THE Narvacan Outdoor Adventure Hub (Noah), an outdoor sports complex in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, was opened in October 2012 by the local government, headed by Mayor Zuriel Zaragoza, offering various extreme activities that will surely showcase one’s adventurous side. It hosts the Philippines’s first full-scale Via Ferrata (literally meaning “Iron Road”), a vertical 280-meter climb on a steep rock wall of the majestic 1,050-foot-high Bantay Abot Hill, designed with the regular tourist in mind—no climbing experience required.
On February 17 media members, as well as foreign and local bloggers, were invited by Joey Cuerdo, president of Outward Bound Gear Inc., to sample Noah’s newest attractions that would complement its Via Ferrata: paragliding, Hobie Cat sailing, kite surfing, windsurfing, 4×4 all-terrain vehicles and dune buggies, among others. We were all billeted at Top V Hotel along the National Highway. After breakfast at Noah’s Arko Restaurant, we were divided into teams (Air, Water, Earth and Fire).
Bantay Abot Hill, uniquely located directly in front of a 3-kilometer stretch of beach (from the abandoned Sulvec Port all the way to the Narvacan River), enjoys a special wraparound, midday, side shore breeze, making learning to sail, wind surf and kite surf safe, as it doesn’t pose the danger of one getting blown out into the open sea. Joined by 62-year-old British travel blogger Dave Gatenby, we individually tried out windsurfing and, with a pilot, Hobie Cat sailing. While we were thus engaged, others were exploring the mini sand dunes, an off-road experience tailor fit for first-time riders following a hilly track, all via dune buggies and ATVs.
Noah is a perfect venue to conquer one’s acrophobia (extreme fear of heights), and Dave and I joined the others as we donned, with the assistance of the staff, high-quality protective gear, such as helmet and other rappelling and climbing gear. With bottled water, we hiked under the scorching sun to the base of Bantay Abot. To climb, we had to pull ourselves up to get above some boulders, pushing me to my limits, as I am not used to this kind of activity. Along the way were handy ropes and cables. All the time, while climbing, I was actually clamped into a steel cable so that, when I slip, I will still be attached to the cable, saving me from a fall.
Upon reaching the zipline platform, I decided not to proceed with the Via Ferrata and, instead, exited the hill via Noah’s 520-meter-long zipline. Moving at 40 kilometers per hour, my exciting and scenic ride lasted about 50 seconds as I zipped down to the Bay Boulevard. Others continued on with the trickier Via Ferrata, climbing the vertical, 300-foot-high rock face aided by steel steps drilled into the rock, a setup like climbing a step ladder.
There were diagonal portions on the Via Ferrata that required spreading their legs wide to maintain balance and keep them upright. Reaching the top was the highlight of their climb. They descended the summit by rappelling—perfectly safe as its safety feature actually allowed one to let go of their hands even when suspended 200 feet from the ground.
The highlight of our Noah adventure was to be paragliding (hence the media launch theme “Love is in the Air”). Wind conditions change throughout the day and only three people were able to try it in the morning. However, there were several windows within the day and, during the late afternoon, we rode pickup trucks along a dirt road to the top of Bantay Abot, followed later by the paragliding gear and the visiting staff of Sarangani Paraglide, the first and the only paragliding company in Mindanao, who will fly tandem with us. I was the third to try and my pilot was Carla Montero. We positioned ourselves along the slope, with the chute spread out above us, and, when the wind rushed in and filled our chute, ran off the heights and were soon airborne. Exhilaration soon rushed in as I savored the joy of flying, marveling at the beautiful and breathtaking vista of the rugged Ilocos Sur landscape, mountain ranges and the vast blue West Philippine Sea spread out before me. After a 15-minute flight, we made a solid landing at the beach. The piece de resistance of my Noah adventure, I can now scratch paragliding off my bucket list.
Prior to our return to Manila, we had merienda and did an ocular tour of Vitalis Villas, a beautiful Santorini-inspired resort with Greek-style villas perched on a mountain cliff overlooking the beautiful, cobalt blue waters of Santiago Cove.