When in Manila, or in this case, when in Cebu, try touring the southern part of it. We recently went on a trip to discover the travel gems in this often overlooked part of the province and found ourselves having a whole lotta fun, all thanks to tour operator Happy Juanderer who made us a hassle-free and yet adventure packed itinerary. From swimming with whale sharks to seeing a million sardines dance in the waters to falling in love with the falls in southern Cebu. I fell in love with two of the falls that we visited in Southern Cebu because they’re so different from one another and both offer a different traveling experience.
First up, Kawasan Falls. Kawasan Falls is found inside the mountains of Barangay Matutinao in Badian Cebu. There are two ways to experience Kawasan falls, one is to walk uphill about 1.5 kilometers from the entrance to Kawasan Falls 3, where most of the tourists go and the second, for the adventure junkie, you can first go Canyoneering which will then lead you to all three major parts of the Kawasan Falls. I felt like I came all the way to the southern part of Cebu to have a taste of the adventure so I wasn’t going to settle for a 1.5km trekk, I was in for the Canyoneering experience.
The whole trek took us about 3 hours of jumping off cliffs and waterfalls, walking through forests and in between canyons and just enjoying and appreciating the view around us. So many times, I wished I had my professional photography gear with me but I also knew it wasn’t safe to bring. Maybe someday, someone withe better canyoneering skills and better photography gear could take beautiful photos and share them with the world so that more would be encouraged to come visit. In the meantime, I settled with what I had and took a great deal appreciating all the beauty around us.
Eventually our canyoneering activity led us to one of the major parts of Kawasan falls and from there, the trek became far easier and we eventually ended up in Kawasan three where most of the tourists usually hang out and where we had a well-deserved meal of Fried Chicken, pork chops and rice. A simple meal that did the fantastic job of filling our stomachs.
For an extra fee, you could rent the rafts and the guides will take it underneath the falls where you can get a waterfall massage. It’s really strong so you might want to brace yourself for it. It was also fun to go behind the falls and just feel the raw power of the water coming down.
The next day, after swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob, we visited Tumalog falls. If you’re not up for the walk, you can always hire a habal habal to take you from the parking lot to the falls and back.
Tumalog falls also offers a unique experience, I just found myself looking up at the cascading water and just thinking of how beautiful it was. The water wasn’t as strong or powerful as Kawasan falls but it’s serene beauty was uniquely magnificent too. I felt so insignificant next to it and yet i had this overwhelming sense of gratitude that I was there at that exact moment, far from the busy life and in touch with nature.
What I loved about this trip was that apart from all the amazing things we got to do and see, it really helped that it was all hassle free. I didn’t need to figure out how to get to where we were going or where to eat or who to talk to, it was all taken care of by Happy Juanderer. Of course I understand that for others, that’s the thrill of traveling, of really getting lost and figuring your way around, but to be honest, for those of us who don’t have the luxury of time, it really helps that tour operators like Happy Juanderer can arrange everything for us. I was able to see and experience a lot of southern Cebu in just two days and for that I don’t mind paying a little extra.
So when in Manila…I mean, when in Cebu, make sure you get in touch with Happy Juanderer and be ready to have quite an adventure outside the city and be ready to fall in love with the waterfalls of southern Cebu just like we did!
If you want to check out how our whole itinerary went, click on the link below and read all about our great adventure in the South of Cebu!
https://www.wheninmanila.com/sursuroy-top-5-things-to-do-when-visiting-southern-cebu
Email: happyjuanderer@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/happyjuanderer
Instagram: Happyjuanderer
website: www.happyjuanderer.com
