Bohol town launches extreme adventure tourism package

DANAO, BOHOL, Philippines – A unique but modern extreme adventure tourism attraction was recently launched by the local government of this town in ceremonies headed by Mayor Tom Gonzaga.

Launched was the first paramotoring or powered paragliding event and the three-wheeled buggy para-trike for skyriding enthusiasts, said Gonzaga.

A paramotor consists of a steel frame mounted with a motor engine for propulsive portion, propeller, harness and mounted seat connected to two attachments points of paraglider that looks or form like a parachute when blown by the wind. 

The launching coincided with the town’s 50th founding anniversary, attended by Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is the mayor’s APO fraternity brother.

Binay saw for himself how “The Plunge” or canyon swing was put into play, sampled by a man thrown gorge of more than 100 meters deep off Wahig-Inabanga river below and swung him between two cliffs more than 200 meters apart.

The Plunge, which was said to be the first of its kind in the country, is built on a platform above the river on the edge of a gorge. A tourist is fitted with a chest harness that is linked to the jump ropes and connected to the metal cable between the two cliffs. After a few seconds of the plunge, the rider is pulled up to the platform by a motorized cable.

These new adventure attractions offered by this Bohol town could lure more tourists out to experience the one-of-a-kind tourism package, which is now a source of livelihood for some municipal employees, said Gonzaga.

According to licensed paragliding pilot Neil Pinongcos of Cotabato, paramotoring in Danao is the first in the Visayas and Mindanao and second only to Pampanga in Luzon.

Tourism and information officer Loinda Saluan said the town started to acquire some 400 meters long for paragliding airstrip and, to make it more attractive, the LGU is also planning to earmark funds for the establishment of paramotoring school here.

Pinongcos said the airstrip may be extended to a few hundred meters more to facilitate ultra-lite or small planes soon to allow these to land directly without the need of going through the Tagbilaran City airport.

In addition, the Danao Adventure Park at Brgys. Carbon and Magtangtang is set also to be the home of soon-to-be unveiled 1.5-meter zipline of “suislide” in addition to the existing more than 200-meter line, coupled with a ”sky-ride” or “cable car good for four persons.

It would also cater to tourists who would love spelunking into underground streams, rappelling, root climbing, kayaking or tubing, wall climbing and village touring or hiking to a cave that was the hiding place of the famous Boholano hero Francisco Dagohoy. –THE FREEMAN