation in a boutique hotel on a beautiful island (twin rooms, shared)
All meals and drinks (limited alcoholic drinks)
All transfers

International flights
Airport transfers
Visas, if required
Personal travel insurance
Personal expenses

Our expeditions in Panama are typically led by the insanely talented Tom McElroy and Azrael Renee. We feel very fortunate to have these immensely talented and special humans teaching. They aren’t just amongst the world’s most talented bushcraft instructors; they are also some of the coolest people you’ll ever meet. You can check out their bios on our about page here.

When it comes to bushcraft survival, less is more. It is all about learning to improvise using your surroundings from making rope from the bark of a hibiscus tree to a trap out of a water bottle. However, we do encourage you to bring a basic kit list of appropriate clothes, a knife, headtorch, and water bottle. We bring the rest of the kit from your hammock to your machete.

Our island expedition is 7 days. The first and last day are spent at a boutique hotel, and the 5 days sandwiched between on the desert island. The first 3 nights on the island are your bushcraft course. This is survival light, where you learn all the skills to equip you for the final 2-day survival phase. For these 3 nights, you are sleeping in a hammock, eating very well, playing all sorts of games, and passing around a bottle of rum around the fire. The final 2 days after this are your survival phase, the true test of your mettle before you are rescued and head to what now feels like a 10-star hotel.

When it comes to deserted islands, we don’t mess around with safety. We carefully handpick islands that won’t try to eat you or drag you away with strong ocean currents. Plus, we make sure to give you a full safety briefing so you know what to do if you accidentally step on a crab or get a sunburn. Our instructors are wilderness first aid certified, so you’re in good hands. And while we can’t promise to keep you completely out of harm’s way, we’ll make sure you’re aware of any risks with our system of informed consent. Check out this page for more info on the exciting dangers you might face on our expeditions!

You’ll learn the following bushcraft skills:

Fire making: Bow drill, hand drill, bamboo fire saw as well as fire steel.
Making Coconut bowls and utensils.
Traps and hunting.
Jungle sanitation and hygiene.
How to make cordage from natural fibers.
Coconuts: opening, making coconut cream and various uses.
Primitive spearfishing
Palm weaving.
Knot tying.
Shelter: building techniques.
Water: physiology, collection and purification.
Identification of flora and fauna for food, fire and other utilities.
Fishing techniques: Making and using traps, spears.
Fish identification, preparing and cooking fish.
Traditional cooking methods: Bamboo pot, leaf wraps, clay bakes and smoking racks.
Rescue: Techniques for gaining attention.

On the first night, we’ll venture out from the hotel for a tasty meal. The following morning, we’ll indulge in a cooked breakfast at the hotel before making our way to the island where we’ll set up camp and cook our meals over an open fire on the beach.

For the next five days, we’ll pamper you with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, ranging from flavorful Thai fish curries to pasta dishes infused with red wine and chorizo. We’ll also teach you how to wrap and prepare fish using natural leaves and cordage to cook directly on the coals.

After five days of indulging in scrumptious food while learning, it’s time for you to put your newly acquired skills to the test and survive on your own findings and catches. Upon rescue, we’ll kick off your return with a brunch that’s sure to satisfy any cravings. Later that evening, we’ll take you to a charming Italian restaurant on Contadora Island, known for its unbeatable pizzas that are out of this world. Trust us; you won’t be disappointed.

Vegetarian or other dietary requirements? Don’t worry we will adapt the menu for you.

All hotel accommodation is on shared basis. Single room supplement is available and can be requested on the booking form. However, this is subject to availability.

The first night we meet at the Hotel Riande Urban in Panama City. The hotel is located in the heart of Panama City and offers modern amenities, a stylish ambiance and a tropical garden pool, making it a perfect starting point for our adventure.

During the training phase you will sleep in an expedition Hennessy Hammock with built in mosquito nets. You will learn how to build your own sleeping space in the wild for your survival phase.

The last night we stay at the Mar y Oro, a luxurious hotel located on the beautiful island of Contadora in Panama. It offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and lush greenery surroundings.

Check out our other FAQs or contact us here.

First off, one of the most important considerations is travel time from your home country. Then you should consider whether domestic travel is required when you arrive. We love the website flight connections to help with travel time.

Panama– Typically easiest to get to and no domestic transfers.

Panama is our easiest destination to reach. Not only is Panama City served with direct flights from most major US cities and several European capitals (view the connections map here), you also do not need to take any domestic transfers.

You will need to travel to Panama City, Panama, Tocumen PTY (not to be confused with Panama city in Florida). You should arrive latest the same day your expedition starts. We will meet on the expedition start date at 5pm (if your arrive very late this day that is ok just let us know). For your return flight please make sure you are looking at flights on the last expedition day after 3pm.

We recommend you download Hopper’ for your phone and enter your dates. They will tell you when the best time to book your flights is before the price creeps up, typically 90 days prior is optimum.

We also love using flight connection maps for finding your best route from where you live.

Google flights is our favourite flight search engines, however, we always recommend booking directly with the airline once you have found your flights as you will have a preferential cancellation policy and better upgrade potential.

Check out our Panama Travel Guide for more information about the destination or check out our blog for Panama related articles.

Panama Travel Guide

Panama Blog Posts

Excellent

5.0

48 Reviews

“TRIP OF A LIFETIME! I did the Panama trip and it was extraordinary. All the people were amazing. Tom is a fantastic instructor. And everything about the experience was great. I made lifetime friends and had once in a lifetime opportunities like seeing baby turtles and eating stingray. Can’t recommend this experience enough.”

Imagen de WhatsApp 2024 07 13 a las 12.34.12 933f9557

Tom McCann

“An incredible experience shared with an even more incredible group of strangers turned friends. I’m so grateful I was able to disconnect from the fast pace of everyday life and slow down to reconnect with myself and the natural world around me.

I was able to spend each day fully present. I learned new skills that made me feel strong and empowered. And I witnessed the unique gifts found within every single member of our “Best Group Ever” tribe.

Jessica Wicks

“Definetly the expedtion of a lifetime! If you dare to go, you will be telling stories about it to your grandkids for sure. Full disconnect from the mainland’s problems and worries, full dive into here and now on the island. And the best instructors you can ask for (Tom McElroy & Azrael), but you won’t know unless you try ;)”

Ulia Petrushenko

Excellent

5.0

48 Reviews

People love us

“Best trip ever with the best group ever! I’ve done Survival trips in the past, but Tom & the team have a way to make the trip so enjoyable and exciting that it was the best one I’ve done. I completely recommend this trip to anyone looking for a lifetime adventure.”

captivating coastal road on gran canaria with

Baptiste Desfarge

“This was a once in a lifetime experience for me. Every day had something unforgettable happend – from catching a shark, to going spearfishing for triggerfish, to having deep conversations or the biggest belly laugh of your life with your island mates, learning a critical survival skill, starting a fire using bow drills, watching dozens of baby sea turtles crawl across the beach, or staring at an incredible sunset or night sky filled with stars.”

stunning view of rocky cliffs and winding

Peter M

“WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!! Finally we did it, highly recommended. Tom took care of every detail. I’m glad I’ve done this.. it’s a one life experience that I was really looking forward. It was a very good thing to start this adventure with Tom, and have his help and advice. Really nice person, extremely helpful and nice to know”

experience breathtaking aerial views from a helicopter

Daniel Loza