Cagayan de Oro is the City of Golden Friendship and one of the outdoor activities you have to try is the Whitewater Rafting Adventure. We paid 700 pesos per head for the beginner's course, that's roughly about 14 dollars. There are other advance courses, like the advance and extreme course which have more stronger rapids and also require the ability to swim.
What to bring when going on whitewater rafting:
-a bottle of drinking water just makes sure not to throw your empty plastic in the river
-Rash guard, or armband
-Sunblock
-Energy bar to munch after the trip, though there are restaurants at the final destination
-advisable not to bring too many valuables
The jump-off point of the white water rafting can be reached at approx 1 hr travel by jeepney.(photo above)
The package include free transportation, safety gears and a certified river guide.
For our group, 1 water inflatable raft was enough since we were 4 plus a river guide. A bigger raft can accommodate 6-7 persons with the river guide.
It was a lot of fun because aside from the excitement from the rapids, our river guide was very entertaining and he really taught us how to paddle. The trip lasted for 3-4 hours, but I felt like we wanted more. We could have took the advanced course but then again it requires to know how to swim, and I am not a good swimmer. The only downside was that we weren't allowed to bring a camera or GoPro for the risk of it falling off into the water. That's why there were official photographers in the nearby shore. They charged 400 pesos (approx. 8 dollars) for the copies.
It was a great experience and highly recommended. This may be not okay for some people who has water phobia, but it is a great way to conquer your fear. You can take the beginner's course and it is safe because you'll be given orientation and safety gears with the lifejacket. Next time, maybe I can try the advance course.