Survival holidays are booming: How two Swiss people survived on a deserted island

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They ate grilled snails for three days: “It tasted surprisingly good,” says Stefan Busch (34) and laughs. “Luckily my brother and I are not offended.” You shouldn’t be like this on a survival expedition on a remote island. The software engineer from Zurich and his brother Andreas Busch (36) had the courage to embark on such an adventure together in February 2023.

It hangs in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a 2.77 square kilometer uninhabited island in Panama with pristine white sandy bays, coconut trees and dense forests. There are no bungalows, restaurants or running drinking water in sight. This event, which seems like a nightmare to most people, was a dream for the Busch brothers.

A growing business

They booked the survival trip with British provider Desert Island Survival. The owner of the company, Tom Williams (40), was looking for adventure himself before founding the company. “I was working in finance before, but I wasn’t happy and felt like an outsider,” he says. It started with two voyages in 2017 and there are already 21 voyages this year. Demand continues to grow; There will be even more trips next year.

Tom Williams isn’t the only purveyor of isolated island holidays. Spanish Alvaro Cerezo (42) was in search of the Robinson Crusoe feeling in his childhood. Since 2011, it has been bringing customers, mostly from Switzerland, to deserted, isolated islands such as Indonesia, the Philippines or the Caribbean.

At his own company, Docastaway, the Robinson adventure is available in a comfort version that includes accommodation and meals; For these guests, solitude is adventure enough. Or in survival mode like Tom Williams.

At Tom Williams, guests are not left to their own devices on a deserted island, they first train in groups for seven days. You learn the skills needed to survive in the wilderness. Stefan and Andreas Busch were traveling with ten people, and the group included three women.

Making fire with a wood drill

“We learned how to make a fire with a wood drill, make fishing rods from animal bones or set traps for small animals such as iguanas, birds or crabs,” says Stefan Busch. Food was still provided during training, unless hobby adventurers caught their own loot. “We caught fish and iguanas,” Busch said.

Together with another participant, he made a special catch: One night on the beach, the two discovered a stingray in the beach water and promptly killed it with their wooden spears. “Our leader Tom just said we were the first fools to try this.” Because the ray’s sting is poisonous. The caught fish was still delicious: “It tastes just like fish. But there is some sand in between and no spices or herbs.

The adventure became more challenging over the last three days: Participants were then able to go out alone or in pairs, like Stefan and his brother. Even though our stomachs grumbled, the time passed in harmony: “We couldn’t catch fish, we ate snails and coconuts.”

Washed things are useful

Adventure boss Tom showed how to climb a palm tree. “But he didn’t suggest it to us because it’s too easy to draw everything.” Instead, Stefan and his brother developed their own technique: “We lowered the coconut with a rope made of washed fishing nets and a stone, thus extracting a lot of liquid.”

The two slept in hammocks. “Each participant can decide for himself what and how much he wants to take with him during the three-day survival period. The goal is to do as little as possible,” says Busch. However, since it started raining that day, they used hammocks and sheets for protection. “Other participants built themselves a place to sleep.”

Survival holidays are expensive

Such a survival adventure is not cheap; The cost of 10 nights is approximately 3,400 francs, not including travel. Why are you doing this to yourself by eating snails and sand for so much money? “For me, education, adventure and vacation all rolled into one,” says Stefan Busch. Bored in a poolside hotel, he’d rather do something active like skydiving, sports or survival – and of course he’s a fan of TV adventurer Bear Grylls (49).

But without a safety net, such a journey is useless even for the toughest adventurers. A satellite phone with emergency button is included. “So within 20 to 30 minutes we would have a helicopter by our side.” They would also keep water with them if necessary. “But we didn’t need that as we had enough coconuts and a fire to boil the water.”

So how do you feel after three days of survival? “You’re reaching your limits, you’re hungry, and you’re feeling exhausted,” says Busch. The first coke tasted even sweeter on the boat ride back. When Stefan returned to Switzerland, he made another discovery. A scorpion was hiding in his backpack.

Source : Blick