Brit trapped in Amazon rainforest for 18 days makes miracle escape

A man feared he was "going to die" after getting trapped in the Amazon rainforest for 18 days - before he made a very lucky escape.

Callan Bole is an avid traveller, and after visiting more than 60 countries, decided to try something new. The 25-year-old, who shares his wild adventures with his 296,000 followers on TikTok (@callanbowl ), decided to set off on an expedition to the Amazon with zero planning and no survival skills.

Callan began by jetting to Colombia and then taking a small flight to a nearby town, where he boarded a four-man charter to his destination. But a twist of fate saw him stranded in a remote indigenous village in the rainforest, where he couldn’t speak the local language.

Upon arriving in Mitú, a small town outside the Amazon Rainforest, Callan had planned to take a boat across the river to Brazil. But he had not taken into account that it was wet season. His trip should have taken five days to complete, but after three days of treacherous weather, the boat's motor broke – leaving him stranded.

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"I genuinely thought I was going to die there," Callan, from Stockton-on-Tees, told Luxury Travel Daily. "I stayed in one spot for nearly three weeks and felt trapped with paranoia. Usually, no one goes there – but if you do, you're lucky to get out alive."

He ended up in the remote town called lauaretê, in São Gabriel da Cachoeira Municipality, on the border of Colombia and Brazil. It's located in the State of Amazonas, where the rainforest runs through, and it's believed they speak a little-known language, Tariana.

"It was never dry," Callan said. "There was never a moment with no rain. When I needed to sleep, I had to stop off on the river bed and set up camp.

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"After a few days, I was having a really hard time, so I asked if there was a shack I could stay in. A man overheard me and took me to his, where there was a bed and food.

"They didn't speak a word of English, only a local dialect that not even my phone could translate. Luckily, he had a son I could communicate with as he was learning Portuguese."

In the clip Callan shared on TikTok, he scans the camera around the rustic home, which has a television, a hammock and some other general household items.

After a few days, a miracle happened. Someone in the remote town had injured themselves and had to be transported via a military aircraft to a hospital in Brazil – and they offered Callan a seat on the plane.

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Now safely back on UK soil, Callan's skin is still recovering from various insect bites and he lost more than a stone in weight during the ordeal. But he says the experience has made him hungry for more.

"The people were absolutely fantastic," Callan said. "I was scared I'd be there for a few more months, but their hospitality was next to nothing. It was a great time overall.

"I do think it was only a matter of time before I got malaria or yellow fever, though. This is nothing new to me – I've been through much worse. It's only made me hungry for more adventure."