"Rough, Wild & Wet Cagayan de Oro" Top 5 Page for this destination Cagayan de Oro City by lissatagum

Cagayan De Oro is said to be the gateway to Northern Mindanao. And me and my friends are very fortunate that we were able to visit this place. For adventure enthusiasts, this place is definitely for you!

Before going to Cagayan de Oro, we really beefed up our stamina because we were expecting some extreme adventure as my friend Leah told me. So i went to the gym for a 3 month preparation and it paid off! Amazingly, i was able to endure the challenges except for 1.

Whitewater River Rafting

We signed up for a White Water Rafting course (level 2-3 for beginners). And to my shocking revelation, i ended up in front. (Note: i don't know how to swim!). At first i was so scared i knew i'm going to get off the raft but then i somehow survived :) It was a 3-hour paddling along the wild rapid of Cagayan river. Along the way (trying my hard to paddle because i was in front) , we conquered 14 rapids, swam our way to a cave, saw a wall of snake bed (good thing it wasn't summer but i did saw some snakes, i kinda freaked out) , swim along the current, eat our lunch, and at the end one has to jump off a rock about 25ft high (of course i didn't do this hehe) .

The level of difficulty ranges from 2-4 and you can choose the European or Pinoy (also known as Tubing ) style of rafting. My other 2 friends tried Pinoy rafting made of old tires tied up. Expect that you will fall off the raft in the rapid. But then, those who tried the Pinoy rafting has to jump off a bridge (about 40ft high). Note that is a free fall. You only get to wear a lifevest. My 2 friends were amazing, they did it! Lynn said she was screaming then when she opened her eyes, she is still falling so she screamed again. It was such a long jump!

See my tips section to get more details.

My First Challenge: 25-ft Water Slide

We went to Mapawa Adventure Park where years before, the staff of GMA7 visited for their Extra Challenge show. And yes, we did the courses and somehow survived!

Going to the river trail challenge, we rode what i call a monster truck. Then we trek for at least 1 hr through a corn field it felt like we were in some part of the The Signs movie. Then here comes the real challenges:

First Challenge: 25-ft Water Slide. One has to sit on top of the fall, hands behind their neck then someone pushes you down. i screamed! . In all honesty, this is the first time that i have freely plunged down to a body of water which is more than 6 ft below. When i went down, i thought i was going to drown because all i can see above is a ray of light. I kinda crawled and when i was able to reach the top, i kinda inhaled some water (ouch!). This took about only a few seconds but to me it felt like more than five minutes of agony. At the bottom, 2 guys will guide you to a rope leading to a riverbank. One might ask, is there a way to escape this? The guide said you had to do a trek atop the riverbank which is more scary because snakes are abound. Yeah right... But the thing is, even if you don't know how to swim, you can still do this. I did!

Second Challenge: 20-ft Jump. Okay, in all honesty, i failed on this one. After the first challenge and trekking along the river where at times i had to use my butt to slide down else i'll drown, i failed this. I was so scared so as a consequence i had to climb my way through rock boulders, holding only to tree roots and branches to reach our next destination. sigh

Third Challenge: 65-ft Rappelling & Rock Climbing. My picture on this one is on my homepage as of this writing (3/11/07) and will continue to stay there unless i met with another challenge. Okay, so i'm really proud to say that for this one, it's by far the most challenging feat i've ever done! It's my first time to rappel and rock climbing. And to do it for a 65-ft challenge??? Well, i'm really proud of myself :) 2 of my friends didn't do this. I was about to back out but then, i saw that others did it so i tried. If they can handle guys bigger than me then i told myself it's probably safe. Actually, going down, i had to put my faith on the guys guiding my rope. And i had this sensation of pure thrill hanging about 60ft above the ground. However, going up is entirely a different thing and i had to use my brawns and brain to get up. And note to self, it pays off to hit the gym at least 3 times a week to build my stamina. So all i can say to myself is "Good job girl!" and of course, "Thank God!" .

Word of advice: don't wear shorts while taking this adventure. i had small nicks from pesky pets (not sure if they are mosquitos). apply Off lotion every once in a while.

My friends' perfect jump @ Camiguin

Here are other places of interest in and out of Cagayan De Oro:

Macahambus Adventure Park - take the Canopy Walk, not for people scared of heights. But if you want to conquer it, take this walk!

Camiguin - just a few hours away from CDO. Take a boat going to this place famous for natural hot and cold springs! You can also try scuba diving, snorkeling or just stroll along the fine sands of camiguin shoreline.

Bukidnon - take a visit to Del Monte Plantation. But i think one has to know a person working in Del Monte to get a visit. Or just take the scenic route for a wondeful sunset from Bukidnon to Cagayan de Oro.

VJANDEP Pastel of Camiguin (food) - be sure to take out this mouth-watering sweet bread. If you're a risk taker, be sure to pre-order a Durian flavored pastel :)

Crocodile and Ostrich Farm - you can also get an ostrich egg omellette. Costs about Php500 per egg but fit to feed about 3-5 pax. However, our group has no appettite to eat such delicacy.

Sunburst Chicken - my personal favorite! be sure to look for this restaurant.