Danasan Eco Adventure Park, Cebu Philippines

Danasan Eco Adventure Park

The park is located in the mountain tops of Baranggay Danasan, Danao City in Cebu, Philippines.  The park is approximately an hour away from Danao City.  Wakeboarding Motto: Patience is a Virtue and bend your knees and hold on tight! Let's go!

How to get there:

From the Mactan-Cebu International Airport: 

You can take a taxicab going to Danao Public Market or to Parkmall, Mandaue City. Estimated fare is 250 –350 PHP, depending on traffic.  

Alternatively, if you're familiar with Uber and/or Lyft, then you can download and use the mobile app, Grab, to book your transportation. 

Good News: There's a shuttle bus now from Parkmall, Mandaue City or at Danao City fish port to Danasan.  For booking or inquiries, call the Danasan Eco Adventure Park: +6332 239 5654 or +63925 500 7803.

If you want to save some money then go for the old-school route.

Drop off: Danao Public Market

Travel time (bus/private car): 1.5 – 2 hours 

From Cebu City for locals:

Take the north-bound jeepney to Danao City.  Make sure you're on the right vehicle.  Ask the Driver/ Fare Collector for validation, then ask again nicely to drop you off at Danao Public Market. 

From Danao Public Market:
Take the "habal-habal" or motorcycles to Danasan Eco Park. 

Habal-Habal/Motorcycle Fare: 100 - 200 PHP

Travel time: 1 hour 

If there's a lot of you in a group then you rent a car or hire a van to have a hassle-free ride to the park.  A motorcycle will take longer due to bumpy roads, and the scorching sun will not be good for the skin leaving you a treacherous trip to the park.  We were lucky to have a good deal with a multicab or mini-van driver.  There's a catch — it was so cheap because he was also delivering goods in towns along the way.  We noticed that when the vehicle kept stopping over stores and he always came out with a huge sack on his back, then loaded it on top of the vehicle.  All those delivery stops took plenty of our precious time.  We were already feeling anxious about not making on schedule and trying to estimate how long it would take to get back to the city.

Meanwhile, the harmful elements of being on the road started to unfold.  The heat of the sun, the dust from the rocky road, the road bumps, the carbon monoxide emissions from the vehicle, and loads of sweat from the hot weather — it reminded me of all my travels.

I've always been fascinated to go to places far away from home.  I certainly believe that adventure waits at every turn of the road.  One friend of mine who went along with the trip felt the same way.  It's nice to find people who share the same interest and is not bothered by the uncomfortable factors of traveling.  She went hiking the Magnificent Machu Pichu in Peru while I went on to climb Mt. Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia (also considered as the highest mountain in Malaysia and one of the highest peaks in Southeast Asia).

Once everyone saw the Danasan Eco Adventure sign along the road, sparks of energy lit up in the air and everyone jumped off the vehicle with excitement.  It's one of those moments where your mood turns bright and jolly after having a cup of coffee with 10 thousand shots of express in one cup.  


The lobby welcomed everyone with a list of activities inside the park. 

Entrance Fee: 
Adult:80 PHP
Kids below 10 years old: 50 PHP

Wakeboarding: 380 PHP
Trek to Danasan Falls: 400 PHP 
Tyrolean, Rappelling, Trekking and Waterfall Exploration: 500 PHP  
ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) Trailing: 800 PHP 
Skybike: 400 PHP
Wall Climbing (Twin Tower Adventure): 800 PHP
High Cable Traverse (Twin Tower Adventure): 800 PHP
Rappelling (Twin Tower Adventure): 800 PHP 
Horseback riding to the "Way of the Cross" and Grotto

One Day Pass: 1,600 PHP including entrance fee, 4 adventure pass and use of swimming pool
Day Use Package: 1,900 PHP including entrance fee, shuttle bus, and 4 adventure pass, 

Barkada Packages: 1,300 PHP and 4,500 PHP

Prices may have changed.

This is just a day trip so pack light.  What to bring on your packing checklist for wakeboarding: rash guard, board shorts, sunglasses, extra clothing, sunblock and a camera.

What I loved about the day was that we had a free horseback ride.  We took lots of pictures because we weren't allowed to move the horse around unless we paid.

They have a lot of activities on the list which was impossible for us to do everything in one day, so we planned right away to come back and do all the fun stuff next time.

Let me repeat myself again. Wakeboarding Motto: Patience is a Virtue and bend your knees and hold on tight!

They have a chill-out spot where you can wait for your turn and watch people fall and do some acrobatic impressive falls.  We had the beginners’ lane and the beginners’ board. The bathroom-like slippers attached to a heavy version of a skateboard was not really that appealing.  In contrast to that, the advanced board — which was visibly new and was more reliable-looking than our board — was only for the advanced level. 

The bathroom slipper was big enough for Shrek's feet to fit in. I was having a terrible time keeping both feet glued to the board while out there on the water.  We also had a very short lecture and demonstration from the guy in charge of our activity, briefing us on our safety as disclaimed on the waiver.  Very few words came out from the facilitator's demo for the reason that everything you need to learn is out there in the water.  I realized that when I was already dragged out while holding on to a bar and trying to balance the board on the water.

The adrenaline was pumping to all my brain cells, working in tandem with muscle coordination to withstand the force of water against my board.  After a series of downfalls, I was able to manage to stay on-board.  I was laughing hard and shouting when I made it even longer than I expected.  I didn't mind the septic-like color of the water splashing and drowning my mouth with bacteria — I was having a blast!  In order to keep me above water, I kept in mind to bend my knees all the time, which was the only helpful advice I remembered from the short lecture.  They said, "don't fight the current, ride the waves." I guess that applies to surf because in wakeboarding you need to restrain the water using the board to keep your body above water.  Besides, there is no natural or man-made wave in wakeboarding; you create the splashing spree when you're being pulled by the wire attached to the bar you’re holding onto.

It really pays off if you get there in the morning.  We, unfortunately, arrived in the afternoon.  It was also a weekend, so we expected a crowd queuing up for this activity. In the price list, it said that wakeboarding was good for two hours.  I was dismayed by the controller — the one in charge of controlling the speed of how you're being dragged in the water.   Another big group was waiting for their turn so he decided to speed things up.  My friend angrily showed her irritation; her reaction puzzled him when it was my turn to the board.  I immediately understand her frustration.  Usually, the controller gives us a few seconds to retrieve the board and position ourselves.  But this time after he saw us with our feet on the board and still trying to grip firmly on the bar, he immediately pulled you to full throttle.  When we tried again for another round, he intentionally slowed down the pull to throw us off balance.

My friend was not happy about it.  Good thing we were able to calm her down. As for me, my challenged ego was up to its limit as well.  I tried hard to keep my knees bent and made sure my hands gripped for no mercy.  I was turning something negative to a challenging situation — that keeps my mind from losing control.  I don't want to ruin a great day so might as well go with the tide of things.  Anger management tip for those struggling to maintain composure during irritating moments.

Please contact the park for more information; this is not a sponsored post.

Have fun and be safe ^_^

Do you want more adventure?
If you still have one more day to spare check out other more Tourist spots in Cebu.

Where am I going next?
My next adventure is to check out a UNESCO World Heritage, The Chocolate Hills of Bohol.