Ready to Take a Leap? ...Five Awesome Cliff Jumping Adventures

A cliff jumping adventure is not for everybody. It is almost always scary when you're about to jump. Plus, since you will be hitting the water, it will be a bit crazy to do it when you don't know how to swim. 

For novice cliff jumpers, the Philippine cliff jumping sites are ideal because it varies in height. The ones that did not make my cut are in the rivers in Laguna and Cagayan de Oro during the whitewater tour because they are quite low but they are perfect for first timers.

One thing is for sure, these cliffs always look lower from below than it actually is. But once you're at the edge, there's nothing left to do but to take a deep breath and take the leap. Don't even give it any thought!

Ariel's Point, Boracay 
Try it if you dare. The fun starts at the boat going to Ariel's Point where party music plays and unlimited alcoholic drinks are served. They say it helps build up your courage. The more you drink, the more you dive. Because I do not have a death wish, I opted to pass on the alcohol. 

There are several jump points with varying heights - 2 meters, 3 meters, 5 meters, 8 meters, 15 meters. Go ahead and take your pick. 


Malapascua, Cebu
The cliff can be reached through an outrigger boat during your island hopping tour. Frankly, this was my favorite part of the island hopping tour. The drop is approximately 50 feet. The view from the top is definitely much more scary than the view from below.

Enchanted River, Surigao
This river is as mysterious as it is beautiful. There have been many stories about this river and this is still being studied continuously. The jump is one of the lowest I've ever tried but it is one of my favorites because I was jumping into one of the clearest, deepest aquamarine waters I've ever seen.

Bucas Grande Island, Sohoton Cove National Park, Siargao 
The Sohoton Cove National park deserves a whole article because of the many things to see and experience inside. It is like an entirely different world with an elaborate maze of islands inside.

Magkukuob cave is partly submerged in water. When we came, the water was almost up to my shoulders and the cave entrance was about to close. There are some stalactite and stalagmite formations and one has to climb through the rocks leading to the cliff where the only way out is to jump! 

Salagdoong beach, Siquijor
Siquijor remains to be one of the hidden tourism gems because very few have come to visit the small, quiet town. We were just there to relax at Salagdoong beach when we saw several kids jumping over, and over and over. We got curious and tried it out. Jumping into clear turquoise water is always an amazing experience!

My Favorite Zip Line Adventures

In a span of a few years, Zip Line has gained a lot of popularity in the Philippines. So much so that it is now being offered in almost all known tourist destinations, even in the Metro. It is set up with a pulley suspended on a cable and mounted on an incline. The user travels from top to bottom. The steeper the incline, the faster the user travels because of gravity.

A zip line experience has started to grow old for me because it is now being offered everywhere and I have tried almost all of them in every destination I've visited. I narrowed my favorites down to five. The weather, speed, safety and the unique experience are among the factors that I considered.

Danao Adventure Park, Bohol
The adventure park is 2 hours away from Tagbilaran airport. This is also where I tried the infamous canyon jumping called The Plunge!

The park calls it the Suislide. The cable is 480 meters long with a 200-meter drop. What I like about this adventure is the unique setup. The zip line is set up in a canyon ( a deep ravine between two cliffs). Throughout the ride, I could see the thick vegetation and the river below.

The canyon - used for the Plunge

View from the top - a beautiful view of the river

Dahilayan Adventure Park, Bukidnon
The park claims that this is the longest dual zip line in Asia. I do not have reference to say whether this is true or not. It is 480 meters long with a drop of 100 meters. One can either ride it alone or in tandem.

What I like about this adventure is the very cool weather and the thrill of feeling like I would crash into the pine trees and the other tall trees. 


Agas-Agas Bridge, Sogod Southern Leyte
This ride is easily accessible since it is located at the side of the Agas-agas bridge. 

What I like about this adventure is the view of the bridge, which is something I have seen only once in the Philippines. As you are released at a very fast speed, you'd first pass by the Agas-Agas bridge and see some vehicles passing by below you. I could also see a narrow, almost dried up river, tucked between thick vegetation. The fact that the drop is lower that other zip lines is an unusual plus for me because you can fly close to the passing vehicles along the bridge. The ride is almost a minute long and the landing is smooth.

 El Nido, Palawan
This is a fairly new attraction in El Nido, as if all the amazing outdoor adventure was not enough. Going to and from the jump off point of the ride requires a bit of hiking. From the parking area, one can ride a motorcycle or hike for about 20 minutes. After the ride, going back to the parking area, one has to carefully go down some ladders and walk on the beach. 

What I like about this adventure is crossing through the sea, looking over the passing boats and swimming tourists below. I happened to go there when there was a typhoon so the wind was extra strong. It made it even more worth trying. The launch was fast but it slowed down towards the middle which was okay with me because I was able to enjoy the sea view longer. Because I did not want to walk back on the sandbar, I opted to ride the zipline going back. Both landings were smooth and there were many attendants making sure that the ride is very safe.
 
Camp Sabros, Davao
The road to Camp Sabros is very rough and one could only get there via 4x4 vehicle or habal habal or a horse. The place is surrounded with pine trees violently swaying because of the strong wind. The breeze was cold (similar to the temperature in Baguio on a cold day).

What I like about this adventure is that they offer several stages of zip line that vary in distance and form. Unlike some of the ones that I have tried before, the distance of each stage is enough to get your blood pumping and leave you wanting more. The line is positioned in a way that your speed gets faster and faster as you reach the end of the line. It will give you quite a good rush as you enjoy the view!