Hello itinerants all over the world and steemit community! Summer is just around the corner 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 here 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 for local but also for foreigners. 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 BATO via BARILI Always be mindful of the signage for they look pretty much the same. Do not take the BUS BATO via Oslob just a heads up. 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.
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 for the reason that there's not much passengers yet and it's less hassle for you cause it's not that hot yet. In our case, we arrived at the terminal around 5PM. 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 for free.
THE TRIP WAS REALLY REFRESHING! Ever since, I am in love with nature trips. If someone invites me to go nature trips, I would really love to. It was a perfect timing because I got sick. I had a severe cough and a fever so I really needed much fresh air and environment. Most importantly, it's imperative to travel somewhere far from the City for you to meet different people and learn new perspectives. I have been staying in the city for almost six years now. I rarely go back in our hometown for it's kind of expensive. I am really thankful for this trip for it made me feel like I am living the province life again.
My friend Jessa preparing for our breakfast
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.
Upon arrival at the Badian Church you will see an herd of people going to the falls. As a responsible traveler, you need to be mindful with the guidelines and policy to protect the Kawasan Falls. First things first, no dumping of garbage anywhere. No disturbance of wildlife and natural resources. No vandalism. No destruction or removal of signages and other fixtures in the area. No smoking and Vaping. No illegal drugs and beverages. No indecent exposures and many more. It is really important to follow such guidelines for the safety of our natural resources and for ourselves as well.
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.
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 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.
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. I hope you enjoy and find this article informative. Just always remember that learning is a lifetime process. You can learn from your experiences, trips and from other people. You just have to be as open as the nature to us.
