One of the more popular things to do in Cagayan de Oro City is to raft your way through the twenty-three rapids of the Cagayan de Oro River. Choosing the "Mild" option brings you a smooth ride against the ebb and flow of the white waters, while settling for the more exciting "Wild" option gives you the thrill of enduring the capsizing of your raft while plunging through the rapids.
River Rafting at Cagayan de Oro
Going the "Wild" Route
I guess after swallowing a fair amount of river water, tumbling out of our raft, seeing the whirlpool at the bottom of the water while struggling for breath, and being dragged back onto our raft by our highly reliable guides—you could confidently say we opted for the more volatile yet adventurous river rafting experience: the "Wild" one.
The rafting guides actually have a specific technique for intentionally causing the raft to flip over when passing through the more turbulent rapids. For the mild option, and without their interference, it is fairly easy to control the raft from flipping, provided that proper team balance and continuous paddling are practiced.
However, in our case, we went completely down with our raft a few times. I've lost count, but I distinctly remember four different instances of being fully immersed in the river water, feeling entirely like I was trapped inside a washing machine.
The first time happened as we hit a rapid that launched our raft three to four feet into the air. The very moment it kissed the water again—violently jerking sideways—our guides deliberately countered the flow, causing the raft to instantly flip over and throw Tina, Lot, Rocky, and me straight into the river.
For a moment, I just saw bubbles, a whirlpool, and a set of feet violently kicking away. The next thing I knew, one of our guides had plucked me from the bottom. With the help of the safety life vest I was wearing, I was soon floating safely above the water and being pulled securely back onto our raft.
An Adrenaline-Pumping Recovery
It was a truly adrenaline-pumping moment. Once we settled back on our raft, we immediately went back to paddling and looked forward to the next rapid—half-worried about another capsizing experience, yet half-gleeful with anticipation.
When we finally reached the middle section of the river route, we rested a bit for a snack consisting of Zesto juice and Pastel, a highly popular sweet delicacy in Cagayan de Oro that actually originated from the nearby island of Camiguin.
After that break, we went straight back to rafting—going overboard, being dragged under the raft, drinking an inevitable amount of river water—all the elements that ultimately made up a wonderfully thrilling experience.
This was my second time experiencing river rafting, the first being on the Davao River. That time, the experience was only "semi-wild," as I encountered far fewer turns and drank significantly less river water. This time, it was far more thrilling. For about four to five full hours, it was an all-you-can-gobble-up buffet of sheer excitement and joy.
The run started at around 9:00 in the morning and concluded just before 2:00 in the afternoon. Afterward, we headed back to the rafting operator's headquarters (Great White Water Tours—located near Xavier Estates—where packages range from 700 to 1,200 pesos per person) and feasted heavily on pork and chicken barbecue paired with fresh kilawin.
So, when you find yourself wandering as a nomad in the beautiful city of Cagayan de Oro, happily mingling with the residents of this "City of Golden Friendship," make absolutely sure to give their legendary river rafting a try.
