The Cagayan
River is the
longest and
widest river in the
Philippines, running for 220
miles from the mountains of central
Luzon to the
Pacific Ocean at Aparri in the
northeast. It is navigable to small
oceangoing vessels for 15 miles
upstream.
Its basin is home to a large Catholic population, known as Cagayanos, and much of its water is used by these people for tobacco farming. Lately the lush forestland and beaches around the mouth of the river have become a draw for tourists as well.
Some parts of Apocalypse Now were filmed on the river, and the caribao sacrifice ritual at the end of the film was inspired by the rituals of the Ifugao people living there.