Hello itinerants all over the world and hive community! What's up with you guys? Summer is just around the corner here in the Philippines and for sure that most of you are planning your getaway vacation with your friends and family. Today, I am bringing you to the best known waterfalls in the Queen City of the South, Cebu. While you are in town, Kawasan falls is a must see attraction. LET'S GO!
The enticing fresh, cool,crystal clear and blue water of Kawasan Falls is very irresistible. That's why a trip will never be as memorable if you'll ever miss out this tourist attraction. I can really say that it's a very good spot if you are longing to have your soul-searching activity. It's not just famous to locals but also to foreign tourists. This is always featured by foreign content writers, magazines and television. What makes it more unique from any other falls for it has three levels of majestic falls and the place is famous for the activity called CANYONEERING, it is a waterfall jumping and rafting activity. I have been here for how many times already and I can definitely say that it's something that everyone has to experience in their lives. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle in the city, it's the perfect hideout. If it happens to be only walking distant in my place, I would surely visit this everyday really.
HOW TO GET THERE?
First things first, go to Cebu's South Bus Terminal and go look for a BUS with a sign "BATO via BARILI" Always be mindful of the signage for they look pretty much the same. Do not take the "BUS BATO via Oslob" because the price varies and it may have different route. The fare is around 120-150 pesos. (2.905 US Dollar) if this is your first trip, you may just give the driver a heads up to have you dropped off at Matutinao Badian Church. Travel period is 3-4 hours from the metro be sure to have a comfortable trip so you won't feel tired after the road trip.
One more thing, if you are travelling on weekends be sure to go to the terminal at earliest time in the morning so that you can surely take a bus early for the reason that there's not much passengers yet and it's less hassle for you cause early morning weather isn't that bad. In our case, we arrived at the terminal around 5:00 in the afternoon. It was okay for us because we actually planned to have an overnight stay with my friend's house and cook something the next day. I am giving you a heads up if you are not planning to go overnight or if you don't have a place to stay there, you have to travel as early as possible so you still have more time to enjoy your trip.
THE TRIP WAS REALLY REFRESHING! Ever since, I have always been in love with nature. If someone invites me to go nature trips, I would really love to with no questions asked. It was a perfect timing because I got sick and I had a severe cough and a fever so I really needed much fresh air and peaceful environment. Most importantly, I just felt like it's imperative to travel somewhere far from the City for me to meet different people and learn new perspectives since I've been caught up with my job and not seeing my friends or attending community events for quite a long time. During this time, I stayed in the city for almost six years and I rarely gone back in our hometown for it's kind of impractical. I was really thankful for this trip for it made me feel like I was living the province life again.
My friend Jessa preparing for our meal
If you are a frugal traveler like me, it's best to bring your own food when you go to Kawasan Falls. There are also food sold in the area however as far as I remember they are quite pricey and not reasonable. We are just lucky because we had a place to stay there and it's just few minutes away from the falls. If you are really on a tight budget and don't want to spend much on food, it's better to search out for cheapest eateries in town and also try to bargain the transportation costs.
We went to the supermarket to buy these foods. We were able to eat our breakfast at home and brought the remaining food to the Kawasan Falls for our lunch. Like I said, it's far better to prepare your own food because when you buy food from the resort in Kawasan, the foods are over price.
Wherever you travel, please always be mindful of the PUBLIC ADVISORY for it is only for our own safety and to remind us to take good care of the tourist attraction. Please know not to dump your garbage anywhere. Do not disturb wildlife and natural resources. Do not destroy or remove signage or other fixtures in the area. Do not smoke and vape. Do not use drugs and alcoholic beverages. No Vandalism. No indecent exposure. Do not urinate outside comfort rooms. Do not dump water pollutants. No possession of fire arms, dangerous weapons and fireworks. No gambling. Always secure flotation devices or vests. Guests aged below 15 should be under parental or guardian supervision. No children aged five years and below are allowed in rafting. No bonfires and outdoor cooking, grilling area are provided. No washing and installation of clothesline except on designated areas. No public disturbance. No amplification of sounds using loud speakers. No waterfall jumping and rappelling at non designated areas.
The falls is just a few minutes away from the entrance and the starting point is at the back of the church. You can see some food vendors and motorbikes being parked along the road. You may just follow the herd of people going to the falls.
The trail going to the falls is very easy to follow. It's well established, so there's no need for you to hire a tour guide going the waterfalls. Unless if you are gonna avail the Canyoneering activity, there must be tour guide for your own safety because they follow strict and organized techniques and practices. The place is worth to visit. From the very start of the trek you'll already see these wonderful creations. From the enchanted crystal-clear flowing water and the trees which cover the whole place and makes it a paradise. Just few meters away from the Church, there's a registration area. You'll need to pay 30-50 pesos (almost 1.00 US Dollar ) for the environmental fee. Be sure to hold your breath and be ready to be mesmerized by the beauty that the place has to offer as you enter this Majestic Place of Kawasan Falls.
My friends enjoying the view of the lower level of Kawasan Falls. We've just started but they can't resist not to take photos of it haha.
Along the trek, you'll find this mini store where you can at least take a rest and grab some snacks. We tried their "FRESH BUKO JUICE" which costs around 20.00 pesos. (0.385 US Dollar). Philippines is famous for coconut trees. so if you are a traveler from a different country which is not tropical, it's a must try .
Just few steps away from the first level waterfalls, there's a man selling this fresh honey. I bought half bottle which costs 150.00 pesos (3.00 US Dollar) since I was having a severe cough. Don't you know that honey has antibacterial properties that can be used for sore throats, cough, cold and other ailments. You may wanna consider taking honey if you happen to have such sort of illness. I can truly say that's its effective.
Just so you know, that there are three levels of waterfalls that Kawasan has. From the lowest that's level one which is for me has the longest waterfall and way more majestic than the two other falls above. If you are here for blogging purposes, it's better to visit on weekdays for you to avoid the crowd and have the waterfalls all to yourselves. As you enter the area, there will be a care taker who's gonna assist you, if you are alone you can just rent a locker which costs 150.00 pesos (3.00 US Dollar) if you're with your friends you can also have lockers or rent one table for your group which costs 300.00 - 400.00 pesos. The prices actually vary depending on the peak season and numbers of visitors.
As much as I wanted to give you more beautiful shots but the camera I brought isn't built for water activity so just bear with these blurry shots that my friend took. Rest assured next time, I will be more informative and will give you the best photo experiences of the place that I will be visiting. If you feel like staying at the place overnight, they also have rooms for rent good prices from 900.00 pesos which is already good for two and -2000.000 pesos good for six people. Their prices are subject to changes specially during peak seasons.
Before, the rafting services were still operating but just recently got suspended indefinitely due to some violations that the operators are facing. But other activities such as swimming with life vests and canyoneering are still allowed. The overall experience was really amazing. There are actually so many mesmerizing and astonishing places in Cebu and one of these is the Kawasan Falls If you want to seize your Cebu trip, I best recommend to have your itinerary ready because there are so much wanders to see in the Queen City of the South.
We also had a side trip to this picturesque place somewhere in Badian. It's just a few minutes away from our place and we're supposed to go to the spring resort however it's closed.
After the trip, there are so many realizations that sprung to my mind. First, I become more grateful that out of millions people in the world, I am one of the luckiest who got to see this wonderful creation. Then, you can always do a living doing what you love which is travelling. It's important to invest in on something that helps you become the sharpest you. We are just all passing through, nothing lasts forever so as long as you are still able to see these things go and seize them.
That's basically it, if it happens that you have visited the place already, please care to share your experiences in the comment section below. Everyone's glad to hear the stories of yours! Just always remember that learning is a lifetime process. You can learn from your experiences, trips and from other people. The world is so vast. Explore and Learn! Traveling isn't is as expensive as you think! There's a so called travelling on a frugal way with a purpose! I will be posting the second part of my Singapore Trip as soon as possible. Stay tuned then.
DEUCES!
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