Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines
The blue water from Kawasan Falls definitely has its special place in my travel memories from Cebu, Philippines. It is a must if you are in Moalboal, a 3-4 hour drive away from Cebu city. If you are into cliff diving, natural water slides and swings, a.k.a. canyoneering, Kawasan has so much to give! For me, I only went for the water swing without a tour guide, and only paid 50PHP which is about 1USD, to rent a life jacket. Usually a guided tour for canyoneering ranges from 1000 to 1500PHP depending on your guide’s normal rates or booking companies. If you book in advanced through various websites, the prices will be higher than negotiating at the spot but it is entirely up to you on how much you’d like to be prepared for your trip. Personally, I enjoyed exploring through the falls without knowing what to expect and it was not dangerous just to hike with my friend without a map.
Transportation
For those who are coming from Cebu city for a day trip, there are buses from Cebu South Bus Terminal that will take you straight to the bus terminal near Kawasan Falls. It is the cheapest option if you are coming all the way from the city but it takes roughly 3-4 hours, depending on the day’s traffic. Buses with air conditioning is 156PHP or about 3USD per trip and buses without is 130PHP per trip. Once you get off the bus, there will be a sign that says ‘this way to Kawasan Falls’ and the entrance fee is 40PHP. You can also rent a car and hire a driver for a private trip but that would obviously cost a whole lot more and might vary significantly from one agency to another.
If you are coming from Moalboal, there is a bus that departs from Moalboal to Kawasan Falls which takes a bit less than an hour with only 20 PHP (less than 1USD!), but make sure you ask the bus driver if it goes to Kawasan. Because I wanted to do a half day trip to Kawasan Falls and Osmeña Peak combined, I hired a habal habal, which is a motor bike ride with a driver, that can take both me and my friend in one bike. We negotiated the price with a driver sitting in front of our resort in Panagsama Beach, with the price of 1500PHP for the two of us that includes a ride from our resort to Kawasan Falls, then to Osmeña Peak from Kawasan, then back to our resort from Osmeña Peak, and finally to the bus terminal in Moalboal as we were going back to Cebu city that night. Unfortunately, the driver bailed on us and did not show up the next morning! We wasted 20 minutes walking around looking for our driver but he never showed up. So we ended up negotiating with another driver in front of our resort very spontaneously, but he only agreed on 2000PHP for both of us, with the same routes. It was still a good price (about 20USD per person for a 105km trip all combined) so we agreed and biked to Kawasan Falls and reached in 40 minutes. If you only do Kawasan Falls from Panagsama Beach, I believe you can go for 1000PHP round trip for two people and maybe agree on 1200-1500PHP if the driver seems unwilling.
Hiking/Walking to the Falls
Our driver dropped us off at a Cathedral close to the entrance and there were a few guides waiting to negotiate tour prices. However, as we were not keen on a guided tour, we just asked for the direction to the entrance and it was only a 15 minute walk. After a humid but straightforward walk to the entrance, we paid 40PHP each and told them our nationality in exchange of an entrance ticket. Then we asked for the directions to the first fall and it was another 20 minutes of walking straight until you see it. The walk was beautiful with amazing water colors and sounds of birds, with morning sunlight slowly making its way between the trees. I recommend going as early as 8 in the morning if you want a peaceful walk and uninterrupted photo sessions as there will be big groups of people canyoneering in different locations. Once we found the first fall, which is the main waterfall that you are most likely to spot on Instagram if you search Kawasan Falls, you can ask for directions to the locals there to the second fall. There might be a local asking for 50PHP to take a photo with ‘I Love Kawasan’ signs but we kindly said no. Lockers are available for 100PHP if you’d like to swim but we skipped that as well.
From the second fall, it got a bit confusing. There wasn’t a noticeable trail we could follow so we were just walking on and on without a clue. We randomly came across a local lady doing laundry at the riverside, so I yelled out “Excuse me! Do you know how to get to the third waterfall?” and she pointed to a direction. I yelled out “Salamat!” and we kept on walking to the pointed direction for a good 10 minutes but still no sign of the third fall. So we walked back and asked her again and she said just go straight. Eventually we made it to the third waterfall and looking back maybe this is why people hire guides, but then again it added to making the experience more special so if you are crazy like me, just go straight from the second fall then you will end up at the third one after many ‘what if’s or ‘should I go back’s.
The third waterfall had a bunch of activities to do, which was rewarding after a long hike. I really wanted to try the water swing but not cliff jumping or water slides so I just rented a life jacket for 50PHP and went on the water swing couple of times. It was still 10-11ish in the morning so there wasn’t as many people as I expected. But after half on hour, there were a bunch of Korean tour groups forming lines behind us, and we decided to head back after a few more swings. If you are into other activities, you can rent a helmet and a life jacket and go for cliff jumping and water slides even without a guide but if you are with a guide, he will probably arrange everything for you.
What to bring
I heard later that there are more waterfalls after the third one but we were pretty satisfied with our experience and were soaked in water wanting to change quickly, so I changed my clothes in the bathroom near the water swing. But I do not recommend doing that unless highly necessary as the toilet was extremely unsanitary. I only did it because I was wearing slippers and wanted to change into my running shoes and normal clothes rather than walking down in my bikinis. I had a waterproof bag with a jumper, a pair of leggings, running shoes, and a sports top for the hike in Osmeña Peak after the falls and the key here is to take a waterproof bag. I didn’t need a locker as my friend hold onto my bag while I went on the water swing but also the local guy who rented out life jackets kept my belongings for me without a fee. Just keep an eye on your stuff or ask your friend/family to hold onto it but because there’s water dripping everywhere, packing in a waterproof bag is a smart choice. I wore a knee-length summer dress with bikinis inside and a pair of flip flops on our way up to the falls and it was not too hard to walk but after jumping into the water, my feet got slippery hence I changed. If you want footage of canyoneering I’d recommend taking a waterproof camera but I only brought my iPhone in my waterproof bag and it survived.
Summary
All in all, it was such a fun exploration with beautiful photo spots and exciting activities. Definitely make a visit if you are staying in Moalboal or even Cebu city!
-Transportation
Bus from Moalboal: 20PHP, 50 minutes
Bike ride from Moalboal: 500-1000PHP (negotiable), 40 minutes
Bus from Cebu City: 156PHP, 3-4 hours
Car ride from Cebu City: Expensive but safest, price depends on the company, 2.5-3 hours
-Other Expenses
Canyoneering tour: 1000-1500PHP, life jacket & helmet included
Entrance fee: 40PHP
Life jacket rental: 50PHP (in third waterfall, no locker available)
Locker at the first water fall: 100PHP
*conversion rate: 50PHP to 1USD approximately
Travel with Mon 