I am a traveler and love seeking out adventures. I have travelled across the cities, towns, dusty villages, lush green mountains, rocky terrains and coastal beaches. This time it was an adventure in an island that the travel called for – Canyoneering in Philippines!
Travel to Philippines begin
My bags were packed again, and my destination was thousands of miles away from Mumbai. It took me a total of 24 hours of travel time and transit via three countries to finally make it to my destination – the breathtaking islands of Philippines.
Though it seems quite an extensive journey in itself, but trust me my travel was no less than a five-star luxurious experience in a Business class with Singapore Airlines for absolutely FREE of cost (I paid only the airfare taxes)
Let me know in comments if you would like to know on how I travelled business class for free!
The journey aboard was so much comfortable that I longed for more time up in the sky, while I stretched my lengths across the cozy seats, gobbled delicious meals, and savored the sparkling liquids. Oh, how I wished the journey could last a little longer!
I reached Cebu, one of the stunning islands in the Philippines in the wee hours of morning and having all geared up for exploring the place. But before I go on, let me clarify something: My travels are unplanned! There’s no list of places to see or activities to do, nor any day tours booked ahead of time. The adventure and exploration begin once my feet touches the ground in a new destination.
Upon reaching the hoteI, I changed to my island friendly clothes and hopped on a rented moped to begin my day. Conversations with locals helped me with the information on stays, food options, and activities in and around Moalboal. Armed with all the knowledge that I had gathered, I was now a Women with A Plan.
My bag pack for the day was ready- some cash , extra Tshirt and my trusted companion- GoPro Hero 11
Cebu was amazing, clean beaches, crystal clear waters, colorful aquamarine life, water sports and the adventures. You’ve probably heard of surfing, parasailing, snorkeling, and deep-sea diving, right? Well, wait until you visit Cebu, there is more to it! I came across a sport called “Canyoneering.”
Canyoneering in Philippines
An outdoor trek that involves traveling down creeks or streams within a canyon through variety of means including walking, jumping, swimming and climbing.
I surely knew this was definitely something I would love to try.
With the new breeze in my curls, I set off for Badian, the place where Canyoneering in Philippines can be experienced. Badian is around 25-30 kilometers to the south of Moalboal . Following maps and signs, I eventually arrived at a spot where the guides thereafter lead me to their campsite.
After having done with the paperwork which asked for the basic details, one guide was tagged to me. The cost of the activity is around 6000 Indian rupees and believe me, it is totally worth every penny. I was given a helmet and life jacket to proceed ahead for the next stage. This activity requires one to have water sport shoes aka water friendly shoes and there is also a provision to rent it from the guides.
Thankfully, I already had water-friendly shoes of Decathlon, so there wasn’t any need to borrow from him.
Note – Slippers or any open-toed shoes are not allowed for this activity.
There was also a provision to securely store valuable belongings- phones, wallets, purses at the campsite before starting the activity.
Canyoneering in Philippines – The Journey begins
The journey began and I hopped onto his motorbike and rode on the steep mountain roads. The picturesque and painting like backdrops along the ride took my breath away. The day seemed fresh, green and pastel filtered all over. Looking down at the town below was like seeing it from a whole new perspective. My eye version of google earth!
Pre-Canyoneering walk/ zipline
Soon after we reached the summit, we had to cross one mountain to reach the actual starting point of the adventure. As much as irony one would point in here to ride to the peak and trek down immediately, the real fun actually begins in here.
There were two options for the descend: One could either walk (trek downhill) or use a zipline. I choose to walk while observing people using the zipline to swiftly descend a few feet in mere seconds. However, as easy the zipline option sounds like, the strong winds made sure it was an adventure in itself. It caused the zipline to operate in reverse. The intense wind prevented the sliders from smoothly gliding, leaving participants stuck in the middle.For once I was happy for myself for choosing trek as the option of descend. After a good 30 to 40 minutes of trekking, I finally arrived at the destination.
There it was, crystal-clear blue water flowing with a rushing sound. The guide took a leap into the water and motioned for me to follow his suit. As soon as I dipped my foot in, I felt a chill that sent shivers down my spine. In that moment, my pride of taking the trek route came down crushing and I wished I had just taken the plunge instead of slowly numbing my senses step by step.
The First Jump off the cliff
As the trail unfolded, I found myself wading through water that rose up to my chest. The sensation of slicing through the water with each step was absolutely incredible. Feeling thirsty, I instinctively leaned down and took a sip directly from the stream. The water tasted like nectar and oh-so-refreshing.
Continuing along the path, I eventually reached the mouth of the waterfall. It was now time to summon all my courage and take the leap off the cliff. The thought of diving into the water below sent a rush of adrenaline through my veins. Despite my nerves, I jumped with all my heart, the gravity was adventurous, however the landing in the waters wasn’t quite as graceful as I had envisioned.
I messed it up, said to myself, feeling a bit disappointed. I wanted to ask for another try, however controlled my urge and moved ahead with the guide.
But little did I know, there were more cliff jumps awaiting me as I ventured further.
There were ropes tied to trees, inviting us to swing like Tarzan and plunge into the water from great heights. As I trekked deeper into the valley, surrounded by the towering mountains draped in lush greenery, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the beauty around me. The tranquil sounds of birds chirping and the gentle rustle of leaves made me wish I could stay in that moment forever.
Jump after jump, the ratio of cliff to water height kept getting higher, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness every time I dived in. Time after time my dives were distinctive, sometimes I ended up diving on my head and some were better than that, but Hell yeah that’s what an adventure should look like. Canyoneering in Philippines is live testament to it!
Tallest jump of the adventure (50 feet high)
After descending for what felt like a long time, I finally saw the massive Kawasan waterfall. I tried my best to make this count while capturing the moment with my GoPro. A memory and moment captured for life!
To get a quick glimpse of the jumps you can watch this reel on Instagram! If pictures speak thousand words then reels speaks ten thousands for sure.
By the end of the adventure, my skin had turned soft and wrinkly from being soaked in water for nearly five hours. There were rashes on my body but the excitement and adrenaline were antidote to any physical pain to be felt. It wasn’t until I went for a swim in the ocean the next day, alongside the whale sharks, that I felt the sting of the salty water on my skin no less than the bite of scorpion. I surely know what “to rub salt on wound” feel likes translates in true sense.
If you’ve stuck around till now, kudos to you! All in all, each travel teaches me a treasure of things, it rewards me with a new perspective to look on and hold onto. It teaches me to be courageous, strong, believe in myself more, listen to stories, and make new memories, blogs and feed my gram stories. Having experienced Canyoneering in Philippines for the first time was quite an experience in itself. It tested my physical and mental endurance by making me walk, trek, swim, jump off the cliff all in a single day! And what a day it was I must say!