Bambike Ecotours Intramuros: History lessons and a workout on bamboo bikes

Intramuros tours aren't unusual, but the mode of getting around provided by one tour company is.

Bambike Ecotours offers guided tours of Manila's Old City on lightweight bamboo bicycles—an innovation that uses local materials and talent to produce, and one that gives you a workout along with the history lesson you'll get.

“With Bambikes, we want to do guided bike tours around historic sites para i-preserve yung cultural heritage, [para] i-showcase natin, and also to get people into biking. I-try natin i-encourage yung healthy living, safety sa mga kalye, and pedestrianization ng area,” said Bambikes creator and Bambike Ecotours founder Bryan Benitez McClelland in a report by Howie Severino that aired on "Balitanghali" Tuesday.



Bambikes were developed and introduced early last year by McClelland, a Filipino-American who has been living in the country for the last five years. Residents of the Gawad Kalinga community in Victoria, Tarlac manufacture the Bambikes using local bamboo and abaca fiber

In the short time they have been around, the bikes have been quickly gaining recognition. They have even been presented by President Benigno Aquino III to US President Barack Obama, New Zealand Governor-General Sir Jeremiah Mateparae and other heads of states as gifts.

To further promote the product, as well as to encourage more people to get into biking, McClelland launched Bambike Ecotours Intramuros in April.

The tour includes a walk on top of Intramuros' old wall, a stop at the Rizal Shrine, and visits to several dungeons in Fort Santiago and the underground Puerta Maestranza, which served as a storage house during the galleon trade.

Other tour stops (depending on your chosen package) are: the Plaza San Luis Complex, San Agustin Church, the Baluarte de San Diego Gardens (entrance fee included), the Puerta Real Gardens, Escuella Taller, Baluarte de Dilao, Puerta del Parian, the Intendencia Ruins, Puerta Almacenes/Maestranza, Plaza Roma and Manila Cathedral.

Also offered as a tour package is a ride outside the walls to see Jose Rizal's final footsteps before his execution in Luneta Park, the Legazpi-Urdaneta Monument, the Cardinal Sin Monument, the Cory and Ninoy Aquino Monuments and the Juan Luna Monument.

“Ngayon lang ako nag-tour ng naka bisikleta dito sa Maynila. At ang masasabi ko lang, ang dami kong nakita dahil mabilis ang takbo namin, hindi kami na-traffic at kahit saan pwede kami huminto, pumarada at maglakad din,” said Severino, who also participated in the tour.

The Bambike Ecotours are offered from Tuesday to Sunday, with starting times 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The tour usually takes two to three hours. There is also an express tour, which only takes an hour at a lower price. — Elizabeth Marcelo/BM, GMA News

For more information about Bambike Ecotours, call (02) 525-8289, email ecotours@bambike.com or visit the Bambikes Facebook page.