White-Water Action In The Philippines

The country's newest adventure activity is tapping an unexpected resource.

It is only in the last few years that paddlers have begun exploring Philippine rivers. This is not because the country lacks exciting white-water runs, nor because many people believed that a country with few rivers long enough to appear on a map must have low white-water potential.

In reality, the geography creates excellent runs. Many mountains lie close to the ocean, so watercourses plunge straight to the sea. The resulting rivers are small, and ideal for kayaks. In the interior of Mindanao and Luzon, some rivers build up enough volume, especially in the wet season, to offer rafting.

Although deforestation has heavily damaged some rivers, many remain pristine  water quality is generally high, and the water is pleasantly warm. Exploration is just getting started, partly because there are few paddlers and very little equipment in the country. Many rivers wind through remote areas, and repeat trips are often required to locate good put-ins and assess conditions.

The only tour operator is Tribal Adventure Tours, in manila and Boracay. Tribal Runs the Kayak Inn on P

anay's Tibiao River, as well as others in Panay.