Do ‘Survivor’ castaways actually walk to tribal council?

Survivor superfans would know the trek that the castaways embark on to and from tribal council towards the end of each episode like the back of their hand, walking in a single-file line with their torches in-hand, usually taking place as the sun sets over the ocean.

Given that we see the contestants leave for tribal council and return from tribal council, viewers have always wondered what takes place on the journey, as it does not make it onto our television screens.

How long is the walk? Are they allowed to speak to one another during the walk?

In fact… do they actually walk, or is there an alternate means of transportation?

With dozens of burning questions, keep scrolling to find out what goes on during the trek that the castaways embark on to and from tribal council.

Given that Survivor has been filmed in wide range of locations since its premiere in 2001, from China to Africa to Guatemala to Nicaragua to Cambodia and beyond, the means for getting to and from tribal council varies from season to season, according to Business Insider.

Tyson Apostol from Survivor: Tocantins, Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, Survivor: Blood vs Water, and Survivor: Winners at War revealed that he traveled in “blackout vehicles” when going to tribal council during one of his seasons, however, he did not name which one.

For those who are unfamiliar, “blackout vehicles” are cars with all of the windows covered up to avoid letting the castaways see outside. Because they do not know where they are headed, contestants are unable to come back to locations that the car passes by at a later date. Similarly, “blackout vehicles” are incredibly useful if the car were to drive by the site of a forthcoming Immunity Challenge or a Reward Challenge, in order to avoid an unfair advantage.

While Tyson Apostol traveled in “blackout vehicles” during one of his four seasons, Karishma Patel from Survivor: Island of the Idols revealed to Business Insider that she had to take a boat to get to tribal council instead.

“Many tribals, we had to jump off of the boat, like a quarter-mile back and just trudge through the water through coral, falling, and then you sit in the muddy tent for hours waiting in silence with the bugs everywhere in the ground,” Patel dished — how gross!

All things considered, it looks like there are quite a few different ways that the castaways get to and from tribal council, however, contrary to popular belief, walking is not one of them.

Survivor superfans can stream all 45 seasons of the beloved competition series on Paramount Plus now.