TECHNICALLY, it ain’t a sport. But it sure is such great sport!
Spent last weekend up in the City of Pines to check out Treetop Adventure Baguio and to indulge in the 12 degrees weather. What a skin trip.
It was a joy to find something new in Baguio that makes use of the city’s cool mountain air and picture-perfect scenery. Northern Philippines’ and this mountain city’s first high-wire adventure tour is at Camp John Hay, surrounded by the magnificent view of mountains and growth forests. The same people that introduced the Subic Treetop Adventures and the Zoom Zipline at Circulo Verde, in Bagumbayan, Quezon City, are behind this thrill of a destination for leisure and adventure seekers. Two lovely sisters—Katrina and Kookie Montejo—share the responsibility of running this happy place.
If you’re lily-livered (like I am) when it comes to heights, you’re sure to get the feeling you should prepare to meet your Maker when you go up on any of the rides. You’ll be so high up among the pine trees, you can almost pick their cones as you swish by in one of the high-altitude rides. But worry not. The rides are all safe, 100-percent guaranteed. Even if you’re 300 pounds heavy, the ropes and cables won’t break. Or stall. The guides there told me their capacity to carry you through your sky trip is all of one ton. Unless you’re Dumbo’s Mama or Babar’s Papa, the ride will think you’re as light as a feather.
You can choose your adventure. Or, try them all. I think the Canopy Ride is cool—laid back but exhilarating. You sit on a swing seat—four seats are available for the ride—and dangle your feet atop a platform. Before you know it, your feet are dangling 120 feet above the ground. The cables take you down slowly to another terminal,as you survey the treetops and the mountain view. Then you take another ride from another platform, and yet again...as you take in a comprehensive view of the beautiful surroundings, through the fog (sometimes) and the nippy air . The tour combines the tranquillity of the forest with the rush of circling above and through a beautiful natural environment. What an experience!
If you want something a bit more racy, you can get on the Silver Surfer. You’ll be standing up on a pole, your hands on a bar and your waist strapped with a double-safety harness. This ride takes you up and down a slope that rises from 60 feet to 80 feet, and if you want to, you can take your hands off the bar and just enjoy the pleasure of (seemingly) flying. The fact that you’re riding this face to face with a partner doubles the excitement. You’ll feel the rush as you make unexpected stops midstation, and I’ll bet you’ll scream your head off as you swing mildly, back and forth.
For Superman fans, there’s the Superman Ride, a 200-meter-long adventure that takes you from 80 to 100 feet high. Also available at Subic and Zoom-Circulo Verde, this one lets you lie horizontally on two safety bars where you are oh-so-safely double-harnessed for safety. Then, just like Superman, you can fly in the wind (yup, double that fist in front of you) and enjoy the speed as you soar above the pine trees and enjoy the mountain view like an eagle. This is the ultimate experience in Baguio.
The most challenging ride, in my opinion, is the Free Fall—also called Tree Drop Adventure or Rapelling. Although it’s only 60 feet high, I swear you’ll get clammy hands as you approach the edge of that platform and prepare to let go, your only connection to kingdom come being that sturdy harness around your waist. You lie down horizontally on air, your arms outstretched—like Tom Cruise in that unforgettable scene in Mission Impossible—and say a prayer. Then you drop down and get to experience weightlessness on a whole new level. Before you know it, you’re face-to-face with the ground’s surface—just one foot away. This is the ultimate experience for certified adventure seekers, and it happens in just a matter of seconds!
For those who prefer to stay grounded, the Trekking Adventure takes you through a picturesque forest trail that lets you commune with your inner Hansel and Gretel. You won’t need special harnesses or safety devices for this one.
Soon, we were told, there will be a new adventure called the Funicular Ride (available in March) where you sit inside a cable car that takes you up and down a steep incline that gets more exciting as the terrain gets steeper. Enjoy the incline and the view, as you get closer than ever to the edge of the cliff.
Also, there will be a Skywalk at Treetop Baguio as well where you can walk along a glass-floored walkway and a cantilever bridge. You’ll feel as if you’re walking on air atop Baguio and its steep cliffs. Wow, do you think you can handle that?
When you arrive at the Treetop place on Camp John Hay, expert guides will welcome you and introduce you to the adventures, including its high safety standards and expectations for your Treetop experience.
You get the complete equipment, including helmet, harness and all attachments to secure the adventurer to the cables with each ride. The gear is customized to fit, making the wearer comfortable and secure.
Baguio Treetop Adventure operates seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 0932-7449594 or 0917-8050914. Or visit www.treetopadventuresubic.com.
