A wild ride down the Chico River

By Jac Vidgen

For a unique adventure in the Philippines, white water rafting on the Chico River certainly doesn't disappoint.

We drove via Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela to the pleasant, sleepy little city of Tabuk in Kalinga and made this as our base for the rafting expedition.

Trying to catch the sunset, we drove (in 4WD vehicles) up to the telephone tower just out of town. The view over rich green ricefields to the Chico River Valley and the mountains beyond was quite extraordinary, with the sun setting over the mountains providing a special show.

A delicious dinner followed, provided by the rafting company at a house near Tabuk where we were tantalized by a video on rafting on the Chico River.

The following day was THE day. Up by 4.30 a.m., we rode the rafting company's jeep along the dramatically scenic mountain roads, giving us an exciting view of the river along the way. Three hours later, we reached the village of Tinglayan where we had our breakfast. Riding on the roof of the jeep was a great thrill for me! At one point, we even had the bonus of watching earthmoving equipment clearing a landslide so we could get through.

Then to the river.... some instructions and then we donned our life-jackets and crash helmets, before we proceeded to experience the wild water wonder.

Rather than being scary, the whole experience of rafting was just marvelous — beautiful, often very peaceful and relaxing, a little hard work at other times, and of course many exciting moments. No one came out of our raft — although a few did have a brief dip from the other raft. The guides are all experts and one feels quite secure and in good hands.

We stopped at a small but wild waterfalls for snacks and a refreshing break. The rock strata and scenery along the river is very dramatic. Waterproof cameras are definitely recommended.

After nearly three hours rafting down the river, we were ready for a rest — and at the put-out point, the rafting company provided yet another scrumptious buffet before the one-hour jeep ride back to Tabuk.

Contact the charming Naty Sugguiyao by email (chicoriver@yahoo.com) for bookings — she will make all necessary arrangements.

The author is an Australian national who has fallen in love with the lesstraveled destinations of the Philippines and keeps coming back for more. Professionally, he is a senior practitioner of the Buteyko Breathing Method which he regularly conducts in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand and other key Asian countries.

Photos courtesy of Chico River Quest