A Chilean tourist survived for nine days while lost in a dense expanse of Bolivian rainforest — thanks to a troop of hero monkeys who “dropped him fruit and led him to shelter and water every day,” the man claimed.

Maykool Coroseo Acuña, 25, went missing from his Max Adventures tour group at Madidi National Park, a protected rainforest in the northwest part of the South American country, National Geographic reported.

The night before Acuña disappeared, he refused to take part with other tourists in a traditional ceremony that gives thanks to Pachamama, Mother Earth, for allowing them to visit the forest.

Witnesses said the time between Acuña was last seen and when someone went to check on him in his cabin was a mere five minutes.

“It’s because he offended the Pachamama,” said Feizar Nava, the owner of Max Adventures. “He didn’t want to participate in the ceremony.”

Bolivian natives believe the rainforest is a sacred place, and that if Pachamama becomes offended, she’ll send a sprite called Duende – who hides victims in another dimension – to get you, the site reported.

“For myself and the rangers, this is our culture,” said Madidi Park Director Marcos Uzquiano. “We believe that Duende is real. And we think it’s possible that Maykool was taken by him.”

Shamans told the search party that Acuña was “far away, in a place we can’t reach.”

Still, they searched for hours on end, for days in different sections of the vast rainforest. Finally, they found an important clue — a single muddy sock.

Acuña’s mother confirmed it was her son’s.

Acuña was found on day nine, less than a mile away from the Max Adventure’s campground.

He was dehydrated, weak and nearly eaten alive by bugs – and told the rescuers he only survived thanks to the kindly monkeys, who gave him food and led him to shelter, Nat Geo reported.

It’s unclear which species of monkeys kept him alive, but that rainforest includes Rosillo, Lucachi and Titi monkeys are some of the types that are indigenous to the jungle.

Acuña admitted at one point he began to lose his mind — which he blamed on the sprite.

“I started running,” he said. “I was wearing sandals and I said no, they would slow me down. I threw away the sandals, then the cell phone and my flashlight. And after running so much, I stopped under a tree and I started thinking. What had I done, what was I doing? And when I wanted to get back, it wasn’t possible.”