Jones dislocated his shoulder during the 28-10 victory over Japan in Edinburgh on June 26, and was initially ruled out of the tour, his fourth with the Lions.
But three days later he was told there was a chance he could still feature in the test series and his single-minded goal from then on was to make sure he could board a plane to South Africa.
"The first few days after that, getting home (from the Japan game) ... it was a tough one. But fast-forward to the Tuesday when I was told there was a chance, it was bordering on surreal," Jones told reporters on Wednesday.