Hazen Audel: A Life Wild and True – From the Amazon to Primal Survivor

There’s a moment when a dream breaks free from imagination and leaps into life. For Hazen Audel, it happened at nineteen years old, on a battered bus deep into Ecuador’s Amazon basin. With only a tent, seventy-eight dollars, and an unstoppable hunger for the wild, Hazen set out to find the creatures he’d only ever seen in books — and in doing so, he found himself.

From climbing atop a bus to avoid crushing a seven-foot rainbow boa, to living with the Kichwa and Waiorani tribes for months at a time, Hazen’s story isn’t about survival alone — it’s about connection. To the land. To ancient knowledge. To community. It’s a life written in muddy footprints and mosquito bites, not textbooks.

Today, as the host of Primal Survivor on National Geographic and Disney+, Hazen brings that raw, unfiltered spirit to millions of viewers. But behind the cameras is still the same curious kid who saved up in a coffee can to chase snakes and sleep under jungle stars.

His journey from Spokane to the far corners of the planet reveals something powerful: adventure isn’t about conquering nature — it’s about listening to it.

In this episode of Adventure Diaries, Hazen shares vivid memories of rain-slick tarantulas, sacred indigenous wisdom, shark-filled seas, and the quiet lessons only the wild can teach. It’s a call to all of us to stay curious, stay connected — and maybe, to climb out the window once in a while.

What unfolds is more than survival. It’s a love letter to the earth, a reminder of the human spirit’s capacity for wonder — and a celebration of lives lived with open hands and open hearts.

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Listen To The Episode With Hazen Audel

  • Follow your heart – The truest adventures begin with curiosity, not a career plan.
  • Indigenous knowledge is irreplaceable – Communities like the Kichwa and Waiorani are living encyclopedias of the wild.
  • Presence over passports – You don’t need to cross oceans to find wonder — you need to open your eyes where you stand.
  • Resilience grows in discomfort – Mud, storms, and fear shaped Hazen more than any classroom ever could.
  • Adventure is a mindset – Every day offers a choice to be curious, courageous, and connected.
  • “I never grew out of it. I just still maintain that childlike fascination.” – Hazen on his lifelong wonder for the wild.
  • “The scariest thing I ever did was the thing that opened up my life path.” – Hazen reflecting on his leap of faith into Ecuador’s jungle.
  • “You don’t need to go around the world — everybody around you knows something you don’t.” – Hazen on seeking connection everywhere.
  • “We’re not living a human life anymore… we’re losing our roots.” – A powerful reflection on modern society’s disconnection from nature.
  • Hazen saved up mowing lawns to buy a $680 flight to Ecuador at 19 years old.
  • He caught a seven-foot rainbow boa while riding a bus into the Amazon jungle.
  • He lived with indigenous tribes for months, learning two native languages.
  • He co-founded “The Wild Classroom,” a guerrilla science filmmaking project.
  • Primal Survivor became one of National Geographic’s most successful series and is now streaming on Disney+.
  • Education is everywhere – Indigenous communities are living universities of the wild.
  • Trust the leap – The most important adventures often start when you have the least certainty.
  • Rewild your world – Invite life back into your local environments with simple, mindful actions.
  • Authenticity shines – Hazen’s unscripted filming style connected viewers to raw, real adventure.

Call to Adventure: Rewild your world — plant native species, build small habitats, and invite biodiversity back into your life. You don’t have to travel far to feel wonder — just open your backyard or your local park to the wild once more.

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Pay It Forward: Support eco-education and wildlife conservation by checking out organizations like Space for Giants and the Jane Goodall Institute. Tourism, awareness, and education can protect what remains wild in the world.

Before You Go: Hazen’s story is a powerful reminder that the wild isn’t something to conquer — it’s something to reconnect with. If this conversation stirred something inside you, don’t let it fade. Step outside.

Plant something. Get muddy. Build memories worth sharing. And if you loved this episode, don’t forget to hit follow and leave a review.

Every voice helps spread these stories of courage, connection, and wonder.

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