Dahilayan Adventure Park - Unfinished Business

It's time to return to Dahilayan Adventure Park for some unfinished business.

We had a great time on our first visit. The ride going there, the 320-meter and 150-meter zips were great but sadly we were not able to try the 840-meter line due to the long queue.

So this time we went there earlier and brought along more excited faces, snacks, lunch, hot and cold drinks. We're ready and nothing will stop us now from conquering that almost-a-kilometer cable.

Majority of the vehicles brought there are these big ones but that did not stop us from bringing a sedan. It was able to keep up with the two Rev-O in our group even on rough roads.

We went straight to the flight center to confirm our reservation and lined up for the 320-meter and 150-meter zip lines.

Now it's me and my wife's turn. Woohoo!

It's our second time in these lines so we had more time to enjoy the ride than trying to hold to dear life the first few seconds when we were here the first time. My wife even found time to wave at her fans :)

Jumping with joy - We made it! And plenty of time left for the finale ride!

But first, we went to the woods... spooky...

... for some demure shots...

a Twilight movie shot...

and Jollibee lunch.

After we recharged ourselves, we're looking at this long and high contraption of thrill and excitement.

This is a zoomed in view of the starting point.

It's time to go up there. And go up there in rugged safari style!

Woohoo! Smile muna!

The ride up was fast and bumpy like you're on a roller coaster with cold mountain air in your face.

Here we are at last.

The flight deck going down.

Zoomed in view of the landing area down below.

Finally, it's almost our turn. Can't wait. Nothing will stop us now!

Then the clouds came in, and with it came the rain. It became so foggy that you can't see anymore the adjacent mountain range.

But still, this did not stop us. "Naligo na naman kami." It's just water. Who's afraid of zipping in high altitude, in low visibility rainy weather, cold rain on your back and cold air to give you chills to the bones. Not us!

The flight deck crew strapped us in, two at a time.

While we try to see the best we can where the landing pad is.

Meanwhile, the landing crew had no idea if someone's landing or not. So they wait there in the foggy rain looking at nothing.

But thanks for their patience to wait for all of us to land.

It really was a great experience.

Come join us as one of the many who experienced the longest dual zip line in Asia.

From Cagayan de Oro, take the Davao-Bukidnon Highway, right on the Alae Junction, proceed 25 kms to Baranggay Dahilayan past Camp Phillips and the pineapple fields via Mampayag. Book online here.

Here are some tips:

1. Don't gate crash. Book online or call them days ahead. Walk-in adventurers rarely get a chance to ride. The line for groups with reservations are long enough for the day.
   
2. Bring a jacket if you go there on cold months.
3. Bring drinks, snacks and packed lunch. Plenty of benches in the woods. Hot water, choco and coffee is good to have.
4. Horseback riding and ATV rides are available.

Asia's Longest Dual Zipline is in Bukidnon

At 840 meters in length, only 160 meters away from the 1 kilometer mark, Dahilayan Adventure Park in Bukidnon has the longest dual zipline in Asia. It opened last October 2009 and is already a must go place when you're in Mindanao.

Thanks to Nick, we were there last Christmas holiday. None of us have ever been to Dahilayan Adventure park but locals helped us along the way. From Cagayan de Oro we headed to Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon. From there it was around 45 minutes of dirt road driving towards Mount Kitanglad.

We passed by Del Monte pineapple fields and numerous other crops that I only plant in Facebook's FarmVille.

Driving on a very long dirt road with all its ups and downs that makes the vehicle shudder and pitch in every direction plus the wide expanse of agricultural fields left, right, front and back was by itself an adventure already.

It was past noon when we got there. The weather was fine and the climate was cool. The park is actually twice higher than Tagaytay City and is nearly as high as Baguio City.

There are plenty of pine trees and just look at these dwellings!

Piture taking muna. Smile!

Pati horse may picture taking.

All-terrain vehicles for rent.

Time to talk about ziplines.

Let's observe the 840-meter long zipline. How do you stop? The zipline has an advance arrester system not just an old automobile tyre or person as the stopper.

As you approach the end of the flight, acceleration caused by the pull of gravity is negated by the sag of the zip line cable where you zip along to the terminal point at already a slightly uphill incline. A heavy arresting block is waiting for you to give added deceleration (see the block at the left side of the pic below).

Up close and personal with the arresting block.

A ground crew stretching his arms wide asking you to follow what he does as he clips his arms close to his body.

You'll feel a gentle thud as the arresting block hits your trolley.

Then a series of quick interactions happen in order to stop your flight gently with the use of springs, bungee cords and pulleys.

If these fail, there's a big net farther behind waiting for you.
It was our turn to try the zip lines.

We started with the shorter spans to get the hang of it - literally.
This is the starting point of the 320 meter long dual zip line. See how small the landing point look like.

This is the view from the landing point.

The slide down was high but smooth and it gave us the confidence to do the rest of the course. It was a great start. The cold mountain air gave me shivers as I got of the harness. The next ride is a single zip line 150 meters in length.

This is Nick and Chic zipping down.

My wife as she nears the landing pad with the arresting block and landing crew waiting.

And me finally having my Kodak moment in the zip line thanks to the great shot of Chaz and Corrine.

There's also an elevated obstacle course an the lowest part of the park after you zip down the 150m line.

The helmets, harnesses and trolleys are brought back to the 320-meter flight deck by crews riding all terrain vehicles.

It was already late in the afternoon and the fligh deck for the 840 meter zipline was still packed. We decided to go home then return there in a few days. And sure enough as promised, we did. Watch for the next post about it soon.

Here's a short compiled video I took when in Dahilayan Adventure Park.

If you're going to Mindanao, this is a good place to visit.