On And off-road to Zambales Car camping with the Nissan lineup
The hot weather is certainly making many yearn for an escape from the city. Thankfully, Nissan Philippines read our minds and proposed a car camping trip to Crystal Beach in Zambales.
Now a drive to Zambales is not something new, and we’re all pretty familiar with the Terra and Navara. But learning Nissan had partnered up with Overland Kings for this drive made things interesting. Overland Kings are outfitters of overlanding accessories, both vehicle upgrades and outdoor camping gear.
We all met up at Nissan North EDSA early in the morning to be briefed for the day’s activities. For the first day, I was going to drive the Terra VL 4x4, blessed with a more comfortable ride compared to the Navara.
We hit the road and made our way through NLEX, SCTEX and TPLEX, had breakfast in Mangatarem, Pangasinan and we were briefed on the second phase of our drive. We had the privilege of being some of the first few to pass the new bypass road, Daang Kalikasan. Though still under construction, it connects Pangasinan to Zambales.
The first roughly 30% of the Daang Kalikasan was paved and had a view deck where we stopped to take some photos. After which we aired down our tires in preparation for the rough stuff that awaited us ahead. This would give us better traction as it allows more surface area of the tire to be in contact with the dirt and aids in also making the ride more comfortable.
It was a long drive over and through mountains, uphill and downhill portions, with some shallow water crossings to add to the challenge, which our 4x4 Terra breezed through. We selected 4H to give us traction over loose surfaces and some muddy areas, but still allowed us to take some areas at speed.
We made it to our destination in Zambales, Crystal Beach where we spent the afternoon and the evening. This is a camping friendly resort where we finally got to unpack our “accommodations” which we had carried on our roofs from Manila.
Besides the two typical choices, Nissan also brought along a customized Urvan set up. A LEAF was also nearby with its Vehicle-to-load (V2L) innovation powering a coffee machine and other appliances. The awesome food was catered by SARSA, made on an outdoor kitchen set up on a vehicle.
After breakfast the next morning, our first exercise was to drive on the beach to get a feel for how it would be on a very loose surface before we proceeded to our final activity. What we learned from this was that if the sand is loose and deep enough, you will get bogged down. Maintaining momentum while on 4L and on second gear is key. It’s also important to know when not to apply too much right pedal, which could get you stuck.
We learned that applying just enough power while quickly turning the steering wheel left and right may slowly get you unstuck, Oftentimes, shifting to reverse can also get you unstuck, but sometimes, the last resort is to dig out the tires and wedge a “max track” — those orange boards with a texture that tires can grab on for grip — between the sand and the tires to get out, and this usually does the trick.
As expected, many got stuck here and needed the help of a shovel and max tracks, to get out. But after that, we were all ready for our final challenge. We drove a short distance away from the resort, off the highway to the Santo Tomas River mouth under a bridge where there was baby powderfine lahar left over from the Pinatubo eruption.
We were split into teams and made to race against the clock and gather as many orange cones as we could at the risk of getting bogged down or running down the clock. We applied what we learned on the beach and some of us who got bogged down now knew how to get ourselves out. It was fun, and we churned up a lot of dust.
The 4x4 variants of the Terra and Navara made for comfortable vehicles to take on this long road trip, both on the road and far off the beaten path. Learning the skills to properly use the both vehicle’s capabilities added to the fun factor of this drive and boosted our confidence.
Nissan’s Drive Pinas campaign reminds us that the trip can be as fun as the destination, and that there are still many places to see. With the right vehicle, these become easily accessible. The Philippines still has many surprises to offer.
Always remember not to stray too far off the main roads alone, travelling in a group is always safer and know what your vehicle’s capabilities are. Keep these in mind and you will always have a great time.