The dense tropical forest of Asia are magical places to spend an afternoon, an evening or even a night.
Deep in the jungle, as the canopy above darkens the path, you realise that you have nothing but your hands, your wits and your guide to help you survive.
Fortunately, at the Jungle Environment Survival Training camp in Subic Bay, Philippines, your guide is about all you need to live through a hike into the area's 10,000 hectares of virgin rain forest.
Filipino tribesmen have lived in the jungles around Subic Bay for generations, and today they offer jungle hikes and tours. But don't expect your usual guided tour. Subic's vast jungle is home to 3000 types of trees, 10,000 varieties of plants and over a thousand animal species, including huge bats and playful monkeys. Lessons cover starting a fire with two pieces of bamboo, fishing with your hands, and even brewing a from of 'jungle coffee."
Around Asia. similar jungle jaunts are available for travellers looking for something a bit more robust than the tour bus. The Singapore Zoological Gardens offers a night safari set 40 hectares of dense secondary, visitors can see more than 1000 nocturnal animals.
Near Kuala Lumpur, the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia offers a variety of ways to interact with its adjacent forest. The 1.5-kilometre Salleh's Trail winds along a path lined with interesting trees typical of Malaysia's forests. Another trail is reserved for mountain biking.
For those with no fear of heights, the Canopy Walkway offers a view of jungle life at the treetops. The 200-metre series of walkways is suspended about 30 metres above the ground.
There are impressive viewing points along the canopy, but the trail up to the area is steep and gruelling.
A small fee is charged for all these jungle tours. In Subic, an overnight tour is offered at varying but reasonable rates, depending on the equipment involved.
