On the second day of our northern Mindanao adventure, we woke up in Camiguin and visited two more scenic places before we headed to Cagayan de Oro (CDO) City in the afternoon.
We were only set to do one thing in CDO, but that one thing was one exhilarating activity all of us would never forget: WHITE WATER RAFTING! Wohoo!
Aside from being named as the “City of Golden Friendship,” Cagayan de Oro was tagged as the whitewater rafting capital of the Philippines. It is still a must-try activity whenever you’re in the city, or visiting parts of the northern Mindanao.
Kuya King from Kagay, Cagayan de Oro’s premiere whitewater rafting outfitter, waited for us until we reached the port of Balingoan. He was our tour and river guide for the day. From there, he drove us to the city proper where we waited for the other tourists scheduled for whitewater rafting as well.
We took some 12km jeepney ride to reach the starting point.
We rode the rapids of the Cagayan River (or Cagayan de Oro River) which separates the province of Misamis Oriental from Bukidnon. So, literally, it was like we were already being in two provinces at the same time!
The water in the river that day, as explained to us by Kuya King, was not as clear as expected since the province had experienced moderate rains especially in the mornings. The rain eroded some soil coming from the mountains thus making the water in the Cagayan River (or Cagayan de Oro River) a bit murky. Nonetheless, that for sure didn’t affect our excitement. B-)
These epic faces said so
We were immediately given our life jackets, helmets, and paddles upon reaching the starting dock. Afterwards, we were asked to group together and follow another guide who oriented us about white water rafting: the basics, the how to, the must do’s, must not, precautions, safety, and what to do in ill-fated scenarios.
We listened attentively of course. Well, I did! B-)
It was about 30 minutes of lecture and demonstration, all very important to know and remember especially for first-timers like us. All rafters should understand that it was not all about fun, but safety and responsibility (for yourself as well as for your fellow rafters) should also and ALWAYS be prioritized.
Cagayan River was said to have over 20 rapids in total ranging from Class I to Class VI. We availed for the Beginner’s Course, which went through 14 rapids between class 2 and 3.5, in 7.6 miles. Kuya King and Kuya Jan, another river guide, went with us during the ride.
All thanks to this great Kagay photographer who captured our wet and wild rafting experience in 125 photos! He sure knew his thing as we swiftly negotiated the rapids as well while riding a kayak.
Want to see how it was like?
All the rapids had names. One was called Makabundol, meaning “to bump.” The others were named after persons, like “Chris’ Drop” and “Ka Bernie.”
River guides told us to cheer every after the rapids. We held our paddles up and exclaimed “Ahoo!”
For the other rapids, named as “Twister” and “The Rodeo”, rafters were asked to stand!
Incoming!!!
Boom!
YEAH! It was so fun! It was hard to pull ourselves back to our seats; we were just laughing all the way! Our guides seemed to be having a good time too.
Despite all the bumps and turns, and hard splashes of the turbulent water we faced throughout the Cagayan River, we didn’t flip even once. B-) Thanks to our State-of-the-Art Raft (SOTAR) and to our competent river guides who instructed us what to do and maneuvered the raft real good.
Right at the face!
There were also parts with relatively calm waters, so we were able to get back to our composure…
…and pose well for the camera :P
We were also allowed to take longer time to enjoy the calm waters from a different perspective…
…as well as marvel at the varieties of flora and fauna that surrounded us.
Some rapids directed us to limestone cliffs and caves which were known to shelter snakes.
Were we worried of snakes or hitting the wall?
Nope.
While we were all busy with our kawaii smiles, the river guides…well, they just knew what to do…
It took us 3 hours to finish the course. Everything about our whitewater rafting experience was just amazing! We started with great smiles on our faces, and we finished with same overjoyed expressions.
We would definitely go back to CDO, and perhaps, the next time, we will try the Advanced Course! Wohoo!
Fyi, Kuya Jan was the one in blue rash guard at the center of the picture above, while Kuya King was the one at the extreme left.
Kuya King was also kind enough to accompany us on our third day going to Bukidnon.
Early morning of our third day in Mindanao, we all met at the Hotel Ramon in the city proper of CDO where three of us spent our second night. (The rest of my buddies slept in one’s relative nearby)
Like in CDO, we only had one activity planned to do in Bukidnon: try out the Asia’s Longest Dual Zipline!
The place to go was the Dahilayan Adventure Park. We availed for the ride-all ticket which included three zipline zones. Arm bands were given as ticket verification.
For warm up, we tried the 320m and 150m training ziplines first.
Proper gear had to be worn of course. B-)
Weee!
We rode a 4WD Safari Cruiser which took us up the mountain and to the launch site where the longest zipline starts.
The launch tower had an elevation of 4,500m above sea level. The Asia’s longest dual zipline, on the other hand, had a length of 840m at 100m drop. B-)
Unlike in the first two ziplines where zip riders zoom in sitting position, zip riders lay on their belly for the longest zipline.
This was the end point where Dahilayan Zip Zone personnel waited and helped us off our harnesses.
It was another fun experience for all of us! We sure had our “superman” moments up there! B-)
Certificates with individual photos were also given to those who survived Asia’s longest!
Before finally leaving Bukidnon and went to CDO Airport to catch our afternoon flight, we managed to stop by few more places for photo ops.
Here’s a part of the Del Monte Plantation…
…and the PINEAPPLE marker!
We also saw this nearby…
…then we finally we bid the province goodbye.
It really felt like we had accomplished SO MUCH during our three day exploration in northern Mindanao, and every bit of it was worth the sweat, the pain, and the empty stomach we experienced along the way.
Thanks to my old and new found friends for being such great travel companions…
…and to the Almighty Father for making all those things possible.
To Myca, Ces, Isay, Roni, and Sen, thanks for the wonderful pics!
Take time to travel and see the world. There are so much out there to see and experience. Feel free!
“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill
Have a great day ahead!