Reliving Francisco Dagohoy's Legend at EAT Danao

Francisco Dagohoy is one of the big names in Philippine history. The famed leader of the longest revolt against the Spanish occupation, Dagohoy and his followers is said to have lived in the caves and mountainous areas of Danao, circumventing attempts by the Spanish expeditions to subdue their uprising. And according to local legends, Dagohoy possessed an anting-anting (amulet) that gave him extra ordinary abilities of flying and jumping between mountains. These are the things that EAT Danao offers to vsisitors, to re-live the legendary experiences of Dagohoy.

Francisco Dagohoy monument near EAT Danao

EAT is an acronym for Extreme/Eco/Educational Adventure Tourism. This extreme adventure site is located in Danao, Bohol, around 72 kms away from Tagbilaran and is managed by the local government of Danao.

The park offers a wide array of extreme adventure activities from the highs (Plunge, Suislide, Sky Ride, Rappelling), the lows (Spelunking, Root Climb, Rock Climb, Wall Climb) and the flows (Kayak, River Tubing, River Trekking).

This way to EAT Danao

Trivia: Franciso Dagohoy’s real name is Francisco Sendrijas. The term Dagohoy came from the Visayan words Dagon (amulet) and Hoyohoy (breeze). As locals believed Francisco had an amulet that enabled him to fly, the phrase “Dagon sa Hoyohoy” was attributed to Francisco. The shortened or concatenated version of the phrase which is “Dagohoy” was what Franciso came to be known.　

Extreme Road Trip to Extreme Activities

Travel to Danao takes more than 2 hrs from Tagbilaran. The travel time would have been short if not for the dirt road on half of the way to Danao.

If you have time to spare, you could actually make you travel an enjoyable road trip, there are lots of interesting sites to stop by along the way.

Chocolate Hill Extreme Upclose and Personal: Along the way to Danao, you would pass by a lot of them chocolate hills

One of sites that might interest you are the Chocolate hills, up close and personal. You would pass by a number of chocolate hills and you could actually stop by and have a short hiking trip on top of the hill. There are also lots of small tranquil river with a backdrop of green rice paddies that is very scenic and photo tempting. There is also one village market we passed by where I think it was a major trading market as different animals are being hauled by the truck load to the village. Then probably around a few kilometers away from the Danao site you would pass by a valley with green rice paddies and a couple of coconut trees planted in the middle which made it look like an island amidst the green sea.

Coconut tree island amidst the sea of vibrant green

One of the most peculiar thing I noticed along the way is that there were patches of road that were intermittently paved, which is actually odd and funny, coz it seems that the construction group randomly picked portions of the road to cement. At first we noticed that paved roads are found in front of churches, schools and other government structures, which is quite logical. But as we traversed the road further, there were patches of paved road just less than 10 meters in length in the middle of nowhere. There were no buildings nor communities near the small patch of paved road, just grass land on both sides of the road. It was like short taste of luxury amidst the rocky road, a small respite from the constant shaking of the vehicle, which felt kinda numbing after sometime.

Eat dust before you EAT Danao: Lime stone dirt road towards EAT Danao

There are actually lots of other distractions along the way to Danao, that if you are photoholic, and have time to spare, could actually turn your rugged trip to an enjoyable road trip.

Ganito kami sa Makati, kahit hanggang Bohol nakakarating ang government vehicle. Official gov't trip ba yan or official family trip? Sarap naman libre gasolina!

Take The Danao Plunge

One of the park’s much sought after activity is the Plunge. This activity ranks number 1 in the heart attack category and I almost chicken-ed out of it. The Plunge is a tethered fall similar to a bungee jump, the difference is that, one, you don’t jump, second you don’t bounce and third you are strapped around your body not around your ankles.

You're not only paying for the ride, but also the experience (and a little bit of insurance just incase you become the first casualty)

The bottom of the Plunge or the place where they'd scoop up what's left of you after your fall

The park is quite new and was opened only last July of 2009, knowing this ofcourse added to the build up of fear for the Plunge. We were actually joking around, saying that the Plunge has been fully tested by the previous jumpers. And as a testament to the thorough testing they have done, once you get to the bottom of the 60 meter plunge, you’d be able to count the number of headstones of the dedicated park staffs who offered their lives for the safety of the succeeding jumpers. :p

Park staff straps you up before you walk the plank

The increase in pulse rate would start the moment you walk towards the other end of the suspended metal plank where the park staff hooks you up to the line. The good thing about this is during the time you are being hooked up and checked for safety, the park staff starts conversing with you, asking you some mundane questions such as your work, your age, your family and whatever under the sun, at the attempt of diverting your attention and calming you down before the plunge. After the double check of straps, the park staff would ask you to sit on the edge of the plank facing them as they crank the pulley to slowly lower the edge of the plank and leave you hanging a meter away from the top of the line.

Dare to fall head first?

You are actually given the option to fall feet first or be daring enough to try head first. Last instructions are given by the park staff and if you prefer, you can also have your confessions and prepare your last will and testament before the fall, as park staffs are also ordained priests and notary public lawyers :p

As per experience, it is not the fall that would kill you, it is actually the anticipation of falling as the park staff starts to shout ‘Uno, Dos, Tres’. The last few words, ‘Bombs Away’, articulated in an funny intonation, similar to how Ruffa Mae would have sounded, gives you a picture of the park staff grinning as if they expect to witness another falsetto revelation.

The falsetto revelation just seconds after the pin release

Split seconds after the countdown, the pin is removed and everything just flashes in front of you as you free fall for a length of 60 meters. You actually don’t have time to enjoy the fall as your mind tries to process whether you have done the biggest mistake of your life or whether the park staff made the biggest mistake of their life. Either way, you’re falling and it may be the last activity you’d be doing.

Literally hanging out at the bottom after the plunge

By the time your head stops processing what had just happened, you are now at the bottom of the 60 meter plunge, swinging from cliff wall to cliff wall. Contrary to the heart pounding moments, minutes before the plunge, the environment below is very serene. My experience is that even if I was suspend another 50 to 100 meters from the ground, I was not scared because of the very calming environment. You only hear the river gushing below you and some echoing of forrest sounds. It is as if you are being rocked in a cradle with ambient sounds of nature and you completely forgot that you almost hit the highest note of a falsetto on your way down.

You get to enjoy the serene environment for a couple of minutes before they winch you up back to the metal plank. After that jump, believe me, you’d want to go for another try after conquering your fear, if not only for the price of P700 a plunge.

An optional P50 per picture print is also available if you’d like to have a picture of yourself dangling at the bottom of the plunge.

Oh, BTW, you get to have a Danao Adventure Park Award Certificate signed by the Mayor, Vice Mayor and Municipal Tourism Officer when you take the Plunge. It confers you a degree in Fear Management :p , or bragging rights if you prefer hehehehe.

SuiSlide, More of a SereneSlide

The name of the activity is actually much more daunting than the Plunge, but contrary to its name, the SuiSlide is actually a fun activity that I’m sure youd like to try again.

Suislide across the expanse of 2 cliffs

Suislide is a zip line slide that traverses the expanse between the 2 cliffs. There are two parts of the activity, the first is slide from cliff A to B and another slide to bring you back from cliff B to A.

This activity only ranks number 2 in the heart attack category. It could actually fall lower than the number 2 rank if you’ve tried the Plunge first. So I would recommend doing this activity first before the Plunge to build up your chances of a heart attack.

Full body mat attached to the supporting lines of the slide

As the park staff prepares you, they would strap you in a full body mat which later on would be strapped to 6 lines connected to the pulley wheels on the zip line. You actually have two options, they could strap you in a sitting position without the mat, just the harness on your body, or you could do the superman style where you lie down face first on the mat.

The ride just looks scary at first as you slowly see that the earth you are earlier stepping on is slowly pulling away from you as you slide towards the end of the cliff. The experience in the middle of the zip line is much more calming than the start. Once you are in the middle of the expanse between 2 cliffs, you could actually hear nothing but the sound of air on your ear and the gushing river below. It is just pure nature in your face.

A few seconds after the launch

What was scarier for me was the end point of the slide, where 2 park staffs are waiting for you to yank your ride to a stop. It was the stop that scared me becaue there was a barbed wire fence at the end of the line, if the 2 park staff were unable to successfully stop your momentum, you go straight, face first, to the barbed wire. For my case, I stopped just a meter away from the barbed wire. If I was any heavier, I would have probably ended with the barbed wire on my face. :p

The view below as you traverse the slide

The Suislide costs P300 for the activity. If you’d like to have your picture taken while sliding, an additional P50 per picture print is to be paid. You get to choose the shot that you like best before printing.

The Most Important Adventure: Eating at EAT Danao

We were unable to try the other activities due to lack of time, but one of the other adventure that Danao has not advertised is their buffet lunch at the main entrance of the park. Buffet lunch is priced at P250 a person (includes iced tea drink), which I think is reasonably priced considering you’re in the middle of nowhere. I really liked their roasted chicken with Mang Tomas. My friends tried their buchi for desset and commented that it was tasty. But for a person exhausted from the heart pounding activities, definitely anything is delicious!

Eating at EAT Danao: Buffet restaurant located near the park entrance

Not Much Time? Stay at the Park!

There are lots of activities in the park and probably you’d be able to try out only 3 in a day. If you prefer to try more activities but don’t have much time for the day, you could actually stay in the park and continue with your activities the next day. The park offers accomodation in the main entrance of the park, where the restaurant is located. The park also offers camping option, if you’d like to commune with nature.

• Bohol Island Basics
• Chocolate Hills:Bohol’s Signature Must See
• Sandugo Shrine:Something to Skip or Stop to Appreciate More
• Loboc River Cruise: The Place Where You’d Like to Sleep After a Heavy Lunch
• Stop, Open Your Eyes and See the Tarsier
• Baclayon Church: A Long Walk Away
• The Hanging Bridge, Simple Yet Fun
• Alona Beach, Panglao Island: Teeming with Marine Life
  • The Beach Area and Marine Life
  • The Resorts
  • Bohol Diver’s Club
  • Dining at Alona Beach
  • Going Around Panglao from Alona
• Reliving Francisco Dagohoy’s Legend at EAT Danao
  • Extreme Road Trip to Extreme Activities
  • Take The Danao Plunge
  • SuiSlide, More of a SereneSlide
  • The Most Important Adventure: Eating at EAT Danao
  • Not Much Time? Stay at the Park!

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1. The Hanging Bridge, Simple Yet Fun
2. Ba-lik sa Bohol, Ba-lik! (Ba-lik! Ba-lik!)
3. Sandugo Shrine:Something to Skip or Stop to Appreciate More
4. Stop, Open Your Eyes and See the Tarsier
5. Chocolate Hills:Bohol’s Signature Must See

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