[Throwback] Adventure Weekend in Tuguegarao

A while back, my friend Mike left the country to study abroad but before he left, he wanted to go out of town a couple of times. I joined him in a couple of these weekend trips, the first of which was an adventure-filled weekend in Tuguegarao that included white-water rafting, kayaking, and caving.

White-water rafting at the Chico River (photo taken by my friend Mike)

We joined a tour organized by Anton Carag, the co-owner of Adventures and Expeditions Philippines, Inc. We departed Manila on Friday night, taking an overnight bus that arrived in Tuguegarao very early the next day. We were picked up at the bus station and taken to Casa Carag, which would be our home for the next two days. After getting settled and having breakfast, we boarded jeepneys that took us to the Chico River for our first activity: whitewater rafting. (About a decade later, I visited the Chico River again; you can read more about that trip here.)

A still moment on the Chico River (photo taken by my friend Mike)

The experience was exhilarating! It was my first time to experience whitewater rafting and getting to feel the power of mother nature was really incredible. The buzz you get from putting all energy into paddling while working with others and following the instructions of the guide is hard to explain. I remember getting off the raft and promising myself I would do it again in the future.

Chico River rapids (photo taken by my friend Mike)

Shortly before sunset, we were taken to the Pinacanauan River to witness thousands upon thousands of bats heading out of their cave shelter. I wonder what it is in their instincts or wiring that make they head out at the same time and fly together in the way they do. In any case, it was a magnificent spectacle that was a great way to end our first day.

Bats flying out of their cave (photo taken by my friend Mike)

More adventure was lined up for us the next day. We started by exploring a couple of caves. Callao cave is quite easy to walk around in and it is quite popular for its amazing skylight that makes for amazing photo ops.

Natural skylight in Callao cave (photo taken by my friend Ray)

We then made our way through Roc cave, which was a lot more challenging due to the fact that we really had to go through narrow passageways. It was quite the experience!

Squeezing through Roc Cave (photo taken by my friend Tim)

After lunch, we did our last activity that weekend: kayaking on the Pinacanauan river. I love kayaking but that was my first time to do it on river rapids. Pinacanauan is actually milder than Chico but because you are alone in your kayak and it so much lower and closer to the water than the raft, it actually feels scarier and less stable. Which also means you get an amazing adrenaline rush! It was definitely more challenging getting through the rapids on a kayak, as proven by the fact that a few folks fell into water. Of course, this is a known risk, and some would even say it's a fun part of the experience, so our guides were properly positioned along the river to help anyone who fell off. It was a source of pride that I managed to stay on my kayak, although I think it would have been cool to have fallen into the water myself haha.

Kayaking on the Pinacanauan River (photo taken by my friend Paul)

We took the overnight bus later that evening. We got a flat tire at some point - I remember waking up in the middle of the night wondering why we weren't moving - and I think we lost a couple of hours. I was still quite young back then so I still had the energy to go to work on Monday morning but I ended up being late because of the flat tire delay. Still, it was such a fantastic weekend. Aside from the awesome outdoor activities, the food was fantastic, and Anton Carag was an incredible host and guide. That I got to do this with my friends made it truly special and absolutely memorable.