Cagayan de Oro River

The Country'S Best Known Whitewater Rafting On A River That Drowned More Than A Thousand People In One Night In 2011 · Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental

THE CAGAYAN DE ORO RIVER IS WHERE WHITEWATER RAFTING IN THE PHILIPPINES IS BEST KNOWN - a run of rapids through a limestone valley above the city, graded roughly two to four depending on the section and the water, with operators running half and full-day trips and a genuine safety culture built up over years. IT IS GOOD, IT IS CHEAP AND IT IS THE REASON MOST VISITORS COME TO NORTHERN MINDANAO. AND THE SAME RIVER DID SOMETHING ELSE. IN DECEMBER 2011 TROPICAL STORM SENDONG - WASHI - DROPPED AN ENORMOUS VOLUME OF RAIN ON THE CATCHMENT OVERNIGHT AND THE RIVER CAME DOWN THROUGH CAGAYAN DE ORO AND ILIGAN IN THE DARK, KILLING WELL OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE. Whole riverside barangays were swept away. THE CITY REBUILT AND MOVED PEOPLE OFF THE FLOODPLAIN, and the rafting operators are among the most weather-cautious you will find anywhere. If an operator cancels on you for high water, they are right and you should thank them.

Cagayan de Oro River, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao, Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental, Philippines

CAGAYAN DE ORO HAS AN AIRPORT with flights from Manila, Cebu and beyond, and is the gateway to NORTHERN MINDANAO - CAMIGUIN, BUKIDNON AND ILIGAN are all within a few hours. RAFTING IS ARRANGED THROUGH ACCREDITED OPERATORS IN THE CITY, with transfers upriver and HALF-DAY OR FULL-DAY RUNS of differing difficulty; helmets, jackets and guides are included and BEGINNERS ARE WELCOME on the shorter sections. WATER LEVEL GOVERNS EVERYTHING - too low and the run is scrappy, too high and OPERATORS SUSPEND TRIPS, which they do readily and should. THE WET SEASON IS ROUGHLY JUNE TO NOVEMBER. Book the day before. Bring nothing you mind losing in a river, and expect to be thoroughly wet.

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