What kind of adventure do you seek? Are you more into exploring the nooks and crannies of the city, making sure you try every new restaurant and every interesting offer? Or do you prefer throwing yourself out into the wild, hopping from province to province and island to island? Are you a neighborhood wanderer or a regional explorer?
Sandbox is more than just a box of sand—although you are sure to find a lot of sand to play with around there. Sandbox is perfect for the regional explorer, thirsty for adventure and ready to conquer the world. Tucked within the steep and deserted streets of Porac, Pampanga is a place where all your exciting dreams (and probably nightmares, too, for the weak of heart) can come true.
Asian Dragon and Shell Philippines tested their limits and went on an exhilarating adventure to Sandbox. With the cooperation of the weather, we were able to scope out the area and bring home some exciting stories. From the Wildflour Café & Bakery in Salcedo Village, Makati, where we stuffed ourselves to the brim in preparation for the day ahead of us, we braved the length of Edsa towards the North Luzon Expressway, exiting at San Fernando Pampanga, and then through Porac Access Road to get to Sandbox in Alviera.
Sandbox is a home to many activities. There are teambuilding facilities for company outings or barkada getaways like the aerial walk (which sounds scary but it’s actually quite safe), and there are the more common but still equally fun wall climbing and zip lines. But if you’re going to sandbox, you will go there for three things: the bonding, the archery facilities, and the bigger-than-life swing.
We haven’t been to many outdoor archery facilities exactly because there’s not a lot of those in the country. Perfect for newbies and archery fanatics, the outdoor archery tested our skills in concentration, precision, and sensitivity to the elements. For the archery virgins, instructors are ready to guide you from loading your first arrow to picking up your missed bows. For the more skilled, there is an archery challenge of some sort that requires you to hit different kinds of targets inside the archery range.
If you think archery is hard, it can be pretty tricky when your hand is not a steady hand or if the elements, like the wind and dust for example, are too harsh. But apart from good fun, the outdoor archery was actually a great exercise for our arms, too!
After chilling at the archery, head over to the giant swing where you’re going to be in for a huge treat. The giant swing brings you 10 meters above the ground and propels you into a legit gravity-operated back-and-forth movement (who swings with machines, anyway?!).
Get propelled 10 meters into the air
For 100 pesos, you can experience the most terrifying and exhilarating swing of your life. It’s heart-stopping, gut-wrenching, and will leave you with jelly legs at the end. It’s a whole new level of manually-operated crazy, as you are rocked into an almost 180-degree swing and halted to a stop by the trustworthy and macho kuya operators. You’ve got to experience it to understand.
Below are the attraction packages at Sandbox, courtesy of the Alviera website.
Tips if you’re going to Sandbox from Manila:
- Wear comfortable clothes and rubber shoes, wear sunblock or clothing that can shield you from the sun, and bring lots of water.
- Come early because there is an allotted number of people they let in on the activities, and preferably on a weekday to avoid huge crowds.
- Check the weather forecast because outdoor activities are cancelled when it’s rainy.
- For a comfortable trip back and forth, bring your most comfortable SUV or pickup (like how we stretched our legs slept soundly aboard the Mazda CX-5) and load it with the powerful Shell V-Power Nitro+.
