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The Tibiao River is short–no more than 30 kilometres from source to mouth near the town of Tibiao. It cuts a deep and steep path from Mount Madja-as–the towering 2,200-metre mountain that casts a shadow over the seaside town of Culasi in northern Antique on Panay Island. That’s how close the mountain is to the sea. Just a handful of kilometres as the Philippine eagle flies! Rain falling on Mt Madja-as produce waterfalls with such intensity they appear like white streaks of paint on a dark canvass plastering the horizon. The river is swift to rise in the early months of the rainy season starting in June when rains can be prolonged along the full course of The Tibiao, and the fertile soil easily dislodges, making the river murky — a small annoyance for the kayaker but a godsend for the farmer planting rice downstream. Come October when the “amihan” or colder easterly wind resumes, rains still fall on the summit and slopes of Mt Madja-as, but less on the main course of the river, sustaining a consistently high river level and clear water conditions, awesome for predictable and safe paddling. Such conditions persist usually through to late February, early March. Tribal Adventure Tours introduced river kayaking to the Tibiao River — and indeed the Philippines — in 1997 when it hosted the first international Kayak Cup. The event featured a wildwater event over 7 kms and a slalom event with 23 gates over a distance of around 300 metres. The event was staged at Kayak Inn, Tribal Adventures’ adventure retreat set up for the event AND for a tour we put on jointly for the Australian tourist with Qantas Holidays. The event put the Tibiao River and the tiny village of Tuno, midway upstream, on the adventure tourism map.