Thursday, April 16, 2009

Camp Sabros - The Longest Zipline in the Philippines

Camp Sabros is located in the highlands of Kapatagan, Digos, Davao del Sur. It is an almost 2-hour ride from Davao City. Getting there requires patience, stamina and a good 4x4 truck.

The place is owned by the Sacdalan Brothers, who are also mountaineers. The name Sabros was derived from Sacdalan Brothers.

On December 25, 2008, the longest zip line in the Philippines - envisioned by Edwin Sacdalan - was launched and it immediately captured the attentions of those who love adventure and those who were merely curious.

Just last April1, 2009, my family and I went upto this cool place. It was a good timing for us since there weren't much tourists visiting the place and the Tourism Secretary Ace Durano was visiting.

The wind was blowing chills on us when we got out of the car. As we walked up the little hill to their restaurant for lunch, excitement was already coursing through me since it would be my first time to try the zip line.

What was supposed to be just a family gathering on a summer season turned out to be an awesome adventure.

My brother, nephew and I tried the shortest zipline available, partnered with a Cable Lift. We didn't want to try the long ones yet since it was our first time.

So we had a go at the 380-foot long zipline which was 180 feet above the ground and provided a good view of the Mt. Apo's peak as well the the top of pine trees.

It was a tandem zipline, which means two people should have a go at the same time. So my brother and nephew went together first leaving me alone on the second trip. As I was waiting for my turn, my heart was already pumping like bullets out of a gun. It was an incredible feeling and yet, I couldn't help but get nervous.

And my turn came. I almost had cold feet at first but I finally decided to have a go. Sliding down the zipline on a Superman position was probably the best experience I ever had in my 24 years of existence. The feeling of being suspended and sliding down on a speed unimaginable is something that is worth keeping in my memory for the rest of my life.

I was screaming out of delight when I reached the middle of the zip line and I couldn't see anything around me but the rows of trees and could only feel the gush of wind. What I didn't know was my screams could be heard on both ends of the zip line. Embarrassing? Totally not! How was I suppose to let out my emotion if I wouldn't scream, right?

Then next came the following fun adventure which was the Cable Lift. My brother said being in the zipline was a whole lot better than being on a Cable Car because in the zip line, you would arrive faster while the Cable Car would run very slow.

But for me, both were great experiences. I thought I would never be able to try such adventures, being in Davao City where some developments seemed to be a little delayed. Turned out, all you need to do is a good research, reccommendations from friends and you'll find yourself having one of the best experiences you'll ever have.

We were still about to try the longer ziplines (450-meters and 820-meters) but we didn't have much time anymore because we arrived there after lunch and the road back to Digos City wasn't much familiar for us so we need the daylight to guide us with it. But then, we're definitely going back there and try the whole package!

Secretary Ace Durano also tried the 380-meter zipline as well as the other ziplines and I was sure he would definitely promote Camp Sabros to tourists because it's not only worth the sight, but worth the adventure as well.

3 comments:

Lou Añonuevo said...

i wish i could see it myself. xD

Neym Ü said...

when you get the chance to come here in davao, it's one of the must go-to place. :)

rich said...

I've read about this na... nako, wish ko lang din I could see it... haha! XD