Photo courtesy of Joni Bonifacio of Trexplore

PARANAS, Samar - Captivating natural beauty while thrilled with extreme boating activity in Ulot, is a moment that adventure tourists will always want to experience again.

Imagine going afloat in a long stretch of flowing river through a boat without “katig” or bamboos attached to the outriggers on both sides of a boat.

It seems that the boat will turn upside down every time you make a move but riders don’t have to worry because aside from wearing protective gears, two skilled boatmen maneuver the four-meter long river boat.

“Going downstream is exciting but going back upstream is more thrilling. The action is fast and the place is perfect for boating,” said Eric A. Bontuyan of Asia Pacific Adventure based in Hong Kong .

The 520-kilometer Ulot River is the longest in Samar Island . It is part of the 87,000-hectare Ulot Watershed rambling in 11 towns of the Island with bigger part of the area situated in this town.

The Samar Island Natural Park (SINP) is recommending only 10.5-kilometer stretch for tourism activities, which is the most accessible part of the stream from the SINP office in Brgy. Tenani.

The unspoiled clear river water is the home of colorful fishes rarely seen in upland waters. Ulot has vast water resources. Its annual run-off of 815 million cubic meters is more than enough to provide for the area’s domestic water requirement of about 7.5 million cubic meters.

From the jump-off point in Brgy. Tenani to the tenth kilometer stretch, it took an hour travel downstream, while it took also an hour and 15 minutes travel time going back to the jump-off point.

Tourist can do two things at the same time – enjoying the extreme ride in clear water and watching the vast forest resources of Olot Watershed sprawled with lush vegetation.

This activity is very common to local folks and they don’t appreciate it but Bontuyan sees it as a very unique product that he has never seen as tour expert in Asia Pacific regions.

“I’ve never seen this kind of boat ride anywhere in the world. Our main recommendation is to promote boat guide instead of rafting, kayaking, and tubing. Boatmen were already trained to do that,” he added.

Boatmen know what they are doing. Some of them gained their skills hauling illegally cut timber from the forests to the market before the SINP was established in 2003. Since then, large scale and small scale logging were banned.

Forest is still intact. There are no inhabitants along river stretch. Visitors will see few structures in the area used by villagers in processing copra. The area is a designated center for plant diversity and endemism (885 flowering plant species of which 406 are endemic).

“Boating is fast and exciting and on the lighter side, you can see forest resources,” added Bontuyan, one of the experts invited by the SINP to evaluate tourism-related services. Representatives from the Department of Tourism, SINP and this writer also joined the tour.

Jason Garrido from Tacloban City , a certified trainer accredited by the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines Incorporated said that safety has been highly considered in training boatmen.

“Since the activity is extreme, tour guides were oriented of the emergency techniques and procedures as one of the most important aspect of handling tourists or visitors,” Garrido explained.

Long before roads became the main transportation route, Ulot river served as nautical highways for trading products and transporting people from and to Samar and Eastern Samar .

SINP eco-tourism section head Agelito B. Villanueva told Leyte Samar Daily Express that the Ulot Watershed Ecotourism Loop has nearby recreation sites such as Taft Philippine Eagle Sanctuary, Pangpang Falls, Can-maanghit Falls, Lusungan Falls, Yabon Falls, Liaw Cave, Silay Cave, Catingcoy Cave, Pugtak Spring, Duloy Spring, Sulfan Spring, Nasarang Spring.

The eco-tourism site in Paranas Island is accessible by land and air. From Manila , it takes a little over an hour to Tacloban City and Calbayog City . From these anchor destinations, there are regular trips and buses, vans and jeepneys passing by the area.

Tour package include entrance fee, tour guiding fee, community development fee, motorized banca rental, kayak, rental, use of buoyancy aids, tubes, and helmet.
Native menus are being prepared by villagers who are members of the Ulot Watershed Model Forest Stakeholders Federation. The SINP recently opened the eco-lodge built at the SINP office rooftop. The rate is P100 to P150 per person per night.

In Brgy. Patag, just a few minutes drive from river is a privately owned resort Villa Escober built at the foot of a hill. The facility has rooms with two beds and free breakfast. With the rate of P2,000, visitors can take rest in a compound which houses a natural cold spring. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)