The jungle seems like a fun place to visit and maybe even a great place to stay for a little while, but for most people, when they think of staying in the jungle they still mean a civilized place where there is at least a shelter and food. But there are still cases of people getting lost in the jungle and having to find their own way around. Would you want to be lost in the jungle with no knowledge of how to survive? We’re guessing probably not. So we’re going to talk about some of the important things you need to do to keep yourself functioning.

1. Never run out of salt. Whether it's for preservation of meat or flavouring a piranha broth, salt is vital to keep the body working correctly.

2. Dig for water. When it's low water season and all the small creeks are dry the next water source is never far from your mind. If you don't have accurate maps then you have to be able to think outside the box if the next river never comes. Sometimes you'll hear the rumble of thunder and be saved by a deluge that you can use to collect water from your rain fly: a 10 minute downpour can yield 30 litres - enough to wash, cook, drink and fill your bottles for the next day. Sometimes you'll be in places with nice thick water vines that will give you a vital rehydration. If you don't have such luck and need fluid urgently you can dig a hole in a muddy area and allow it to fill with muddy water. This can be carefully scooped out when the mud has settled and purified to drink witching 20 minutes.

3. Keep your lighter waterproof. Leave rubbing sticks or using a flint striker to the romantics. The savvy jungle local will never be without his lighter, often kept waterproof in an old plastic tobacco pouch. I carried a flint striker for 860 days through the jungle and never had to use it once as my lighter was always on me and always dry.

4. Keep your machete sharp. Think of sharpening your machete like going to the gym. You can skip it a few times and get away with it. But neglect your fitness regime over the long term and you'll become unfit and out of shape. In the same way a sharp machete will make the day's cutting easier and actually less dangerous. The sharper your machete is, the less force you need to use and the more efficient you are.

5. Learn how to identify palm hearts. Fishing, once you have the knack, is easy. Finding carbohydrate can be much more or a problem which is why most locals go into the Amazon rainforest with bags of farine (local carbohydrate made from manioc). If you run out of carbs your energy will start to drop fast and even if you are eating fish your body will be crying out for carbs. Palm hearts can be a life-saver and although I would only advocate cutting them down when you run out of food (as you have to cut down the whole palm), this salad vegetable will have never tasted so good if you've been hungry for days.

It's very possible you could end up in a desert survival situation one day. Several million people live in the American southwest states a specifically California, Arizona, and Nevada. They are surrounded by deserts. Several million more people live in the State of Texas another state with vast stretches of desert. Deserts are famously difficult places to survive in, and even if you’re not lost on your own among the dunes, the climate can be uncomfortable, debilitating and dangerous. 

Make Water Priority

 

If you're going to be anywhere near the desert, water is an absolute priority. Without proper planning, you may never make it out. To find water in the desert, your best sources of fresh water are going to be streams and springs though yes, they are going to be few and far between, perhaps impossible to find in huge stretches of desert. Any available streams may in fact be underground. Lakes, in the desert, may have high salt content, if you detect a salt-water taste, this is water that will need to be distilled first, to remove any salt. Below is a ways of water gathering in the desert.

Desert Water

Water seeks the lowest level available and on the desert these may be underground. If you see hills, head toward them, for the likeliest place to find water is at their base. Perhaps you have come across the thin shallow bed of a stream. Even though it is dry, water may lie beneath the surface. Hunt for a low place in the cut and dig. The same procedure applies in the case of a dry lake bottoms. The presence of any water will soon be indicated by damp sand.

Game trails in desert country usually lead to water. Follow them downhill if the land so slopes that you can do this with certainty. Otherwise scout around till you can, MAKE SURE in which direction the paths have become more frequented and this will be the way to go. If you happen upon a palm, you can depend on water being at hand generally within several feet of the base of the tree. Reed grass is also a sound sign that moisture is near. However in general it is futile to search water near desert plants, for this one has already taken it, so use the plant itself from its roots which you dig, pull and section off. As seen above. As for the cactus you cut off the head. In the Arizona desert there is a cactus in a bottle shape which contains near 7 quarts of water but only in Arizona. But with a good knife it will take you some 40 minutes of hard work to cut the very tough and prickly skin. The water is in the plant not in the soil. The only danger comes from milky sap as seen from cactus in African desert, yet the Barrel cactus is the milky exception.

Most important implements in a survival situation is a good cutting tool.  Knowledge of primitive stone tools is vital for wildness survival. If you were to find yourself without a knife, a stone cutting tool can be created from natural resource like stone.The first step to creating useful primitive stone tools is selecting the best-suited material. A riverbed or creek can be a great place to search for the proper stones. Fistful you have to find grained stone with a consistent texture. The rock that have the highest pich when tapped. This stone should be without existing cracks or fissures. existing number of methods for sharping stone into useful blades(edges).

Rock Bash Method

Rock bash is the rough technique of striking one rock into another with great force and seeing what kind of edges/blades might break off. This can be a good way to make your first break into a stone, so that finer work can then be done with other methods such as percussion flaking. Be careful, as this is the least controlled and therefore most hazardous technique.

Bi-Polar Percussion

Bi-polar percussion consists of carefully striking a hammer stone directly on top of your subject material while it is placed on an anvil stone. This oftentimes splits the subject material in half, producing two usable edges. This is a very efficient way to create a quick stone tool. "Skipping stones", rocks that are flat with rounded edges, are easiest to break apart using bipolar percussion.

Percussion Flaking

Percussion flaking consists of using a hammer stone (or heavy billet) to strike the edge of the subject material to break off flakes. This is a controlled method for shaping an edge on a stone. Many rocks are difficult to effectively percussion flake because they are either too brittle or dense. The best materials to percussion flake are flints, cherts, obsidians, and glass.

Using the above techniques, you can quickly create a stone tool to aid in a wildernessurvival situation. Happy rock-breaking!