Roughing it out Bohol style

Roughing it out Bohol style

From the dirt roads of Chocolate Hills to the Monkey Bridge of Catigbian, conquer your fears and explore the other side of Bohol

By JACKY LYNNE A. OIGA

July 24, 2011, 8:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Floating down serene rivers? Check. Driving along a stunning coastline? Check. Obligatory photo by the Chocolate Hills? Check. Poking your way around Tarsier sanctuaries to see the cutest known primates in the world? Check. Sauntering by the white sandy beaches of Panglao? Check. Think you’ve seen all you need to see in Bohol? Nope. Not even half of it.

Recently, Bonamine invited members of the media to explore the rougher, more thrilling side of Bohol Island. Unknown to most tourists, Bohol has been pushing for innovative local tourism initiatives by coming up with extraordinary tours to further excite the travel fancies of local and foreign tourists. And this is what the travel advocacy, Basta Pinas campaign, aims to promote.

Through the campaign, Bonamine, in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DoT), encourages Filipinos to go farther, explore every corner of the country and see places they may have visited before from a different angle.

Ever heard of the mystic Lamanoc Island? Ever tried riding an all-terrain vehicle around the foot of Chocolate Hills? How about the (literally) breathtaking eco-adventure activities in the towns of Danao and Cabigtian? If you haven’t, then you should definitely go back to Bohol.

Trekking meets folklore in Lamanoc

In the Eastern part of Bohol, lies the quaint municipality of Anda where the locals live simple lives away from the hustle and bustle of the island’s capital, Tagbilaran City. Not known to many, Anda also has a few beach resorts and is home to the small uninhabited island of Lamanoc.

Located in the town of Badiang, Lamanoc is believed to be a mystic island where old wooden coffins and scattered human remains can be found. Locals, with the help of the local government of Anda have come up with the Lamanoc Island Mystic Experience tour that will take tourists on a two-hour island trek while learning about the island’s secrets including pre-historic red hematite rock paintings and untouched rock shelters and caves.

Locals believe that the deserted island used to be populated by ancient Boholanos who defended the island from Muslim pirates. Our local guide even said that the island has been occupied by primitive people in the Paleolithic Era, which explains the scattered human remains unearthed from the caves.

Riding the dirt road of Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills are usually viewed by tourists either inside a car or atop a viewing deck. But the Chocolate Hills isn’t always chocolate brown. And you can only have so many poses by a thousand grassy limestone hills.  So, to add more thrill to your typical sightseeing itinerary, G1 ATV Motors started the Chocolate Hills All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Guide Tour in Barangay Buenos Aires, Carmen, Bohol for tourists to see Bohol’s prized attraction from a totally different perspective.

After signing waivers and securing protective gear, the guide will let you choose among their Buffalo Type Buggies (P400.00) or Desert Buggies (P750.00) then lead you to a small track lawn for a test drive. After a few laps, the guide will direct you to the highway (which is perfectly safe because other guides are there to watch traffic), and then to chunky dirt roads that eventually lead to a pretty awesome ground-eye view of the Chocolate Hills.

The 30-minute ATV tour took us through the Three Sister Hills, a small barangay, and rutted forest terrain in the heart of the Chocolate Hills Complex. The experience was truly exhilarating. We were covered in mud and our wrists hurt but all of us let out a thwarted grunt when the guide signaled the end of the tour.  

The Chocolate Hills ATV Tour is highly recommended, whether you’re a practiced rider or not. It’s something no one should miss trying when visiting Bohol. You can take our word for it.

Sit, slide, then plunge

Situated amidst mountain ranges, wide gorges, and the gushing Wahig River, Danao Adventure Park offers an array of adventure facilities and activities that include: River Trekking (P200.00), River Tubing (P200.00), Wall Climbing (P100.00), Root Climbing (P400.00), Bouldering (P200.00), Rappelling (P600.00), Caving (P350.00), and cable ride facilities: the Sky Ride (P250.00), Suislide (P250.00), and the Plunge (P700.00).  

It was my second time at Danao Adventure Park in Danao, Bohol but I could still feel the adrenaline-rush that comes with every ‘bombs away’ that the operators shout each time a person glides to the half-kilometer Suislide or drops from the 200-meter Plunge.

Conceptualized in 2006, the park’s major objective is to preserve and enrich the historic and cultural assets of Danao with the belief that this can provide livelihood opportunities for the townspeople. Five years after, it is now a favorite adventure destination among Bohol locals, domestic tourists, and foreign visitors.

The last time I was there, I tried the Sky Ride (cable car), Suislide, and the mind-numbing Plunge or Canopy Ride. And after plummeting 200 meters into a river, no matter how amazing it felt, I swore never to ‘Plunge’ again. So it was overwhelming to see some Plunge riders going back in line and taking the ride twice. This, for me, shows how daring Filipino travelers have become and how the Danao Adventure Park has grown from a far-flung attraction to a world-class destination. Bombs away!

Catigbian triple threat

The last part of our three-day trip was the Abatan River Cruise – an eco-cultural tourism attraction in Bohol that sprang from the collective initiatives of the five communities situated along the river: Cortes, Maribojoc, Antequera, Balilihan, and Catigbian. After two days of trekking, riding ATVs and riding cable rides, we thought a river cruise was a tranquil way to cap off the trip. But Bohol surprised us again.

The town of Catigbian, the upstream part of Abatan River, was the last stop of the river cruise. We were greeted by a Carabao Cart at the entrance and we thought we were having a carabao tour until we arrived at the complex and saw harnesses, ropes, and safety helmets.

Green Recreational Eco-Adventure Tour (G.R.E.A.T) Catigbian is a new adventure park nestled in a 204,500 square meter parcel of mountainous land. A smiling Catigbian Mayor Roberto Salinas welcomed us. He himself assured us that the activities are safe, and their equipment fool-proof. At this point, we still had no idea what we were about to do.

Apparently, G.R.E.A.T Catigbian offers an adventure trail, something Bohol has never had before: The Canopy Walk (P200.00), a 60-meter wooden foot bridge suspended 30-feeet above the Sampilagon River; the Monkey Bridge (P300.00), a first of its kind in Bohol, is a 45 meter cable bridge that passes through Dagook Falls; and the Mountain Slide (P250.00), a 200 meter Zipline that will bring visitors back to the complex area.

The Monkey Bridge is probably one of the most terrifying things I’ve done in my life, next to the Plunge of Danao. According to Mayor Salinas, they commissioned the site designers of Danao Adventure Park to create all three rides – which proves that Bohol adventure parks are not for the weak of heart and Bohol is now the Adventure Mecca of the Visayas Region.

So whether you’re an adventure junkie, culturati, or a history buff, Basta Pinas invites every Filipino to search and discover not only Bohol’s undiscovered gems, but each of the Philippines’ 7,107 beautiful islands.

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To learn more about the Basta Pinas campaign, visit facebook.com/BastaPinas