As a family we’ve been to
several destinations in the Philippines. We started our annual adventure when
the children were just ten years old. I
think that is the best age to start traveling with them. They are old enough to appreciate and
remember the sights. No challenges of
diaper changing or bottle feeding. At age 10, the children can keep up with an
adult itinerary.
Six years after, and we are
still at it. We now call ourselves the “Backpack Squad” because we now teach the
teens to fix their own backpacks, and learn to travel light for easy mobility
in our adventures!
It is always on top of our list to find suitable family-friendly accommodations in the Philippines for our annual trips. We look online for great deals using flight and booking sites such as Traveloka because, more often than not, they have discounts. Since we’re traveling as a family, we have to make each peso count. Now that we travel with teens, we always look for hotels that have a strong wifi connection. It should also have a decent restaurant or cafe where we can have a complete and healthy breakfast before we proceed to our daily adventures. Lastly, location of the hotel is also very important. We want to be in proximity to public transportations so that it will be easy for us to explore the place. We completed this list in our memorable stay in Puerto Princesa, Cagayan de Oro, Baguio and Bohol.
The thought of spending our
vacations just lazing down by the poolside make my family cringe. We have nothing against a little relaxation,
but the “Backpack Squad” is a little
more adventurous, motivated, eager for adrenaline-pumping activities. So here are five activities that we recommend
for families who have tweens and teens to experience in their next vacation in
the Philippines.
1. Ugong Rock
Zipline in Puerto Princesa. Ugong Rock
is a 75 feet karst limestone formation that stands like the guardian of the
vast rice fields in the vicinity. The
zipline is 1.3 kilometers long and a palpitating and very fast 20 seconds
ride. What made this zipline interesting
was the fact that it is not a straight line. You will literally fall down on
the side of the cliff, before it propels you to full speed to the other
end. And I tell you, the initial motion
of “falling down” can make you scream for your dear life!
2. Brave the waves
of Palaui Island to get to Cape Engano Lighthouse. Can you imagine yourselves
riding a medium sized boat, that will set you to open sea, with waves that can
go high as two meters? We did that, and the travel took 45 minutes. It was scary, at some point I felt
dizzy. But the teens... they were all
smiles as if enjoying a roller-coaster ride in a theme park! When you survive the waves, you will be
rewarded with the magnificent Cape Engano experience!
For video of how rough the waves are click here
3. Snorkel in the
shipwrecks. The experience was a bit
eerie. The underwater sight of sunken
shipwrecks, can be frightening.
Especially when you know that they were remnants of warships, and a lot
of crew and seamen died in that battle.
But after getting used to exploring the wrecks, we marveled at the
colorful fishes and the beautiful corals
that abound the wrecks. Coron, Palawan
has definitely preserved the marine life that grew in and around the wrecks for
snorkelers and divers to enjoy!
The complete Coron story can be read here
4. White Water
Rafting in Cagayan de Oro. It is a very heart-pumping
recreational outdoor activity to experience, using an inflatable raft to
navigate the spectacular Cagayan de Oro River.
It is famed for challenging rapids that quickly follow one after the
other. It is said that the wild river
helps you discover your inner strength and endurance. We availed of the
beginner’s course which and braved the 14 rapids that lasted for
3 hours. We discovered the thrill of
nature at its wildest!
5. Cliff jumping
and Waterfall rappelling at Mapawa River.
This is just not one, but two high-energy activities that are not for
those with acrophobia. To reach Mapawa, we had to ride the motorcycle which the
locals call “habal-habal”. After a
30-minute trek, we reached the cliff site for the 25-feet jump. When we looked
down to where we will fall, we just realized how nervous we were! The facilitators assured us that the water is
at least 15 feet deep and there was absolutely no chance that we will hit the
bottom of the water. Hitting the cold
water after conquering your fear of heights was very rewarding.
Next is the
65 feet rappel beside the waterfall. We didn’t know if what is more
challenging... the extreme height that we can’t even see the people below, or
the cascading water that might make the rappelling harder to do. But because nothing can stop the “backpack
squad” we proceeded to our descent. And
it was awesome!
So if you are looking for
an extreme adventure for your family, hope you get to try the activities
mentioned. Just be brave, motivated and
don’t forget to bring your action cameras, to capture these once in a lifetime adventures! And yes... I always do prior research in https://www.lonelyplanet.com/philippines if I want to check the destinations that I want to visit!
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