He Went To Explore The Amazon Jungle, But Never Expected This

Yossi Ghinsberg longed to take to the open road in search of adventure and new experiences, but the unsuspecting traveler was about to discover something far from expected.

Ready For A Journey

When Ghinsberg turned 22, he decided that he was ready to embark on his travels around the world. The young man would never predict that his hopeful adventure and exploration would ultimately turn into a horrifying nightmare.

Escapist Aspirations

Yossi Ghinsberg was inspired to travel and adventure after he read French author Henri Charrière’s book Papillon. The novel recounts the author’s escapades after escaping imprisonment on the South American island of French Guiana. He had visions of his great exotic experiences, and soon his fantasy would materialize.

The Long And Winding Path

In the months to come, Ghinsberg was set to travel to Africa and Mexico. He still longed to fulfil his ultimate dream: exploring the spectacular Amazon rainforest. Ghinsberg longed to immerse himself into untouched heart of the jungle, but he faced a dilemma. Determined to make it to his dream destination, he worked several odd jobs including construction work in Norway, fishing in Alaska and truck loading in New York in order to put money towards his future travels.

Resourceful Globetrotter

After months of hard labor, Ghinsberg had enough money in his pocket to make his way to Latin America. It was 1981, and his hero Henri Charriere had already passed away. Still determined to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Ghinsberg traced the author’s journey, hitchhiking his way from Venezuela to Colombia.

On The Way

On his way to Columbia, Ghinsberg met fellow backpacker Marcus Stamm, a teacher from Switzerland. The two became fast friends and decided to accompany each other to La Paz, Bolivia and then head to the Amazon. Little did the adventurous travelers know, but their fate would forever change after a chance encounter in the Bolivian capital.

Fateful Encounter

The two new friends soon arrived in La Paz, they met a mysterious Austrian man named Karl Ruprechter, who claimed to be a renowned geologist. He told the young backpackers that he was planning an expedition in search of gold supposedly hidden in an ancient village deep in the heart of Bolivia’s remote Amazon jungle.

Embarking On Adventure

The four new acquaintances didn’t wait long to set off on their Amazonian quest for hidden treasure. Feeling like the protagonists of a spectacular travel novel, the two men followed the charismatic Austrian Karl Ruprechter by plane and then by boat into the depths of the Amazon jungle. The first stop was the small, indigenous village of Asariamas in the remote outskirts of the Amazon. The group hoped to re-stock their dwindling food and supplies. However, the locals there warned the young men were bound to encounter imminent danger along the way and encouraged them to rethink their plans.

Marching On

The expedition team didn’t heed the many warnings and continued deeper into the jungle on foot following the Asariamas River. As they continued through the thick and dense jungle terrain and across mountains, their supplies began to run out and Marcus Stamm developed a severe case of trench foot, struggling to keep up with the other men.

Weary Trekkers

The team was overcome with relief when they finally made it back to Asariamas to regain their strength. While back at the village, Karl Ruprechter said he had devised a new plan – to sail down on a raft to a gold quarry called Curiplaya before heading back to Laz Paz via the town of Rurrenabaque.

Help of Locals

With the help of some local villagers, the men built a raft and decided to head out downriver in the direction of their destination. Despite the sudden change in plans, young Ghinsberg was eager to discover what lay ahead.

Unforeseen Twist

After several days on the local water, their leader Karl Ruprechter abruptly discovered that they were headed straight for San Pedro Canyon – a dangerous stretch of rapids, waterfalls and boulders that would inevitably lead to grave danger for the group. He refused to continue revealing that he couldn’t swim.

Going Separate Ways

Yossi agreed to later join Kevin and continue rafting on the river while the other men would go on by foot. The men agreed to meet before Christmas in La Paz for closure. They had no idea that would be the last time they’d all see each other together.

The Dangerous Drop

As the flimsy raft raced toward a cascading waterfall, Ghinsberg mustered all his strength to try to cling to the scraps of the raft. There was nothing he could do to fight the force and pull of the rushing water. Without warning, the raft plummeted over the waterfall.

Afraid And Alone

Yossi survived the perilous drop but his troubles were far from over. He was alone in the middle of the Amazon jungle with little food or supplies. The young traveler became desperate, the situation was dire and he feared he would not survive.

In Desperate Need

In desperate need of motivation and mental energy, Ghinsberg soon found a book his uncle had given him inside his backpack. His uncle, like his parents, had survived the horror of the Holocaust and said the book had offered him protection and hope. Ghinsberg burst into tears at the moment of salvation.

Fleeting Faith

The book Ghinsberg found gave him the hope and strength he would need to take on the next perilous stretch of his long journey. He hoped he’d inherited his family’s spirit of survival and resourcefulness. His military service in the Israeli Navy would also come in hand.

Uphill Battle

The next few days would be harrowing and harsh for young Ghinsberg, he grappled with the realization that he was utterly alone, without food, wandering the depths of uncharted territory. He was at the mercy of mother nature. He feared what mysterious creatures lay in the jungle depths.

Desperately Wandering

Over the following week, walking became an increasing struggle. Each mile only led to more dense jungle. The lost backpacker would soon have his first terrifying encounter with one of the jungle’s various animals of prey.

Night Terrors

During his time in the military, Yossi Ghinsberg was stationed in the Red Sea region. There he made friends with the local Bedouin population of the Sinai Desert who taught him a great deal about their resourceful and self-reliant nomadic lifestyle. Perhaps that experience helped when he faced the nightly need to find a makeshift campsite to shelter him.

Hunting And Gathering

Yossi’s fight for survival was far from over. The lost hiker was desperately searching for any food he could find. Ghinsberg resorted to desperate measures, even eating a monkey carcass. He’d never experienced such hunger, he was willing to eat anything.

Rustle In The Jungle

Although it was hard to sleep in the jungle, Ghinsberg had been trying to get some much-needed rest. In the dark of midnight he was awoken by the ominous sound of rustling in the nearby foliage.

The Jaws Of Death

Ghinsberg had to think fast to protect himself. With adrenaline rushing through him he reached for whatever he could to fashion a weapon. Using his flammable mosquito repellant and a lighter he improvised a flamethrower.

Rain Of Fear

By his second week in ruthless rainforest, Ghinsberg encountered another deadly scenario. As one of the wettest ecosystems on Earth, the Amazon rainforest is subject to heavy rainfall and gets between 80 and 430 inches of precipitation a year on average.

Against The Odds

Again Ghinsberg mustered his energy and narrowly escaped a flood, but he barely had time to catch his breath before he stumbled into a bog of quicksand and nearly sunk. Exhausted and desperate, he prayed his troubles were over.

The Last Straw

The pain in Ghinsberg’s feet was excruciating. In a desperate attempt to distract himself from the pain, he dragged himself to a tree full of fire ants and shook it on to his head. The waves of pain and adrenaline distracted him from his feet. But his relief would be short-lived.

Out Of Nowhere

On the brink of death, Ghinsberg believed he heard the sound of a nearby motor. At first, he thought the noise was a hallucination, he was compelled to confirm his hopes. Gathering all his strength, he pulled himself to the riverfront, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His friend, Kevin, had miraculously come to rescue him.

Miraculous

Kevin had been found by local fishermen after being stranded in the jungle for five days. After contacting the respective embassies of his missing friends in La Paz, Kevin returned to the jungle with some local villagers to embark on a search mission. They were three days into the expedition when they remarkably stumbled upon Ghinsberg. But what about the other men?
 

Gone Without A Trace

While Yossi Ghinsberg and Kevin Gale incredibly survived their traumatic experiences in the jungle, there was no trace of their fellow backpackers, Marcus Stamm and Karl Ruprechter. In a bizarre twist, it was discovered that Karl was actually a known criminal wanted by Interpol. Speculation arose that he had survived but went on to live under another identity.

Hunger, Infection and Disease

By the time Yossi Ghinsberg was rescued he’d lost 35 pounds from the hunger, infection and disease he suffered from during his jungle ordeal. He spent three months recovering in a hospital. Once he made a full recovery, the fearless survivor didn’t hesitate to do the unbelievable.

Not Giving Up

Beyond grateful that he’d been rescued by Kevin Gale, Ghinsberg organized additional search and rescue teams and made several attempts to go back into the Amazon in hopes of finding Marcus Stamm and Karl Ruprechter.

Never Again

Sadly, his efforts were ultimately fruitless and the two were never seen from or heard of again. Ghinsberg put the ordeal to rest and continued to forge his own life path. In retrospect, he says he doesn’t regret his fateful trip, but he still mourns the loss of his friend Marcus. Incredibly, Ghinsberg’s story doesn’t end there.

A Living Legend

News spread of Ghinsberg’s amazing story of survival and he became something of an iconic figure. He appeared on many of the biggest news networks and his tale was featured in the Discovery Channel documentary series ‘I Shouldn’t Be Alive.’

Harry Potter To Play Him

In 1993, he penned his first book, entitled Back from Tuichi, detailing his journey in the Amazon. In 2008, he published his second book. In 2017, his survival story was enacted in the psychological thriller Jungle, starring Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe as Yossi Ghinsberg.