I've been on a river rafting ride three times already, each one not washing away any of the excitement—every ride brings forth a fresh feeling of thrill and a renewed sense of adventure. Although this was a slightly somber version compared to my first river rafting experience in CDO, where Lot, Tina, and I opted for the highly turbulent 'wild' ride—where we tumbled out and experienced the 'washing machine' effect at least half a dozen times—I still massively enjoyed this run I had with my fellow #TravelMindanao buddies.
Our party of eight was divided into two rafts, so I ended up with Lisa Marie, Alex, and Doi, while Ferdz, Shugah, Glen, and Nathalie boarded the other raft, where they were happily joined by our new travel buddies, Audrey and Teckie.
Paddle Up and High Five Redux at CDO
Navigating the Rapids
Our tour was organized by Kagay Whitewater Rafting, who employs highly jolly tour guides who expertly mix stern 'Captain of the Raft' commands with local banters they have recited each time they guide rafters along the river. Yet, they still never fail to elicit genuine laughter from the crew. "Paddle up! Forward!" or "Paddle back!" were the strict commands issued each time our raft aggressively approached a rapid, immediately followed by a celebratory salute of "High Five!" every time we successfully went over it without being thrown off the raft.
Cagayan de Oro was the next-to-the-last stop of the #TravelMindanao campaign—an initiative organized by my fellow travel bloggers aiming to highly promote tourism destinations across the island through social media and our respective travel blogs. I originally joined the group in Bukidnon, where I was able to bravely channel the UniSol Dolph Lundgren at Pulangui Bridge and did some deep contemplation at the scenic Lake Apo, among other thrilling activities we did and places we visited.
The waters on the river that specific day were generally calm, but with the expected rapids still generating enough whirlwind movement to easily spin any inflatable raft. Ours did so in aggressive clockwise and counterclockwise motions, much to our absolute delight. We definitely would have flipped over completely if not for the highly accurate paddle instructions of our guide.
On the upside, flipping over is an incredibly electrifying experience. Somehow, our guide slyly sensed our secret wish and flawlessly maneuvered our raft to violently flip backwards at one of the larger rapids. It was undeniably the highlight of the ride!
The Scenic and Safe Journey
Edged closely by scenic, towering greens and sharp rocky formations, it is almost impossible to solely concentrate on the dangerous rapids ahead, as you will consistently find yourself pausing just to appreciate the stunning natural view around you. The lively chirping of the tropical birds and the echoing sound of the smooth-flowing waters were literally the only sounds that existed.
Well, amidst the loud 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' of the rafting party, it was quite a comfortable ride overall. The ZemGear footwear we were all wearing absorbed the splashing waters on our feet incredibly well, giving us a highly firm grip when sticking our feet securely inside the wet raft—which I honestly think made it possible for us not to get easily thrown blindly into the waters.
Passing by the smaller rapids proudly presents an opportunity to goof around with each other as we sort of mimic bobbleheads, mindlessly bouncing up and down on our durable raft.
The entire ride lasted for roughly four hours and will leave you absolutely starving, complete with some lingering arm muscle pain—but entirely compensated with a whole lot of good experience. It is generally highly safe to go river rafting; however, please exercise deep caution when the days leading up to your scheduled river rafting run have been heavily filled with torrential rains.
The waters in the CDO River unfortunately have a dark history of rising incredibly quickly. It is sad to note that a person tragically died a few months ago in an accident while river rafting in CDO, so you really need to strictly obey the safety commands of your assigned guide and practice the buddy-buddy safety system.
Cagayan de Oro Partners
Special thanks to Kagay Whitewater Tours. Please check their official Facebook page for updated bookings and current tour inquiries.
Massive appreciation to ZemGear Philippines for providing our highly reliable water-sport footwear, and to Tune Hotels CDO for graciously hosting the entire #TravelMindanao team for two comfortable nights.
Cebu Pacific flies to Cagayan de Oro City daily. Check out their official website for seat sales and local flight information.
