Palina Greenbelt Ecopark and Cadimahan River Tours: Because Life is Better on the River

If you think that what Roxas City can only offer is seafoods, you better think twice. And by “twice” we mean, literally, two times because of the existence of two river tours running along the outskirts of the Philippine’s Seafood Capital. These two river tours are the Palina Greenbelt Ecopark and the Cadimahan River Tours.

Palina Greenbelt Ecopark
If you are commuting from Roxas City, get a tricycle and ask the driver to take you to Barangay Cagay, Sitio Cablatan. Usual fare is 70 to 100 pesos for 5 persons. To make things easier, simply mention that you’re heading to Palina Greenbelt Ecopark and the driver will gladly take you there.

Season of seafoods. At Palina Greenbelt Ecopark,  every day is Christmas for seafood lovers.

Once there, the friendly locals will welcome you to a cluster of native huts, each named using local terms- all related to fishing.

A ramp made of bamboo leads you to the native bamboo huts pulled by a motorboat over the placid Palina river.

Ipit-ipit (crab) hut is one of the huts that guests can hire to enjoy a relaxing river cruise of the Palina River.

Bamboo huts perched over bamboo rafts and gliding over the peaceful waters of the river are the trademarks of the Palina River Tour. Not to mention the seafood galore you will enjoy to your heart’s content.

For 1500 Philippine pesos, you can enjoy a couple of hours of cruise to and from the base of the Palina River Tour. The last time we went there, food is not included in the said cruising fee. It is recommended to book a hut at least a day before the tour so you can choose the kind of food you want to be served during your river excursion.

Shrimp, no matter how you want it prepared, will never be lost in the menu.

The same is true with crabs…

And squid too…

And of course the talaba (oysters).

While you’re on the tour, you will be serenaded by local musicians and singers with heartwarming songs first sung by their ancestors. You don’t need to understand all the words of the songs to feel a stirring deep inside of you: feelings of melancholy and an ache of the things past and gone.

Cadimahan-Libotong River Tour

The thriving mangroves along the banks of Cadimahan river reflect the community’s effort to augment their quality of lives using the best resources they have.

From Roxas City proper, get a tricycle and ask the driver to take you to Sitio Lawis. Just like in Palina Greenbelt Ecopark, it is best that you contact the management days ahead to book a tour and for you to just enjoy and relax when you get there.

Cadimahan-LibotongRiver Tour
Sitio Lawis, Baybay, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel: +63 910 203-3229, +63 907 286-5835

You may also contact the Capiz Provincial Tourism and Culture Affairs Office to help you arrange the tour. Just look for Sir Rophine Visorio.

Capiz Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office
2nd Floor, Provincial Capitol, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines
Tel: +63(36) 621-0042 loc. 133
Email: capiz.tourism@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CapizTourismAndCulturalAffairs

We were informed that basically, Cadimahan River Tour offers the same attractions, services, and food like the ones offered at Palina Greenbelt Ecopark. However, Cadimahan River Tours offers additional services such as foot spa, manicure/pedicure, and traditional Filipino body massage.

Click this link to download the complete list of facilities, rates, and information about Cadimahan-Libotong River Tour.

Watch out for birds!
One thing that guests usually miss when cruising the rivers of Palina and Cadimahan is the rare opportunity to spot species of birds that are only found in this island of the country. Some of these birds include mangrove blue catcher, egret, tern, and black-winged stilt.

An egret dives over the placid waters of the river.

A black-winged stilt wads the muddy shores of the area searching for food.

A common tern is a specie of bird that can only be found in the islands of Western Visayas of the Philippine archipelago.

A mangrove blue flycatcher perches over a twig in the mangroves of the area’s rivers.

All these and more, you can enjoy and savor if you take a tour in either one of these rivers, although you can also experience both to see each tour’s unique offerings. These only prove that Roxas City is not only all about seafoods, but it has more to offer to eager guests.

If there’s one thing these two river tours have taught us, it is the fact that growth and prosperity can only be achieved if everyone in the community work together to achieve the same goal. These two river tours do not only provide a livelihood for locals every day of their lives, but they are also testaments to the locals’ effort to promote their culture while taking care of Nature itself, the giver of all that sustains us.