Local explorer sets off again after jungle ordeal

A local explorer who spent four days stranded in the jungle on the Candelaria River in Mexico has recovered and is ready to hit the river again.

Jon Bonfiglio and his three colleagues were lucky to escape their ordeal with just minor bruises and scratches. But the psychological impact was far harder than the physical, he said.

The four ran into trouble after their canoe capsized and they lost all their gear.

They ate peanuts and raw fish until they were found several days later.

“I felt it a few times on the journey that it was more psychological than physical, and I do not want to do it again in a hurry,” Mr Bonfiglio said during a telephone interview.

Even so, at dawn today he will be doing exactly that, heading back onto the river to continue exploring a little-known section of the river.

A few good meals and some rest is all the explorer said he needed.

On October 17, Mr Bonfiglio and a team from Ninth Wave Global set off to explore the remote Candelaria River for the first time, a journey they expected to take two days.

“After examining maps and speaking with local people from communities around the river, the team set off expecting one or two small waterfalls before reaching a long stretch of calm water,” the group said in a statement issued yesterday.

“Due to unexpected rapids and many more waterfalls than anticipated, conditions became treacherous and one boat containing food and equipment was capsized and lost.”

The four realised they were unable to turn back and abandoned the second boat to try and exit the jungle on foot.

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