Huffing and puffing, we took the last few steps up the steel ladders leading to the apex of the El Nido Canopy Walk. The town spread out a hundred or so meters below us, lining the shore like toy houses leading to the blue green waters of Bacuit Bay. Outrigger boats used for island hopping bob lightly along the water, hemmed in by a soaring cliff carpeted in greens on the left and a wooded hill on the right. It was a fantastic view best enjoyed alive and unscathed.

A VIEW OF EL NIDO’S BACUIT BAY FROM MOUNT TARAW

Climbing the Taraw Cliff or Mount Taraw is usually on the bucket list of most climbers visiting El Nido. Even D, one of our friends who was with us during the trip was planning to scale it, only to find it closed due to a recent accident. Apparently a guide has fallen while trying to save a climber who had just proposed to his girlfriend right on the mountain. Besides this incident, there has been other accidents and even deaths involving climbers trying to conquer Taraw’s Peak.

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MOUNT TARAW FROM EL NIDO’S STREETS

Us, we’re definitely no trekkers. Climbing Taraw was never on our list, and never in a million years would we even dare think of climbing that jagged rock prominently visible along the streets of El Nido. We can appreciate it from the comfort of the ground, thank you very much.

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THE MOUNTAIN IS MADE UP OF SHARP POINTED ROCKS

We were relating all this to Ate Neriza, our host at Northern Hope Inn, when she mentioned that there’s a safe way to climb Mount Taraw. You don’t need to be hardcore climbers, you don’t even have to be a mountaineer to do it—even a senior citizen and a child can do it, she went on, trying to convince us.

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THE ENTRANCE TO THE TARAW CANOPY WALK

Our curiosity was indeed piqued. So on our last day, after days of island hopping at Linapacan and doing the El Nido Tour A and C, we put on our trekking shoes and headed to the Ferrata Canopy Walk, which dubbed themselves as having the safest Taraw Cliff experience.

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SAFETY GEAR FOR VISITORS

The jump off is located at the southern edge of town, just a few minutes’ walk from our lodging. On an open hut surrounded by a swamp, we suited up for the walk—plastic helmets, harness, carabiners, the works! Our guide recommended for us to wear shoes—I was wearing one, but C didn’t bring any since she never thought we’d be doing any climbing at all, plus, she really doesn’t own any shoes, lol.

THE JUMP OFF IS LOCATED NEAR A SWAMP

We crossed the swamp using the concrete and wooden bridge built over them before starting the climb up. The first part was surprisingly hard! With an almost vertical incline, we had to make sure of each of our every step before committing our foot down. Else, we slip and impale ourselves on the sharp vertical rocks making up Mount Taraw. This is absolutely not what we signed up for!

THE FIRST ASSAULT WAS PRETTY HARD

BUT IT GETS EASIER

A minute or two later, we saw what we signed up for. The way was now set with metal platforms suspended over the sharp rocks below. There’s a railing, should we somehow trip and lose our balance, and there are stairs that slowly helped our ascent.

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MAGNIFICENT VIEW ALONG THE HANGING BRIDGE

THE SEVENTY FIVE METERS LONG HANGING BRIDGE IS NO JOKE

One of the main features of the El Nido Canopy Walk is the seventy five meters long hanging bridge spanning a crevice thirty meters below. It’s not one of those cutesy hanging bridges you see on parks like at the Tagaytay Picnic Grove, this one’s the real deal. Due to its length, it shakes at the merest movement and would make you grope for the nearest handrail. But fear not, all visitors are equipped with carabiners that you fasten on a steel cable above the bridge, making it impossible for you to go overboard.

ASCENDING TOWARDS THE VIEW POINT

Ferrata, the name of the company, is actually an Italian word used to indicate a path leading up a mountain or trail that’s superimposed with steel walkways and similar contraptions for easier navigation for inexperienced climbers. And so we continued on with the ferrata. Thank god somebody thought of inventing these!

AMAZING VIEW DURING THE ASCENT

ALMOST THERE

THE VIEW POINT, AT LAST!

The climb, although quite easy, was still pretty tiring. After about twenty minutes of walking, climbing, enjoying the view, we finally made it to the topmost viewing platform—roughly an angled circular platform with a bird’s eye view of El Nido’s Bacuit Bay.

EL NIDO’S BACUIT BAY FROM ABOVE, TIME FOR SELFIES!

AN ISLET OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BAY

It’s probably less than half of Taraw Cliff’s apex, which is at roughly 230 meters high, but the view, even from here is already, pardon the pun, breathtaking.

GOING DOWN’S HARDER ON THE KNEES!

We spent about half an hour at the top of El Nido’s Canopy Walk before deciding to go back down, which, surprisingly is harder on the knees than going up.

~ NORTHERN HOPE TOURS ASSISTED US IN BOOKING OUR EL NIDO CANOPY WALK. VIEWS & OPINIONS ARE ALL MINE.

 

El Nido Canopy Walk ►BOOK ONLINE
Address: Rizal St., Brgy. Maligaya, El Nido, Palawan
Contact Number: +63 (48) 434-2341, +63 (48) 723-3401 | Email: sabangxzipline@gmail.com
Opening Hours: 8:00AM to 5:00PM Daily
Rates: ₱500.00 per person
GPS Coordinates Map: 11.177645, 119.389844