The life of Cagayan de Oro has always been anchored to its mighty river system. From pre-colonial times through the colonial era, when the waters were the preferred highway over treacherous overland trails, Cagayanons built their lives around the current. It served as the definitive lifeblood of the region, a fluid corridor of commerce, culture, and survival that dictated where the city would grow, and how its people would thrive.

Pueblos eventually drifted further away from the banks, settling deeper inland. Yet, the river never lost its grip on the city’s identity. In modern-day Cagayan de Oro, while the water no longer serves as the primary highway for transportation, it continues to support local livelihoods, albeit through a completely different kind of energy. The unforgiving wildness of the river, once a hazard to be respected from a distance, has become the very reason why travelers now flock to its banks: to deliberately plunge into its roaring rapids, trading the safety of solid ground for a rubber raft.

We are among those travelers. 

An hour out of the city center, the smooth highways of Cagayan de Oro gave way to narrow, twisting roads hemmed in by aggressive greenery. The transition was fast, and before we knew it, we were standing on the edge of the Cagayan de Oro River. In this part of the Philippines, the river is a rite of passage. Whitewater rafting is arguably the most volatile, high-octane thrill the province has to offer, and looking at the pulsing current, it was already daring us to find out why.

Our organizer friends at Aura Adventures entrusted our river adventure to Team CDO Bugsay Whitewater Rafting. Considered pioneers in the city and masters of the current, Team CDO Bugsay is among the premier crews pushing the limits of extreme sports in Mindanao. With their gear prepped and their briefing underway, the time for passive observation was officially over; it was time to lock in, step into the raft, and face the river.

Photos before getting wet and wild.

Finally, we were there, sitting on a rubber raft, holding paddles as if we knew what would hit us. We were joined by two master paddlers on the raft who guided us and another one was on a solo kayak who took our photos and videos. While our renegade journeys have already brought us to the rapids before when Ran and I drove through Quirino three years back, we knew Cagayan de Oro River would be different. In the Governor’s Rapids of Quirino, we simply sat on rubber tubes and let the river flow do the work; in Cagayan de Oro, we would have a white knuckle duel with the current.

The stretch of the river is an alternating mix of calm and uproar. In some areas, you would just want to stop paddling and let the silence of the surroundings absorb you in a moment of relaxing immersion with nature. On the flipside, there are areas where the river doesn’t care about your plans. It only demands your full, undivided attention. 

Our guides told us that the rafting stretch of the river would take at least three hours to complete, and that there are 14 major rapids that we would have to navigate. It did not take long until we had our first taste of the 14 rapids that we had to brave. On top of the roaring clashes of the water against the rocks, we erupted into screams as adrenaline pumped through our bodies.

Rapids after rapids, screams after screams. At some point, we could no longer distinguish our own voices drowned in the roar of the river and our own ecstatic laughter, driven by excitement and the sheer thrill of raw adventure.

At some point after one major rapids, our guides onboard the raft directed us under a waterfall for a quick cooling and refreshing shower. It was a great pitstop as our adventures were far from being over. Though I lost count as to how many rapids we had already passed through, I just knew that there were still more to come. I was right.

In the midst of one of the major rapids that we passed through, our guides posed a challenge: if we could stand on the raft while getting over the rough waters. Challenge accepted!

After being literally on our toes with the previous rapids, we were met by a stunning tranquility. We were already on the river for roughly an hour and a half when we reached a part of the river where there was absolute calm. It was then when our guides told us that we may jump off the raft and take a dip. We did, and the water was refreshing.

Anyone would have been gravely mistaken to think that we were done going against the rapids after we took that refreshing dip. There were more. So much more.

Scream after scream.

Just before hitting our third hour on the water, there was calm once again. That time, however, we knew it would be the final one in our river adventure. We were inching toward the finish line. The epic journey was almost over.

A stone’s throw away from the water rafting end point and we were told by our guides that those who still wanted to swim can do so to reach land. I was beaten, but Ran was not. I stayed in the raft until we finally docked. He swam with the rest of those who still had the energy to do so.

Stepping out of the raft and handing back our paddles, the adrenaline was still humming in our veins. The Cagayan de Oro River had given us everything we asked for and more: a three-hour masterclass in resilience and raw fun. As we dried off and packed our gear, the low rumble of the rapids faded behind us, but the road ahead was already calling. Conquering the white water of CDO was an unforgettable peak, but a true renegade journey never stays in one place for long. 

From the end point just beneath Cabula Bridge, we hopped into a jeepney that took us to the shower and dress up area. There, we tried to wash away as much of the river water that had already started to dry up on us, then changed into fresh clothes. If there was anything that we could not wash away, that would be the raw, high-octane energy that pumped up that afternoon. We could change our clothes all we wanted, but the thrill of riding through those rapids was permanently etched into the day. 

We came to the river looking for an extreme adventure; the rapids tested our grip, and we left with a profound respect for the current that gave us an experience of a lifetime. Looking up, we didn’t even notice that it was already nearly 05:00 PM. We started whitewater rafting in the middle of the day and we ended just when the sun was about to set. We did not notice, because we did not mind.