Whitewater Rafting in the Philippines

This sport is one of the newest extreme adventures to hit the Philippines, and one that suits its features entirely

A Philippine whitewater rafting experience is all at once thrilling, exhilarating, exciting, and relaxing. This sport is one of the newest extreme adventures to hit the country, and one that suits its features entirely. For many years, adventure seekers bypassed the Philippines in favor of other places such as Nepal and Borneo, and the raging Philippine rivers remained untouched. But it wasn’t for long. Once whitewater rafting was established, Filipinos have grown to love the sport and the places that offer it have found themselves to be new tourist spots.

Whitewater rafting in the Philippines started in 1997 when three Americans (Ned Sickles, Gary Fondren, and Dr. Bob Anderson) found the Chico River via satellite mapping and thought it could be a whitewater rafting location. They then travelled to the Cordilleras to have their first exploratory run. And from there, the rest is history.

Whitewater Rafting Locations

Several enterprising and adventurous Filipinos have realized the potential for having whitewater rafting and/or adventure packages available in their travel offerings and have thus included them in their vacation packages. The following are the locations that many people and travel adventurers go to when whitewater rafting in the Philippines:

Cagayan de Oro

It is known pretty much to the rest of the country that Cagayan de Oro is the whitewater rafting destination. There really is nothing quite like a rafting trip on the Cagayan de Oro River.  Breathtaking rapids that provide adventurous thrills coupled with strikingly beautiful panoramic views of the river’s rocky walls, untouched vegetation, and the sight of the resting haven of monkeys. The Cagayan de Oro River has everything that makes for a memorable experience with the awesome roar and power of water cascading over rocks and boulders.

Best Times to Go (CDO)

June to December are peak rafting seasons, but rafting season is year round.

Davao

Whitewater rafting in Davao happens in Davao River, which ranks seventh among the largest river basins I the Philippines. This river is the main natural reservoir of the aquifer in the city’s jurisdiction.

The river has a total length of 143 kilometers, stretching through a good number of streams. Suawan River and Tamugan River are its main tributaries, the waters of which flow with that of the waters of the streams to which the river passes through. The minimum age for whitewater rafting in Davao is 6 years old.

Best Times to Go (Davao)

Rafting season here is all year round.

Antique

With its numerous rivers, Antique is an ideal whitewater kayaking and rafting location. Whitewater rafting happens on the Tibiao River, a river that rises on the slopes of Mt. Madja and plunges over 1,000 meters on its short run to the ocean.There is about 23 kilometers of navigable water on the river but access to upper section is difficult.

Quezon Province

Its location (only two hours away from the noise and smog of Metro Manila) make it an attractive location for rafters who want to fill their whitewater cravings. The river goes by the non-descript name Kaliwa, meaning “left” in Tagalog. It is part of the Agus river system, whose other branch is called Kanan, “right.” The recent commencement of regular rafting tours on this river has allowed interested rafters or kayakers to enjoy a true wilderness experience without having to travel very far from Manila.

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