Jungle or rainforest?

So we're back in the jungle trying to get out eh?  I've always thought this could potentially be a PR disaster for the Australian Tourist Board - or an added boost depending on whether you are paranoid about creepy crawlies or absolutely love the thought of exploring primary rainforest. And what is the difference anyway between the rainforest and the jungle?

I guess when many people first heard about celebrities in the jungle they may have been surprised to discover it took place in Australia, more renowned for surfing, beer and Ayers Rock perhaps.  Yet the 'jungle' crops up in all sorts of places. Think of the Amazon and most people will probably say Peru or Brazil but I have had one of my best travel experiences sitting around a campfire, listening to a native strumming a guitar, deep in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Similarly, when I tell people that I have followed a headhunters' trail through the rainforest of Borneo they assume this was on the Malaysian side of the island but in actual fact it was in Kalimantan, the lesser known Indonesian side.  Having said that, one of my favourite national parks is Taman Negara on mainland Malaysia.  A genuinely uncommercial jungle - no zip wires whizzing through the canopy here, just a truly remote experience, both for flora and fauna.

There's a lot more to the rainforest than Ant and Dec thank goodness.  Why not discover the jungles around the world for yourself - from Chitwan in Nepal and the mountain gorilla habitats in Rwanda and Uganda to the eco paradise of Central America. Enjoy these and many more on a small group adventure with Imaginative Traveller.