With so many islands and natural features to explore, the
Philippines is a great place to augment your travels with some rafting,
climbing, caving and canyoning. The country also has more than a few great zip line
attractions.
For white water rafting, Cagayan de Oro features class III and IV rapids in northern Mindanao and provides all year round rafting, as does the Davao River, west
of the Mindanao capital city, which consists of largely class III rapids.
If you like it wild however, the very best place to raft
is in the Cordillera in Luzon, on the class III, IV and V rapids of the Chico River,
passing by canyons, volcanoes and rice terraces, but it should be noted that
the rafting here is seasonally restricted, available only from June to January.
Excellent canyoning can be found near Moalboal in Cebu,
among the many narrow ravines and waterfalls, such as the Montaneza, Tison and
Kawasan Falls, found in the area. Other good sites can be found on Biliran off
the northern tip of Layte, and Mabinay in Negros.
The focus of serious caving activities is found on Samar
Island, in sites such as the Sohoton Caves, Jiabong Cave and Langun-Gobingub Cave.
Another important spelunking adventure centre is around Sagada, in the
Cordillera of Luzon, in particular the journey between the interconnecting caves
of Sumaging and Lumiang.
There are numerous rock climbing opportunities in the
Philippines. In Luzon, to the south of Manila, Atimonan provides a few short cliff
climbs of between ten and 40 metres, while there are some interesting
bouldering challenges at Baguio in the Cordillera. Close to Manila, the Wawa
River, near Montalban provides some 100 technical routes over 20 crags.
In Cebu, the limestone cliffs of Cantabaco consist of
largely grade 7 routes, of which there are around forty. In Palawan the
remarkable rock features that characterise Bacuit Bay offer some exquisite
short but tricky challenges from grade 6a to 7c. With its stunning beaches and
crystalline waters, island and cliff hopping in this area is a sensual feast
for climbers.
At Dingle, near Iloilo on Panay, the Nautod Wall is a
natural feature in Bulabog Putian National Park and is a popular climbing
challenge, with 28 routes.
For the
intrepid traveller, the lure of climbing Philippine volcanoes is less technically challenging but can be
very satisfying.
The undoubted risks involved however, from poisonous
gases to unexpected eruption, which has claimed the lives of climbers in the past,
need to be carefully considered, particularly on Mount Mayon.
If you like flying around on wires, the Filipino’s love
their zip lines and there are many to choose from all over the archipelago. One
of the most scenic is that of the Seven Falls near Lake Sebu, in Mindanao,
which passes over the seven waterfalls of its title at great height.
Also in Mindanao, the Dahilayan Adventure Park, south of
Cagayan de Oro, has a dual line, enabling races with your companions over the pine forest close to
Mount Kitanglad, while further east, near Butuan, the Delta Discovery Park has
a 1.3 kilometre solo and a 400 metre dual zip line. Another 680 metre zip runs
in Aliwagwag Park in Davao.
A racing zip line pair can be found near Sogod in Southern
Layte, 880 metres in length, and passing across a valley over which the Agas
Agas Bridge, the highest in the Philippines, spans. Speeds in excess of
100 km/hr are easily achievable.
For a view of the splendid Mount Mayon via zip line,
Luzon’s Lignon Hill Nature Park features a shorter 360 metre line at a maximum
height of 160 metres above the ground facing the famously beautiful volcano.
Another Luzon zip can be found at Balungao Hiltop Adventure.
On Negros, at Salvador Benedicto, the ‘Everest’ zip line
sails a clear 300 metres above the ground for a distance of one kilometre.