The Papuan Jungle Is Deadlier Than the Congo. Here's Why

In 1961, Michael Rockefeller swam for the shore of New Guinea and was never seen again. So is the Papuan jungle really deadlier than the Congo rainforest? We compare Papua New Guinea and the Congo threat by threat. There’s the Papuan taipan and its four-hour antivenom window, and the saltwater crocodiles. The Kokoda Track sent more than half its soldiers out sick, and the cassowary carries a 12 cm claw. In the Congo, a crocodile took kayaker Hendri Coetzee on a remote river. Then comes the killer that flips the whole comparison: malaria, caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which kills far more people in the Congo every year. Finally, the 2024 Enga landslide and the 1945 Hidden Valley rescue show why getting out of New Guinea’s rainforest can be harder than surviving it. Which jungle would you rather spend a month in? 0:00 Jungle Survival: Congo vs. New Guinea 2:04 The Deadly Snakes of the Jungle Floor 5:28 The Invisible Killer in the Forest 6:39 Trapped by Mountains and Landslides #papuanewguinea #congo #rainforest