ISLAND SURVIVAL

LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE, in Tonga

Summary:

Situated in the South Pacific, Tonga is made up of 174 islands, of which only 36 are inhabited by 100,000 people. In this experience, you will literally be stranded on a deserted island for 8 nights, away from civilisation. There will be no shelter, no water, no food or tools to hunt or fish. You will need to innovate, create and work together as a team to protect yourself and stay alive.

This is not your typical holiday adventure. The concept of this experience is to test your mental and physical abilities, learn how you would react in an emergency setting, and the skills you need to survive.

Highlights

• Learn survival skills and practice them in a real setting
• Test your mental and physical abilities
• Experience team dynamics in a stressful situation
• And at the same time, enjoy the tropical paradise that surrounds you.

Why choose us

Cyril Delafosse-Guiramand, Managing Director of No Limit Journeys spent three years living and working in Tonga, and spent a lot of his spare time out at sea. He is very familiar with the geography of the country and its islands, and has selected the best location, accommodation and services based on his experience there. He has undertaken many expeditions around the world, and has found himself in real ‘survival’ situations. He is also a survival instructor, delivering regular essential survival skills training courses.

Departure Date:

>  2023

choose your dates

• sold out

set departure dates

• sold out
  

> 2024

choose your dates

• from march to july
• from october to december

set departure dates

• 16 DAYS -> 09 - 26 May 2024 - 1 SEAT
• 12 DAYS -> 03 - 14 November 2024 - 4 SEATS OPEN, INTERNATIONAL 
• 12 DAYS -> 17 - 28 November 2024 - 3 SEAT OPEN, INTERNATIONAL 

> 2025

choose your dates

• from march to july
• from october to december

set departure dates

• 16 DAYS -> 7 - 24 May 2025 - OPEN
• 12 DAYS -> 12 - 23 November 2025 - OPEN
  

Duration:

12 days or 16 days (8 or 12 days of survival) for the above set departures. Can be longer for tailored experiences, let us know what you want.

3.Group Meeting Point:

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

4.Who can go?

• Min age: adults only 
• Physical condition: must be fit and healthy. This trip involves 7 continuous days of difficult living conditions, while underfed and in intense heat.
• You will need to:

• cope with heat, cold night, hunger and exhaustion
• be mentally fit and strong in isolation to resist mental torments
• understand others, cope with their difference, be heard, add your brick to the wall: be a team player
• be a solution finder
• resist very tough climate conditions
• be ready to eat and sleep in primitive conditions
• forfeit hygiene and personal space
• eat anything edible
• overcome tiredness, tunnel vision and fear
• accept to be striped of your belongings
• lose yourself 

d.Group size: max 6 pax + 1 survival guide

5.Rating (1 to 10): Overall = 9,3

Difficulty = 9

Isolation = 9

Danger = 10

6.This activity involves (%):

Transport: Boat = 15% 

Survival skills = 100%

Orienteering = 75%

Group Autonomy = 80%

7.Schedule: 
12 days itinerary shown here as an example only

Day 1: Meet at  Fua’motu airport, drive into Nuku’alofa, settle into accommodation, and visit town.

Day 2: Head to a resort off the main island and enjoy the morning relaxing by a beach, swimming and snorkelling. In the afternoon, we will do a survival and safety briefing, and equipment check.

Day 3-10: We will head to a deserted island for the ‘survival’ experience.

Day 11: return to the mainland, enjoy a real meal, wind down at a resort, and undertake a medical check-up.

Day 12: Breakfast, and fly out.

8.Weather / local conditions / Terrain:

The climate is tropical with a distinct warm period called Rainy Season(December–April), during which the temperatures rise above 32°C (89.6°F), and a cooler period or Dry Season (May–November), with temperatures rarely rising above 27°C (80.6°F). Precipitation is greatest on northern islands (2500 mm per year) than on the southern islands of the Kingdom (1700 mm per year). The sunshine is moderate (six to eight hours per day) and the average humidity reaches 75%. We travel to Tonga outside of the Cyclone season. But heavy rains and cloudy days are common.

Terrain: Tonga is made of 174 islands in 4 archipelagos. We will be using the most southern or the middle one (for safety reason). Both are quite flat and hills are seen a mountains here! On each of the island where the 'survival trip' takes you, there is vegetation, sea life (fish, crutacians, etc.) and land life (rondents, reptiles, birds). The islands are maximum 15m above sea level. Those islands change greatly during seasons but also during daily tides.

9.Accommodation

Nuku'alofa: Hotel and Island resort

Survival Island: under the stars nothing else

10.Food

In town and resort: from restaurants, international or local food.

On the survival island: only what you can harvest, find, hunt, fish, collect, etc. Same with water.

11.Transport

Town: private mini van

Islands: sail boat or speedboat

12.What to expect

You will be hot and you will be cold. You will be hungry and thirsty. You will be exposed to the elements and to other people. This is a raw experience, and one that will strip you of your creature comforts and force you to step out of your comfort zone.

Survivor Island is not for everyone. While the island is a tropical paradise, it is not for those looking for a relaxing island holiday. It is for those that want to see how they would react in a emergency situation and see how far their minds and bodies can be pushed. A survival expert will join you on the island  to guide you through the experience, and ensure you do not do anything that will endanger you, or the group. He will also be in contact with a support team in case of a medical or other emergency.

13.Safety and security

We take safety very seriously as your life is in our hands.

Like in any trip, doing this journey involves risks. Those Risks include physical injuries (which get worse quickly in poor hygiene and isolation), and mental breakdown, bad weather, etc... We try to minimize these risks by preparing for them. But the best is to act mindfully and carefully. The area is very well known to us, and our local network is very good.

In the Kingdom of Tonga there are hardly any political and human risks. The only dangers come from the sea (sharks, sea snake, etc.), the weather (unforeseen storm) and the 'unpredictable' (earthquake, tsunami, etc.).

But the reality is that you are embarking on an expedition with serious challenges. Challenges are hardly the ones mentioned above but mainly the task of trying to survive. Challenges are not only in surviving daily, but more importantly, in managing the remoteness / isolation and your peers. In the worst case, should outside help be required, our guide will trigger the alarm and it will take up to a day to arrive. The group has to be ready for it and be prepared to follow the guides' decisions at any time.

But be reminded, your safety and your pleasure is our priority.

14.Remark:

• one English speaking survival guide for up to 6 people.
• no internet or mobile phone network for 10 days.
• this expedition is extremely demanding and is in a very remote location: in case of emergency it would take about 1 day to receive medical support. There will be limited outside help.
• a significant weight loss is to be expected
• only ONE Item is allowed to be taken on the survival island (from the list we will provide you after confirmed booking) beside your swim suit and yourself.
• tonga is a unique place to be, but with little infrastructure and poor transport service. Patience and understanding are required.
• the guide is not there 'to do' for you but to 'support' your actions, direct you in decision making, manage conflicts, throw the towel for you and make hard decision (medivacs, island evacuations, weather danger, etc.) to ensure you are going to last and enjoy this adventure but above all, remain safe.

15.Cost:

for 2023

• for 12 days in twin Share: AUD $6700pp in a group of 6 (min 4 pax) - Single supplement: AUD $350pp 
• for 16 days in twin Share: AUD $8900pp in a group of 6 (min 4 pax) - Single supplement: AUD $350pp

for 2024

• for 12 days in twin Share:AUD $6850pp in a group of 6 (min 4 pax) - Single supplement: AUD $450pp
• for 16 days in twin Share:AUD $9050pp in a group of 6 (min 4 pax) - Single supplement: AUD $450pp

For corporate or private groups, please contact us.

16.Inclusions and exclusions

a.inclusions

• Airport transfers
• Transfers to and from Resorts and the Island
• 4 nights accommodation in resorts
• All meals in these resorts
• Survival expert on the Island
• 24x7 access to the emergency team

b.exclusions

• Flights to and from the meeting point (Fua’motu airport, Tonga)
• Personal expenses (beverages, entertainment)
• Tips to local guides and staff
• Travel insurance

for any survival training needs check our training facility and offer: www.survival-encyclopedia.com

Should you have any questions please contact us

iwanttogo@nolimitjourneys.com