Calbayog City to unveil zipline as new tourist destination

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar, March 16 (PNA) -- The Malajog Ridge Nature Park Zipline located in this city, will be launched as the newest tourism adventure destination in the region in time with the start of the dry season.

City tourism officer Ronald Ricafort said that the ridge is the latest adventure destination on top of diving sites, beaches, caves and waterfalls that has been attracting tourists.

“We are known as the city of majestic waterfalls with Bangon and Tarangban as the most famous to our guests, and now we have the Malajog Ridge Nature Park Zipline that will truly make our guests enjoy and truly have a rewarding adventure and vacation in Calbayog,” Ricafort said.

The site was then an idle forest area located in the vicinity of Malajog Beach one of the famous beaches in the province because of its calm clean blue water and black sand.

It was developed into a park by constructing a concrete trail to make it easy for guests to trek.

“The view at the ridge is really breathtaking, you can see wild plants, rare birds they really preserved nature, you will really feel that you’re inside a forest.” Dia Torrijas a local government employee told PNA.

Guests, especially nature lovers, will surely love the view while trekking of approximately 950 meters trail of the ridge or an average one hour walk from the entrance up to the highest portion of the site which is the launch deck of the zipline.

The ridge has different levels, wherein one can see from above the beauty adjacent tourism sites like the Malajog Cove, Malopalo Marble Park, Bolongto River, Daraga Islet, Kutay Islet and the Samar Sea.

“But the most exciting attraction and the public has long been waiting is the zipline,” Ricafort said.

The zipline launch deck is located at the highest peak of the ridge approximately 57 meters above sea level. The zipline is about 715 meters long from the Malajog Ridge and will end at a nearby Daraga islet. It takes a minute to complete the ride.

“Zipliners will traverse above the Malajog beach sea for an average of one-minute ride, and end up in Daraga islet,” Ricafort added.

In the islet, guests can have another activity like snorkeling because the place was identified by the Department of Tourism as one of the snorkeling site in the city with its beautiful corals and other amazing sea creatures.

Guests can go back to the beachfront with ten minutes banca or motorboat ride from Daraga Islet.

“For sure, tourists will love the place, the moment they reach the peak of the ridge they will be greeted with the warm beauty of nature,” Ricafort said.

Likewise, the project will generate employment and livelihood in the village for local folks as they will be the ones in charge of the site's operations.

Prior to this, they had a series of trainings with the tourism office for them to be well acquainted of their job.

“We are practicing community based tourism, we want to inculcate to villagers that the ridge is theirs and that they need to take good care of it because this will be the source of their livelihood,” Ricafort said.

The city government has invested about PHP10 million for the development of Malajog Ridge Nature Park Zipline.

According to Mayor Ronaldo Aquino, the city government is now on the stage of further developing the site, by putting up additional structures to further enhance the beauty of the site.

“Eco-tourism development is one thrust of the city government, and we are on the right track, more tourism development is coming to Calbayog,” Aquino said.

The local tourism office disclosed that Calbayog was visited by 100,000 tourists last year, comparatively higher than the 93,826 visitors in 2014 and 68,092 recorded in 2013.

With the opening of the Malajog Ridge Nature Park Zipline the tourism office expects an influx of tourist this year.

“We are very much ready for the influx of tourists in our place, a number of hotels and other establishments will soon operate and extend services to the public,” Aquino said. (PNA)
BNB/SQM/JENNIFER SUMAGANG-ALLEGADO/EGR