Hermit Archives - Solitaree

July 16, 2020

Chile Hermit

It is hard to believe that this place is overlooking the Magellan Strait, the divide between South America and Tierra del Fuego, the shortcut to avoid the infamous Cape Horn to the south. But this is where your new home will be. Off the water, on a little rock, the log hut is the perfect setting for the Chile hermit experience. Not a soul within 50km or 4 days walk. The dense pre-arctic forest will be your companion, sea lions your guests, and the salmon your feed.

Our little Cabaña is situated not far from the Brunswick peninsula, in Chile's southernmost region of Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. It is more south than any land of Australia and New Zealand. Known for its harsh climate but also for its famous pirate stories, you need to be ready physically and mentally for this sometimes overwhelming environment. If you dreamt of a Chile hermit experience, this is the place!

Min age —

Adults only

Physical condition —

Must be in good health and physical condition as you will be on your own for a long period of time under challenging conditions.

This experience requires you to —

Be ready for loneliness, cope with cold nights. You also need to be mentally strong to resist mental isolation torments. You have to be ready to eat and sleep in primitive conditions. You have to accept that hygiene is limited. You have tobe adventurous and self relient, resilient and resourceful.

Day 1 Punta Arenas

We pick you up at the Presidente Carlos Ibáñez International Airport of Punta Arenas, Chile. We drive into Punta Arenas where you settle into accommodation, and visit town. After a 1st briefing describing your hermit location and surrounding we take you to do some additional shopping for some additional personnel items you might like. Followed by a Medical Check.Then around a beer, we have an Open Question and Answer session with your Guide. It is concluded by a training on how to use our communications equipment. Evening welcome dinner.

Day 2-12 Hermitage Experience Cordoba Peninsula

We leave the Lodge after breakfast to the wharf and jump on a speed boat to your Hermitage location. En route the 200km trip we stop in a couple of places to familiarise with the fauna and flora. Upon arrival at the site, we tour your around the premises and your land. We check together the coms and do our final safety briefing in addition to the final equipment and supplies check. From the moment our team departs you are on your own.

Day 13 Punta Arenas

Your are picked up to return to Punta Arenas. Settle back in the accommodation, enjoy a hot shower and a delicious dinner.

Day 14

After breakfast and a tour of town, and the museum, we drive you back to the airport and it is the end of programme.

Weather / Local conditions

The weather is subpolar oceanic were temperatures don't vary much over the seasons because of ocean proximity. The warmest season is the south hemisphere spring and summer when it is in average 12*C while in winter (june to august) it is in average -1*C. The temperature amplitude between the coldest month and the hottest month is only 9.4 ° C. The area also has a fairly dry climate with an annual cumulative rainfall of less then 400mm. On the other hand, the wind can blow continuously hard (60km/h average) and reach up to 120 km/h gusting. Nights can be fresh, and days especially in summer warm. This is favourable for mosquitoes, and dense vegetation.

Terrain

Food

Transport

What to expect

Safety and security

Safety and security is paramount to our business.

We prepare for risks by minimising our exposure to them and by being very knowledgeable about our area but also using trusted and competent local teams.

Punta Arenas and the Brunswick Peninsula are very calm places. There are hardly any political risks. Most actual dangers would come from the sea (the waters and its population, etc.), the weather (strong winds, unforeseen storm), the 'unpredictable' (earthquake, tsunami, etc.) but also human factor. You will be briefed on all the above upon arrival.

But honestly the biggest security challenges are the ones inherent to the experience. Challenges are not only in managing the remoteness and your food but also not to loose yourself in the forest or figuratively. Remember that our guide will introduce you to your location, so take note of all questions you might want to ask.

Airport transfers

Transfers to and from Hotel / Lodge

Transfers to and from the Hermit location by boat (any other means is not included here)

2 nights accommodation in Hotels

1 basic hut on the peninsula with four walls and a roof.

All meals at the hotel

Food rations and fresh water on site

Tools on the hermit experience (fishing gear, axe, shovel, etc.)

Fixer to help you settle discover and understand on the 1st day at the site

1st aid kit

24x7 access to the emergency team

Posted by Pavel Ageychenko

July 16, 2020

Siberia Hermit

In the 18th century Old Believers like the Lhykov family refused modernisation of their liturgy and escaped into the wild to continue practice their faith far from modern “blasphemy”. The closer the “heretics" would get to them the deeper they would go into the forest not to be found. So well so that in 1978 one such family was found by accident… after more than 35 years of actual isolation! Solitaree is not trying to emulate this situation, but only to bring you to a place where such seclusion is possible, and where you will have to accept to return to basics. This Siberia Hermit experience, is probably the richest we offer: you can roam the woods and the river for days without finding a human soul. You can live off the land and explore as far as your heart takes you. You can dive into your inner self without distraction. The wild life and your skills to survive are the only things that will matter to you then. The intensity of the seclusion is only matched by its beauty, so familiar but so different at the same time. A place you have to tame otherwise it will eat you alive. A river bank in the Sayan Mountains that will never let you go back the way you came.

Min age —

Adults only

Physical condition —

Must be in good health and physical condition as there are 12 days in difficult and challenging environment, with some physical exertion.

This experience requires you to —

Withstand fear. To be fine alone and in nature. Be able to withstand cold nights, sleep lightly woken up by noise in your hut and stomping outside. Not be bothered by isolation and what it does to your mind. You have to be ready to eat and sleep in basic conditions, manage well with limited hygiene. Be resourceful to make yourself at home where there is little to be home. Be happy with little. You need to be able to keep motivated to do essential house chores. You have to accept to lose yourself. Outdoors experience is recommended for this trip. Accept to take the time to achieve things. Finally you have to be fine with no communication for the entire time of your experience.

Day 1 Irkutsk

You are met at the Irkutsk International Airport and driven into town where you settle into accommodation, and visit town. Later in the day you will get your 1st briefing, a medical Check if necessary and the Open Question and Answer session with your Guide. In the evening there is welcome drink and dinner to set the tone!

Day 2 Taiga Hut

After breakfast we do our 2nd briefing (a safety briefing) and communications device training. Then we depart in a van (to the shops to buy the last bits you might have forgotten!!) toward our Hermit site. When we reach the river we transfer into a hovercraft, it is the only vehicle able to go up stream in some of the shallow and tormented waters. At lunch we will stop for picnic. Then we continue afterwards to our destination. Upon arrival, your guide will introduce you to the site and give you some instructions about camp installation. You will use the leftover time to prepare your first night in your hut. Your guide will leave you to it. Your are now on your own.

Day 3-12 Hermit Experience Taiga Hut

This is now your time to shine. Be super active and climb all the surrounding hills and mountains, hunt, fish or build a new enclosure. Or do nothing but meditate or write a book, it is your call.

Day 13 Irkutsk

Your guide will come to meet you at the camp. You will return to civilisation. If necessary you will visit our Doctor before settling back in your hotel. Then you can enjoy a hot bath and probably the beauty of a real bed

Day 14

After breakfast, we drive you back to the airport and you fly out.

Weather / Local conditions

Terrain

Food

Transport

What to expect

It is not a difficult experience but rather a challenging one: you can have warm temperatures during the day, cold ones at night. You might be scared. but you will need to chop wood, look out for bears, find a routine.

This is the experience that connects you back to your human roots. It is the experience that teaches you to live the slow life. It is the slow pace that many have forgotten about. It is the experience of enjoying the time rather than for how much you can cram into one day. It takes you back to basics, straight to the core of the elements.

During the whole experience, you will be in daily contact with our 24/7 support crew in case of emergency, but also to check that you are still alive!

Safety and security

Safety and security is paramount to our business.

We prepare for risks by minimising our exposure to them and by being very knowledgeable about our area but also using trusted and competent local teams.

Siberia is vast and varied but it is a calm place. And being isolated in the wilderness make it even better. There are hardly any political risks. Some human risks like in any other place around the world. The only real dangers come from nature (bears, rivers, forests, etc.), the weather (unforeseen storm, flash floods, etc.), the 'unpredictable' (sinkhole, falling tree, etc.) but also human attitudes (angry gold miner, drinking too much, etc.). You will be briefed on all the above upon arrival.

But honestly the biggest security challenges are the ones inherent to trying to be. Challenges are in managing the remoteness and yourself. Remember that you will be equipped with communication devices so you can contact us to raise an emergency or just to say you are fine.

Remark

one English speaking Hermit guide for up to 2 people;

off the grid for 12 days: no internet or mobile phone network;

in case of emergency it can take up to 1 day to be reached by the support team. There will be limited outside help;

with limited infrastructure and transport: we ask for patience and understanding in some situation;

the guide is not there 'to do' for you but to 'support' your actions, direct you in decision making, manage conflicts, throw the towel for you and make hard decision (medivacs, site evacuations, weather dangers, etc.) to ensure you are going to last and enjoy this adventure but above all, remain safe.

Posted by Pavel Ageychenko

July 16, 2020

Tonga Hermit

Public definition states that a ‘Hermit is a person who lives in seclusion from society, usually for religious reasons’. Well, this is us! But minus the religious bit. Only maybe if you consider that introducing travellers to a form of purity, bareness, detachment from materialism, and societal pressures is a religion!

And this desert island hermit experience is offering that: more comfort than our survival experience and less luxury than the glamping experience, we give you an island with a basic hut (a roof over your head and a floor for clean feet). To assist you through your desert island hermit experience, you will be supplied with some food staples, an oil light, some fishing gear, and a few tools to make fire as well as work in the bush. We add to that a heavy pinch of silence, a fair bit of wild life, and the best TV program ever: sunrise and sunset over the ocean and star tracking. We also provide a radio to call us, if you feel lonely or scared.

Tonga is not just a country in the South Pacific; it is one of the last Kingdoms in the world. Made of 174 islands, of which only 36 are inhabited by 100,000 people, it stays true to its traditions and is proud of having never been colonised. As the Tongans say, it's the last True Pacific islands, and this private island experience will surely make you fall in love.

Min age —

Adults only

Physical condition —

Must be in good health both physical and mental. We can ask you to undertake a medical or psychological test.

This hermit experience requires you to —

Withstand heat, fresh nights. You need to be mentally strong and determined to undertake this lonely experience. You have to be able to cope with challenging weather conditions. Eating and sleeping will not be your main problem but you have to be ready to be cope with little or primitive conditions. Accepting that hygiene is limited in important. Being a hermit is to accept to lose yourself into other worlds.

Day 1 Nuku’alofa

From Fua’motu International Airport. we head into town and settle in our hotel. Then we head off for a meal together, a briefing and a medical check. When the evening comes, we train you on how to use the safety equipment and the radio followed by a session of Questions and Answers with your Guide. One last drink, one last good night on a mattress.

Day 2 Desert island

After breakfast, it’s time to bid farewell on phone and social media to your loved ones. We collect your valuables, including your mobile phone, check your personal equipment (limited to a minimum). And we head to our boat. On the way to the island we do a couple of discovery stops for leisure and acclimatisation. At our island, we will introduce you to all secrets and give you a good run down, check with you the safety equipment again, and remind you the dos and donts of the your hermit island. We part from each other.

Day 3-12 Hermit Experience Desert island

You do your best to enjoy this paradise setting, not eat the food in two days and make sure you don't burn in the hot sun. Lose your flip-flops and start using your fishing gear! The hammock is stretched in the best possible location.

Day 13 Nuku’alofa

We come to pick you up during the day. Back to the hotel for a good shower. If necessary a medical check, otherwise we go straight for a culture dinner. And a good celebration of your achievement.

Day 14

Breakfast, and fly out.

Weather / Local conditions

The Tongan climate is very nice. It comprises mostly of 2 seasons: a Rainy Season from December to April, during which it is quite muggy and temperatures rise above 32°C (89.6°F). And a much cooler period called Dry Season from May to November where temperatures rarely go above 27°C (80.6°F). The sunshine is moderate but can be very intense and the average humidity can is around 75%. We travel to Tonga outside of the Cyclone season (Mostly January to March). But heavy rains and cloudy days are common early and late in the year. During the dry season, nights can be fresh and the ocean cool.

Terrain

Made of 174 islands in 4 archipelagos Tonga is not a very mountainous country. Central and Southern islands are ‘flatter’ than the northern archipelagos. To the exception of a couple of straight of the water volcanoes that make the rule. We will be using the most southern or the middle archipelago (purely for safety reasons). On our islands there is enough vegetation, sea life (fish, crustaceans, etc.) and land life (pigs, rodents, reptiles, birds) to survive on. Our highest island is 25m above sea level. Daily tides change significantly the shape of the island. This is also the case during seasons where sand banks, waves or current form in new places.

Food

While in Nuku’alofa: meals at the hotel restaurants and neighbouring restaurants. Made of traditional local food or international dishes (good variety of chinese, korean, japanese, italian, indian, european cuisine). We try introduce you as much as possible to the traditional tongan cuisine, mostly made of raw or cooked sea food, root crops and fresh fruits and coconut milk.

While on Hermit Island, you will be provided with staples (rice, pasta, flour, beans), fruits and veggies - until they go off. This could be supplemented by your own skills to forage in the bush for coconut, cucumbers, etc or fish the crystal waters. There is sufficient food supplied to last your entire experience, but you still have to manage it. This includes fresh water to drink or wash.

Transport

What to expect

Expect :

to have a lot of calm: This is very much for those wishing to escape stress, relax and go back to basics;
to not have much to do;
to start thinking like people in the middle age, when life was run by sunrise and sunset;
to organise your life around simple receptive daily tasks: food preparation, water collection, observation, building things;
to be scared at night;
to have anything you do very weather dependent;
to have access to safety 24/7;
to be provided with basic accommodation structure (roof and floor) and some tools (mosquitoe net, utensils, bush knife, etc).

Safety and security

Safety and security is paramount to our business.

We prepare for risks by minimising our exposure to them and by being very knowledgeable about our area but also by using trusted and competent local teams.

The Kingdom of Tonga is a very calm place. There are hardly any political risks. Some human risks like in any other place around the world. The only real dangers come from the sea (sharks, sea snake, stone fish, etc.), the weather (unforeseen storm), the 'unpredictable' (earthquake, tsunami, etc.) but also human attitudes (pub brawl, etc.). You will be briefed on all the above upon arrival and how we manage them.

But honestly the biggest security challenges are the ones inherent to trying to do what you will do. Challenges are not only in surviving daily, but more importantly, in managing the remoteness and loneliness.

Posted by Pavel Ageychenko

Portfolio Category: Hermit

Chile Hermit

7.6 of 10

Punta Arenas

14 Days

2 pax

Chile Hermit Experience

Chile Hermitage Involves

20%

50%

75%

100%

Highlights of the Chile Hermit Experience

Who can go on This Hermitage?

Schedule of the Chile Hermitage

Some Pictures From Chile Hermit Adventure

Accommodation and Location

While in town in Punta Arenas

While Hermitage site

Cordoba Peninsula