Tabuk City 1/5 : A River Runs Thru It

To the uninitiated like me, whenever I hear Tabuk in particular and the Kalinga Province in general, what comes to mind are mountains and tribal people. These were probably brought up by the fact that when I was much younger, my grandfather used to bring me to Isabela and Benguet where terrains dramatically shift from lowlands to highlands and the farthest we usually end are city centers. And what’s beyond there is left only to my young imagination fuelled by stories as well as the ethnic-sounding nomenclature of the place.

This five-post series about Tabuk City will recount my experience about the place as well as provide trivial things which I have gathered from the net and let me start with the emerging tourism potential of the place.

Tabuk City prides itself with two titles. The self-proclaimed Rice Granary of the Cordillera and the White-water Rafting Capital of the Northern Philippines. Tourism plays a vital role in the City’s economic growth and it is considered as one of the major forces driving the City’s progress.

At the center of its tourism banner is the Chico River which is aggressively promoted for its natural beauty as well as its potential charisma for eco-adventure seekers. I have tried white-water rafting in Davao and Cagayan De Oro before and would love to try it also here in Tabuk but I was on a solo backpacking trip this time and I have no company to do that. Next time, definitely!

One of the best place to check around the area is the city’s dam reservoir where you can have an up-close glimpse of the flowing river with an amazing mountain backdrop. It is just fifteen minutes from the City Proper thru a tricycle with amazing landscape views once you crossed the bridge.

Other places of interests in Tabuk City includes Talama Park, St. William’s Cathedral, Cultural Heritage Research Center, Peace Shrine, Guilom Spring, Tabuk City Hall and Naneng Village some of which I will feature on my up-coming posts.