Mention the word jungle and most people’s minds race with images of man-eating spiders, clouds of buzzing mosquitoes and anacondas poised to swallow travellers whole. However the reality of travelling, and working, in the world’s rainforests are very different.

The tropical forests of the world are amongst the most beautiful and dramatic environments on earth. They boast half of the world’s wildlife species and as much as two thirds of its flora - all set amongst dramatic and beautiful scenery. Far from being terrified, you’re more likely to be busy taking in the environment and its hugely complex ecosystem.

The author Gerald Durrell puts it rather well: “This, then, was the tropical forest that I had read about as savage, dangerous and unpleasant. To me it seemed a beautiful and incredible world, made up of a million tiny lives, plants and animals, each different and yet dependent on the other… it seemed such a pity that people should still cling to their old ideas of the unpleasantness of the jungle when there was a world of magical beauty waiting to be explored, observed and understood.”

Of course, it’s not always an idyllic paradise and just like any outdoors environment there are specific hazards to be aware of and basic precautions to take.

Keep your cool
You’re at infinitely more risk of overheating than being attacked by a Jaguar. As a rule you’ll experience temperatures of 30+ degrees and humidity of 90%+. On arrival many travellers are caught out by this, resulting in headaches and a lack of appetite. Heat illnesses can be very serious and even life threatening so give yourself some time to acclimatise and drink plenty of water. The best test of being hydrated is the regularity and colour of your pee rather than how thirsty you feel.

Snakes
Snakes are often much maligned and a cause of fear in the rainforest. However some facts may reassure you. It’s rare to be bitten by a snake and not all snakes are venomous, so, it’s really pretty rare to be bitten by a venomous snake. Even if you are, you may not be envenomated. It’s an expensive business for a snake to produce venom so they’ll try to conserve it to kill prey to eat - humans are not a natural prey so they may just give you a dry bite. And even if you are bitten, the snake is venomous, and it does envenomate, it still may not envenomate enough, or have sufficiently potent venom to kill you. Having said all that, of course people do still die from snake bites so it’s wise to take precautions. Wear high ankle boots, appropriate clothing and take particular care at night and when doing activities such as collecting firewood.

Slippy, trippy and spikey
The tropical forest is a highly vegetated area and with this comes a certain difficulty of movement and the chance of slipping, tripping and generally getting tangled. Furthermore, a number of plants and trees have spikes and thorns, or can give bad allergic reactions. These are the exception rather than the rule but it certainly means you need to take your time and watch where you’re putting your hands and feet.

Health and hygiene
Going trekking or on an expedition often gives us an excuse for somewhat dubious health and hygiene habits! Cold environments are particularly unappealing for that end of day wash but they are also more forgiving of lax habits. But in the tropical forest the hot, moist and humid conditions are perfect for the spread of fungal infections, bacteria and microbes. Basic but vital measures are needed to keep you healthy. Washing regularly, drying and powdering feet at night, cleaning and disinfecting minor cuts and scrapes, and removing thorns and splinters are all very straightforward but essential to ensure that your trip is safe and successful. Foot powder and vaseline have never been so important.

It sounds bad
Like all environments, if you list all their potential dangers in one go it reads a bit like a horror story. But there really is no need to be scared of many of the obscure dangers which people think lurk deep within the forest. Just remember to take care of the basics (heat, humidity, health and hygiene) and then just enjoy being in one of the world’s most wonderful habitats.

Dom Hall runs the UK side of Fieldskills Ltd, an expedition training and support company.
 

EXPERT Q&A

Our tropical expert is Simon Amos. Simon has been working in remote locations as an explorer, expedition leader and medic for over fifteen years, including as consultant to World Challenge Expeditions and operations manager for Trekforce Expeditions UK. Simon holds two nursing qualifications and has gained extensive expedition medic experience. He now lives in Borneo with his wife Christine where they support charity challenges, scientific organisations and BBC film crews.

Q. What are the most common problems when trekking in the forest?
A. The day-to-day things always catch people out, things like wearing the right clothes, drinking enough water and staying out of the sun. People forget these basics and make their life a lot harder.

Q. What’s the best way to purify water?
A. Simple equipment works best in the forest. Filters tend to clog up and break so I’d normally use iodine. It has a very broad spectrum and kills off most things that are lurking in the water. Use 5 drops/litre of water then leave for half an hour. Just remember to have a good system so you know which water has been purified and which hasn’t.

Q. What’s the best footwear?
A. Normal walking boots try to keep water out and maintain comfort using materials such as gore-tex and plenty of padding. This works well in temperate climates but in the tropics the moisture levels inside and out of the boots are the same - the gore-tex doesn’t work and the padding just holds water. For spending prolonged periods in the forest, particularly in the wet seasons, military jungle boots are the best choice – they have very little padding, and vents at the bottom to allow water out. Otherwise go for a compromise of lightweight trekking boots, but without gore-tex or too much padding.

Q. Do I need to take waterproofs?
A. Gore-tex doesn’t work in the hot and humid conditions so you’ll end up just as wet from sweat. I normally take a cheap pac-a-mac style jacket. In the daytime I very rarely use it – I just get wet. But in the evening when I have my nice dry clothes on and am not doing any hot, sweaty trekking, I’ll use it to keep the rain off whilst moving about camp.

Q. What’s the best way to camp out in the forest?
A. This depends on where you are staying – the rainforest is a very varied environment. In some situations tents or sleeping platforms are the best options but hammocks are often the camping system of choice. You can buy specialist camping hammocks (not the string type you have in your garden in the summer!) and they are used in conjunction with a tarpaulin roof and mosquito net.

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