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OTHER THINGS TO DO
Besides hiking, there are also a lot of things you can do
in the mountains. Imagination is your only limitation. Here
are some well established activities you can do to make your
mountaineering experience more exciting.
WARNING: Most activities listed here are extremely dangerous
and requires advanced skills in mountaineering. Never do it
without the presence of an experienced person and proper safety
equipment.
ROCK CLIMBING
Rock climbing in the Philippines is a relatively young sport
but one of the fastest growing in terms of participation.
Nowadays, there are a lot of rock climbing destinations in
the country though there are still many unclimbed areas. Best
time to climb is between November and March. Here are some
popular places for rock climbing :
- Montalban
(Rodriguez Rizal)
-
Antipolo Rizal
-
Mt. Maculot
-
Atimonan Quezon
-
CampThree, Kenon Road
-
Chapis
-
Palawan
There are also a lot of Indoor climbing gyms that have opened
throughout the country to accommodate enthusiast. There they
can train safely under controlled conditions before hitting
the outdoors or keep themselves busy during the rainy days
or late evenings after school or work as a part of regular
physical fitness regime. Here you can get information on places
to go, buy climbing equipment and share techniques to sharpen
your skills. (See lists of popular climbing gym at the appendix
of this book). One useful resource on rock climbing in the
Philippines is Simon Sandoval’s Rock Climbing Internet site
at www.amanet.net/~simon/bato.html.
SPELUNKING
Spelunking is the technical term for caving. The Philippines
is rich in limestone formations where caves abound. In fact
there are a lot of foreign caving expeditions who have recognized
the potential of Philippines as a top spelunking destination.
Here are some list of popular caving destinations :
- Sagada,
Mountain Province (Crystal caves, Big cave, Lokoong, Sumaging)
-
Bulacan (Madlum Caves, Biak na Bato, Pinagrealan)
-
Cagayan (Peñablanca Caves)
-
Leyte (Sohotan)
-
Montalban
-
Palawan
-
Cagayan de Oro
-
Bohol
-
Surigao
-
Tanay
The recently formed Philippine Cave Guides Association offers
competent and professional guide services to many cave systems
around the country. You may contact their president Mark Dia
at 125 (page ID Rock).
RIVER TREKKING
A special form of hiking where balance, agility and tolerance
to the feeling of trekking while wet is a must. River trekking
is a very exciting adventure to experience. There are a lot
of exciting river trails here in the Philippines. From an
experience of riding your backpack amidst the strong water
current (back pack riding) to water fall climbing and rappelling
as well as fast river trekking (river gliding). The experience
will definitely re-live your youthful desire of playing under
the rain. Here are some suggested river trekking destinations
:
- Romelo
(Famy Laguna)
-
Daraitan, Tanay Rizal,
-
Doña Remedios Trinidad, Angat Bulacan
-
Wawa, Montalban Rizal
-
Dulangan River, Mt. Halcon, Mindoro
-
Matulid River System (Mt. Irid)
RAPPELLING
A simple sport with a near bungee-jumping experience though
milder and tolerable. From the standard form to the more daring
spider and Australian style, the adrenaline rush will surely
help you remove the "fear of heights" in your system. Though
you can do rappelling from any building, bridge and similar
man-made structures, nothing compares to the experience of
doing it in a natural environment, say near a waterfalls where
you can be one with the water as it cascades down the lagoon.
Some sites suggested for rappeling:
- Romelo
(Famy Laguna)
-
Buntot palos, Laguna
-
Twin Falls, Cavinti Laguna
-
Mt. Maculot, Cuenca Batangas
-
Wawa, Montalban Rizal
CROSS COUNTRY CYCLING
Although cycling has long been a very popular sport here
in the Philippines, multi-day cross country cycling has yet
to be established as one outdoor alternative. It is basically
a combination of backpacking and cycling. Here are some suggested
adventure routes you can take in this new and exciting sport
:
- Laguna
Lake Circuit – a tour around Laguna Lake passing through
the historic Laguna and Rizal towns. Campsites can be established
in Mt. Makiling, UP Los Baños, Laguna.
-
Taal Lake Circuit – a tour around the panoramic roads circling
the Taal lake, passing through the towns of Batangas, Cavite
and Laguna. Camps can be established in Tagaytay or in a
beach front along the stretch of Nasugbu to Lemery.
-
Rizal – Real Quezon Circuit – a backbreaking tour along
the Rizal, Laguna and Quezon part of the Sierra Madre mountains.
Campsite can be established in the beach along Real Quezon.
-
Baguio Sagada Circuit – a popular route being taken by an
annual Baguio –Sagada bikathon, cycle above the clouds!
WHITE RIVER RAFTING/ KAYAKING
Yes, there are places here in the Philippines where one
can challenge the waves. Kayaking combines the physical challenges
of a breath taking adventure while enjoying the natural splendor
of the outlying environment. The Philippine Department of
Tourism lists Tibiao River in Antique as the top White Water
River. The Tibiao River is located near Boracay in Antique.
Another place is the Bubunauan River south of Cagayan de Oro
in Mindanao. Northern Palawan, Sohotan Caves, Bucas Grande
and Surigao del Norte are other locations offering world class
kayaking. Other recommended sites are Boracay, Cebu and Subic
bay. For more information, you can contact Tribal Holdings
Philippines Inc., as they organize kayaking programs. Kayaks
are vailable for rent in Palawan, Leyte, Boracay, Cebu, Subic
Bay and Puerto Azul in Cavite. The best time for river kayaking
in Palawan and the Visayas is July to December while in Mindanao,
it can be enjoyed all year round.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
There are very few real mountain biking routes established
here in our country. Although the popularity of mountain biking
has long been here, mountain biking here usually takes the
same road routes of traditional cycling and no real mountain
trails to make the sport a true "mountain" biking experience.
In the United States, there are mountain trails created for
mountain biking. The only problem is when the foot trail and
bike trail share the same trail. Here ethics should be clearly
observed. One popular mountain biking destination within the
proximity of Metro Manila is the UPLB Mt. Makiling trail winding
up three fourths to the mountain’s summit. There are also
some short mountain trails in Antipolo Rizal.
BEACHINEERING
This term was coined by mountaineers to the activity of
going to the beach and setting up camp there. Although beach
is far from a mountaineering activity, here in our country,
most mountains has its base along a beach front making the
activity some sort of a reward after the strenuous hike up
to the summit of a mountain. In beachineering comes other
popular water sport such as snorkeling. Mountains which is
usually tied-up to beachineering includes Mt. Talipanan –
Puerto Galera, Mt. Maculot – Lemery, Pico de Loro – Nasugbu,
Infanta National Park – Real Quezon and Mt. Guiting Guiting
– Romblon.
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