Adventure Tourism Canyon Swing a High Thriller for Extreme Outdoor Enthusiasts
Adventure tourism seekers may think the country's longest and highest zip-line is a push-over. Wait until Danao Bohol, in central Philippines, puts up the dreaded canyon swing!
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline. They are designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to traverse from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable, usually made of stainless steel, by holding on or attaching to the freely moving pulley.
And for those who get goose bumps just thinking about the zip-line, perhaps the chair lift will give you the thrill and safety you want to be assured of in adventure tourism.
And when the canyon swing is completed, Danao raises the Pinoy fear factor several notches higher with a promise of a pendulum swing not less than 105 meters with a 60 meter freefall.
In fact, Danao Mayor Thomas Louis Gonzaga and Vice Mayor Jose Cepedoza have been closely keeping an eye on the local surveying team so they could judiciously decide which platform can deliver the most exhilarating swing of all, says tourism officer Loinda Corotico Saluan.
Danao, a town 72 kilometers away from Tagbilaran in Bohol is struggling to beat its own economic problems by pushing for extreme ecological and educational adventure tourism, one which is a stand-out for outdoor explorers.
Saluan, who also doubles as the town's information officer said the canyon swing would be their next aim as she pointed to a long queue of local and foreign tourists nervously fixing their head gear. The headgear is a standard measure before one is allowed to strap on the body harnesses in the town's newly opened "suislide".
The suislide, Danao's best extreme adventure experience as of yet is a 550 meter zip-line where tourists slide for their life while suspended above a canyon of about 250 to 300 meters over the gurgling Wahig River and its rocky beds.
The slide, which takes about 45 seconds to a minute depending on one's weight is gravity controlled and has to be taken twice; another one on the way back, has been rated a high thriller by extreme adventurists.
But upping the fear scare factor, Danao wants the scariest: canyon swing complete with free-falls, of course following the standards of safety in extreme sports and adventure tourism, Saluan said.
According to a website by Shootover Canyon Swing, a canyon swing includes jumping off a platform while fitted to a chair or body harness and attached to jump ropes. The configuration is such that your hands and feet are free from entanglements while you do jump combinations. Gravity does the rest.
Of course, this sports activity is not for the weak-hearted, advised an extreme outdoor enthusiast of adventure tourism who asked not to be named.
He however said for those who have the nerves for the canyon swing and love the thrill of the canyon rushing in, a neat extra set of underpants is quite in order.
