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Expedition FAQ
Many past castaways initially worried this might be all hardship and no fun. Afterward, many say it was the best holiday of their life. Our adventures are not just about sunbathing and sipping from coconuts (though we always make time for this too). You can expect some intense long days of activity in a demanding environment. At times you will be bothered by heat and hunger, and you can expect a few bites and blisters. Our course is designed to start easy and finish hard, building confidence and competence. Despite the challenge and adversity, we are confident you will finish the experience with a huge smile and an immense sense of achievement.
Not at all; our courses are designed for beginners who have never done anything like this before.
You can find the complete kit list on the expedition page itself. We have added some recommended items here too.
Absolutely. Most of our adventures are attended by individuals looking for new experiences and to meet interesting people. Initially, our castaways might feel a bit nervous about joining a trip solo, but everyone is amazed at how well they get on with the other castaways. Whether it’s the beautiful surroundings,low light around the fire without our phones, or shared challenges, castaways typically forge deep and meaningful connections.
We recognize that learning these skills and finding your food is hard enough without being dive-bombed by mosquitos; plus, at the end of the day, we really want you to have the best time of your life. Therefore, we only take you to the islands in the most forgiving seasons, when insect numbers are low, and you can focus on the good stuff. You might see 1-2 mosquitos, and maybe some pesky sandflies, but many of our castaways cannot believe they return home bite free! If you are particularly adverse to insect bites we recommend our end of season trips in April and May for the best conditions.
From our experience, choosing to be marooned on a desert island is an excellent filter for great people. It’s not preppers here; all our castaways share the same appetite for adventure and the unusual. Some of our guests are initially a little apprehensive about who they might be sharing this adventure with, but by the end have built deep connections and made lifelong friends (many of the whatsapp groups continue for years after the expedition). Our expeditions are typically attended by solo travellers from all over the world and of all ages. The gender split on our expeditions is 30% female to 70% male, typically with English as their native language. The average age is mid to late 30s, but our adventurers have ranged from the age of 16 to 78!
For most people, ‘deserted islands’ are synonymous with sharks, snakes, etc. However, all in all, desert islands are relatively safe places. Sharks avoid humans; in fact, coconuts kill 15 times more people than sharks each year, so coconuts are the real enemy! Jokes aside, there is always risk. We cannot eliminate it entirely, and we feel that would sterilise the experience. What we do is our best to mitigate risk. We evaluate all of our islands for their dangers before we take you there; they are handpicked based on many factors, including not having poisonous snakes, piracy, hazardous ocean currents, etc. Before you set foot on the island, you will receive a full safety briefing on how to live your time safely on the island. Our instructors are Wilderness First Responder certified, and in the event of injury we have an evacuation strategy in place to ensure you can be taken to the nearest medical facility.
That being said, we cannot eliminate risk from our expeditions, so instead of getting you to sign a waiver, we work on a system of ‘informed consent’. This means you are informed in advance of the possible risks of your expedition prior to your departure. You can read about the risk and dangers here.
In short, world-class survival experts who are good at bushcraft and excellent humans. Most have taken part in survival TV shows such as ‘Alone’. We want this to be a fun learning experience, not a boot camp, and our instructors get it. Our expeditions will have two instructors, a lead instructor, and an assistant. We put a high level of consideration into who leads our expeditions, assessing their bushcraft skills, how they interact with our people and their emotional intelligence.
Yes, totally. You don’t need any camping or prior bushcraft experience beforehand. Our amazing instructors will teach you everything you need to know over the first 5 days to equip you for your 3-day survival phase.
Each destination is unique, we can keep the Philippines expedition at £2,400 by hosting up to 15 castaways, whereas the other islands are capped at 10. Some destinations have optional added experiences, and then there is simply the operational costs for some destinations, for example, the incredible island we rent in Panama is really expensive!
Afraid not, flights, in-country transport and personal travel insurance are not included in the price. If you are looking for our cheapest destination flights-wise we recommend Panama as there is no need for any internal transfers.
When booking your flights, we encourage you to book directly through the airline, as that is the cheapest option should you need to make travel amendments. We like google flights to find the best prices and the app, ‘hopper‘, which tracks changes to flight costs for you.
Yes, we can cater to various dietary needs. Throughout the first 5 days of training, we can adapt the menu. During the final 3 days of survival, plenty of plant-based food sources can still be found on the islands. We can also help supplement your diet to compensate for the lack of fish. Saying this, we have had a few vegetarians choose to suspend their practice for this experience as it is ‘survival’. It’s entirely up to you. Just let us know when booking.
You will be on the desert island for 8 nights, the first 5 will be with the instructors and the group, the final 3 will be without the instructors but with the group. If you are interested in undertaking the final 3 days solo, we might be able to arrange this for you. Please request this on the booking form and we’ll reach out to you. Note: This is subject to availability.
So long as you are checking your luggage into the plane’s hold, there is no issue in flying with a knife; we do this all the time with our machetes, too. The only issue is if you are flying without hold luggage. If so, please get in touch with us to let us know that you need a knife, and we will do our best to help you.
This is just for the first 5 days. We want to ensure you eat well during training. Therefore, we have rods and spearguns to make sure we catch plenty of fish. After that, they are gone.
No, you will be marooned as a group, although the beach is expansive and offers plenty of partial isolation should you wish for solitude. You can also request the solitude option. Contact us to check availability.
We have space on a first-come, first-served basis for one person/group of friends to be isolated on their own beach. If you can demonstrate in the first couple of days of training that you have what it takes to undertake the isolation phase early, we are happy for you to leave the training phase and spend the week surviving alone. However, some training is obligatory and the final decision will be made by the instructors on the island.
You should only need extra money if you plan on buying souvenirs and additional celebratory drinks. Most of our locations do not have ATMs, so we recommend you bring around USD 200 in cash for emergencies.
We provide the expensive and cumbersome items like hammocks and machetes. You will only need to bring expedition clothing and a few other items. We will send you a full list of things you’ll need.
Yes, as with any trip, you should take out standard travel insurance, you don’t need anything more complicated. Personal travel insurance is compulsory to join this expedition. This should have sufficient cover for a medical air evacuation should it be required. It is also strongly advised to have standard cancellation cover in your insurance should, if, for any reason, you are not able to attend the trip. For travellers from Europe, we like Allianz. For UK and Ireland residents, we recommend using Sports Cover Direct who are already briefed in our expeditions. Please use our direct link, and select your sport as ‘Bushcraft, Fishing (angling), camping, spearfishing and sailing (with 12 miles)’. For all other nationalities, we recommend Journey Man.
As standard practice, it’s just good to be up to date on your vaccinations. For detailed vaccination advice specific to Panama, Philippines, and Tonga, please consult your doctor and the excellent NHS site ‘fit for travel’. Hepatitis A and tetanus vaccinations are usually advised. Sometimes typhoid, diphtheria, tuberculosis, rabies, and hepatitis B vaccinations are recommended. The risk of rabies is small, and the cost of the vaccination is relatively high, so a personal decision is required here. To the best of our knowledge, there is no risk of rabies on the islands we operate on. Rabies is, however, always fatal once symptoms develop, and the vaccine does not provide complete immunity; it will buy added time to extract to a suitable medical facility. If there is a chance you may be pregnant, please get in touch with us before booking.
Our instructors are certified wilderness medical first responders and refresh their skills every 2 years. For any severe medical emergency, we have a set strategy to evacuate a castaway back to the local medical clinic within an hour, depending on weather conditions. Should the injury be critical, evacuation would be required to the mainland. All castaways should ensure that their medical insurance can cover such evacuation.
Yes! We go out of our way to find perfect picturesque islands with no one living on them. We promise you won’t be hiking through the jungle and discovering a settlement. As far as what you may see from the sea, we intentionally choose our islands to be remote enough from tourism that, for the large part, you are entirely undisturbed. That said, we can’t control the sea, so you may occasionally see a local fisherman or a yacht heading past.
Most nations do not require a visa to visit the destinations we operate in, but there are exceptions, so please check if you need a visa. It is essential to check that your passport has at least 6 months left before it expires, or you will be refused entry to most destinations.
Disconnection from technology is central to this experience, so you will not have cell reception on the island. However, the instructors will have a sat-phone at all times, and your loved ones will be given the contact details before your expedition should they need to contact you.
If you find that this is not for you, then, of course, you are free to leave the island. However, unless it is a medical emergency, transportation charges will apply, and you will be responsible for organizing your accommodation when you return.
Our trips are designed to be challenging, but you don’t need a very high level of physical fitness just that you should be in good health and pretty active. It is as much a mental challenge as it is physical. For example, we have people well into their late 60s and early 70s attending. If you are generally not very active, we recommend you undertake moderate training for a month or so before attending our expeditions. You can do some walking or swimming to improve your stamina; this will help you with days when you are wielding machetes and hauling wood, and allow you to acclimatize to the environment more quickly. In summary, the fitter you are, the easier you will cope. Why not make it a nice fitness goal to aim towards?
At present, all courses are held in English. If you are a private group, arrangements can be made to have a translator.
We typically undertake our expedition in the dry season. Though we will teach you all of the techniques for acquiring water on a desert island, we opt to bring ample drinking water for the expedition.
We set up solar charging facilities; however, if you are gadget heavy, having your own power pack is really useful for charging from your hammock. If you bring a drone, carrying spare batteries might be a good call.
We mostly focus on fishing, which we will teach you during the training phase. On some islands, we will make traps which typically dispatch the animal quickly and humanely, and we will show you how to process the meat.
Booking FAQ
We cap our courses at a maximum of 10-15 castaways per trip. This ensures that everyone gets the guidance and attention they need, and we maintain the feeling of being one tribe.
This depends on the location and whether you would like a private expedition. You can view all destinations and prices here.
We do restrict our courses to those 18 years old and above. However, we are happy to make case-by-case exceptions based on maturity and adult supervision, as we recognise 18 is an arbitrary number in many cases. On our family trips, children from as young as 10 may attend (with their parents of course). This is limited to Panama for the time being.
You can request a single room on the booking form. Please note, that this is subject to availability though.
Your deposit is non-refundable. However, you may transfer your deposit once, up until 90 days before your trip to any expedition, up to 24 months after the original departure date, free of charge (further changes are subject to a £50 fee). Please view our full terms & conditions here.
If you have any doubts about your health, please speak to your doctor first and then contact us to discuss this case by case.
Please choose the expedition you wish to join here, then click on the button that says availability, choose the date you would like to join, add your details and make the down payment. The deposit will secure your spot on the desert island expedition of your choice. You will receive an invoice from us afterwards, as well as an expedition guide with all the things you need to know, and do, before the adventure.