JUNGLE BASE TANAY 4x4 Adventure

And there's  another reason why your stay at Ten Cents To Heaven can be  an adventure  of a lifetime ---The JUNGLE BASE  4x4 ADVENTURE

After  the 4x4 ride experience in Mt.Pinatubo a few years ago,I thought this  one will be a child's play.I was wrong again.Walang sinabi ang 4x4 Ride  sa Pinatubo!I  underestimated the terrain in the Sierra Madre  side of Tanay Rizal.If  the Mt.Pinatubo trail is bumpy,this one is 3x  more extreme!

 
 JUNGLE BASE TANAY 4x4 Adventure

  

  

Like me,I am sure there are not so many of you who have heard this before.It's because the tour is operated by a family and they obly have two (2) land rovers.So it's not really the 'mass production' kind of thing capable of catering to many tourists at a time.That makes it a little more exclusive----and pricey too.But it's worth it.

 

  

Why it's more Challenging than Pinatubo?

While the 4x4 ride in Pinatubo is fast,the terrain there is more on lahar sand on the lowland,a lot of alikabok and small limestone rocks on mountain trails.This one in Sierra Madre side of Tanay is charcterized by rough road on the ascend from the main road (Marikina-Infanta Rd.), cliffs,and more cliffs and BIG rocks on the riverbed.Once you have ascended from the highway,the land rover has to follow the river and crisscross it in eight or so occasions.The rocks along the river are really big and in some case,halos lampas na yung tubig sa wheels nung 4x4!The land rovers demonstrated superior engine power and good shock absorbers.There were three of us on top of the 4x4 and we had to hold dearly for our lives if not,we would be thrown from the land rover.

 

Imagine this.I was on top of a land rover running at 50 or 60km/hr on a bumpy dirt road,the temperature was Tagaytay-like (even cooler), and it was raining.Can you visualize me doing that?

Well,that was actually the easy part,a joyride on our way back town. Because on our way to the Jungle Base on the Rizal Side of Sierra Madre (very close to Gen.Nacar Quezon), I was on top of the same 4x4 and this was our route....

  

And I know that the swings are not simple coz I swear,sumakit ang backbones ko the whole week after so I had to sleep longer the whole week just to recover.I was with the son of the 4x4 owner on top of the land rover and he taught me how to dance with the swinging of the jeep.

It was kinda difficult at first but there is a technique.Imagine the land rover swinging violently and me holding dearly for my life while at the same time snapping photos along the way.Yung mga nasa loob ng jeep sigaw nang sigaw.I imagined na nagkapalitan na sila ng mukha sa loob coz it's difficult na di magka-umpugan.hahaha.It was one crazy ride!

 

From Ten Cents to Heaven,it took us more than an hour to navigate the route.One of the 'wow moments' for me was when me were approaching Laiban Dam .As I said,I am not familiar with the area so I didn't expect such a massive would exist in the middle of nowhere.Found out later that this is the dam (or shall I say,portion of an unfinished dam) which they were talking back at the resort the night before.

 

It was constructed during the time of Marcos to supply potable water to Metro Manila as an imminent water shortage was already anticipated.Imagine,that was 1977 and Marcos was quick to point out the future problem.Unfortunately,it didn't materialize due to mounting controversies.But 'maygad' it has been more than 30 years since and Metro Manila is yet to have an alternative source of water source.I heard that President Aquino is seriously pursuing the continuation of the project.Come one,to those who are opposed to it-----there's no stopping it.We need this dam. 

Back to the Adventure Ride which is actually my main topic for this blog entry, yeah, we stopped near Laiban Dam and had our group shot with this massive structure in the background.Felt like a 'Lord-Of-The-Rings-Moment' for me.

As we continued with 4x4 ride following the river,we were greeted with boulders and more boulders.At some point,the three of us on top of the jeep requested to just walk.That's when I saw how big the rocks were and I thought the land rover would just falter.But the 4x4 is amazingly powerful and all I have is admiration to the man on the wheel for his expert maneuver.

 
 crisscrossing Kaliwa river basin

  

I learned that the father and son tandem used to represent the Philippines in International Land Rover Competitions.That explains why.An ordinary 4x4 driver could not handle this terrain!

 

JUNGLE BASE Tanay

We reached the jungle based at around noontime and stayed there until around 2pm.It was in a hut where we had lunch.The place is a thing of beauty and serenity---the river bordered by a hill covered with trees.I was almost tempted by the clean cascading water to swim but I didn't bring any spare clothing.If I should have known! 

 
 

 

DEMO

Did I mention that the family which operates the tour has two land rovers?Yeah,and they have names too! The black one (which we rode) they call Brat,as in spoiled brat, coz I heard it's really pampered by its owners.Kaunting sakit lang repair na.The other one is 'Sponge Bob' named after the yellow sponge cartoon character because it's yellow.Sponge Bob is such a darling!Other than being photogenic,he is one hell of a flexible and fast 4x4!

Its owner decided to take it for a demo ride with four of our companions (including my wife) in it.I decided not to ride because I had to take the photos.Sponge Bob crossed the river at the Jungle Base,and he did it in style!The water at some point almost had all it's wheel drowned but his power dominated it.The girls inside the Sponge Bob were screaming all throughout as if riding in a roller coaster.Spell a-d-v-e-n-t-u-r-e!

 

 
 

If you want to experience the  Jungle Base  4x4 Adventure,you can directly contact Ten Cents To Heaven's land line  number below for rates. 


ALSO READ:

• TEN CENTS TO HEAVEN Tanay w/ the Longest Zipline in Luzon
• TEN CENTS TO HEAVEN Tanay: Where Romance Meets Adventure

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or more information, please contact us at +632 542 2087
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