Nevermind our wet clothes coming from our exploration and a quick dip at the Blue Water Cave by the banks of Pulangi River. We excitedly hiked back to Kiokong Eco tourism station and prepared ourselves for another plunge of adventure. This time, it is rappelling Pulangi Bridge. That’s 155 feet high descend into the washing machine like waters of Pulangi. I’ve done some rappelling before but this is a first for me from a bridge.
Pulangi River
The brown rushing waters of Pulangi River (sometimes spelled as Pulangui) cuts trough the verdant mountain slopes and towering cliffs of Valencia, Bukidnon. Pulangi River is actually the longest river in the province, stretching 320km and snaking its way through the major cities and municipalities of Bukidnon. It is also a major tributary of Rio Grande de Mindanao. So finding myself face to face with this river was just amazing, I’m just hoping I won’t get lost on it with this stunt.
Rappelling Pulangi Bridge
The guides at Kiokong Eco Tourism made clear and concise instructions to the group. The belayer came down first then one by one we took out turns. Marky, who was usually reserved came in first. He let out a sudden yelp trying to find his proper footing which surprised us but once he got used to it, it was smooth sailing all the way down to the banks. Ching and Doi seamed at ease smiling head on to our cameras.
When it was my turn, I was just excited to get on with the rappel. As always, the first part is the trickiest, trying to get the right balance, body angle and footing. Once past the metal beams it was hard to control the rotation. I could also feel the heat from the rope friction penetrating my gloves. But it was a great feeling to be in control of my fall, to see the sights around me and finally to step on the ground below due to my effort to control. It was exhilarating to say the least. But the fun doesn’t stop there, we had to climb the rocky slope back to the bridge which I think was harder than the rappelling part. We felt accomplished when we finally reached the bridge. We had so much fun we forgot to eat, it was 2pm, way past lunch already. We waited for a jeep and immediately boarded the first one that passed by. We were headed to the nearby town town but our adventure for the day continues.
Essential Info
How to go to the Pulangi Bridge? The Pulangi Bridge is located in San Jose, Quezon Bukidnon. It is 4-5 hours from Cagayan de Oro and 3-4 hours from Davao. It is best to get in touch with Kiokong Eco-Tourism beforehand to coordinate adventure activities in the area.
Kikong Eco-Tourism
Quezon Municipality, Bukidnon
(088) 355-1445 / (088) 355-1323
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
