Cebu and Moalboal

By guyshe · 0 stars

# Cebu and Moalboal

### General tips

- There's no reason to stay in Cebu City.
- Good food at the D' Original Siomai sa Tisa branches.
- Most of the southern waterfalls are close together, so you can visit a few of them in one day.

### Springs in the north

Cold springs, worth a stop only if you're heading north anyway:

- Mt. Uragay Spring Resort, Carmen: 50 PHP entrance
- Durano Eco Farm and Spring Resort, Carmen: 60 PHP entrance
- Esoy Hot Springs, Catmon: expensive and not very good

### Moalboal

- South Cebu: fly into Cebu, continue by road.
- Small place, lots of bars, young travellers.
- Massage: the places near the tattoo shop up the road.

#### Where to stay

- Moalboal Backpacker Lodge: popular with backpackers.
- Eve's Kiosk: cheap but not well maintained; check the room before you book.

#### Attractions

- Mantalongon trek: an easy trek of about 1.5 hours starting from Mantalongon village. Register for the trek for safety (free). You can hire a guide (often a local kid), but the trail is clear and a guide isn't really needed.
- Kawasan Falls: a nice trek of about 4.5 hours that combines well with the Mantalongon trek, with a zipline on the way and good cliff jumps. Expect about 20 PHP to cross private land, and 50–200 PHP for a guide (including Mantalongon). The mountaintop is chilly: bring warm clothes and a windbreaker.
- Inambakan Falls, Ginatilan: the first of three falls; the others are Kampael Falls and Bungnawan Falls. Take a bus from Cebu City to Bato via Barili (about 170 PHP; you can also get there from Moalboal), then a *habal-habal* (motorbike taxi, 20–30 PHP) from Ginatilan.
- Dao Falls, Samboan: probably one of the highest falls in the area, about 120 m. 20 PHP entrance, 100 PHP for a guide.
- Aguinid Falls, Samboan: very touristy but very beautiful. Hire a guide to help with the climbs; sandals are the best footwear. 40 PHP entrance, 10 PHP motorbike parking.
- Binalayan Hidden Falls, Samboan: less known; you pass a few small falls on the way, so don't stop at the wrong one. 10 PHP.
- Tumalog Falls: mystical-looking falls. Check there's water flowing before you go. 20 PHP.
- Panagsama Beach: the tourist centre.
  - Good diving nearby, with the famous sardine run.
  - No ATMs.
- Canyoneering, Kanlaob River: about 650–800 PHP, and amazing.
  - Wear sandals or water shoes.
  - Bring as little as possible.
- Busay Cave and Spring: a nice cave, easy to walk. 25 PHP entrance.
- White Beach (Basdako): the nicest beach in the area.
- Motorbike rental: around 500 PHP per day. Planet Action Adventure is good.

#### Diving

Dives cost 1,000–1,500 PHP each, plus a 100 PHP dive tax per dive.

- Pescador Island: wall dives; the Pescador Cathedral is one of the best caves around.
- Sunken Island: an amazing underwater mountain; check how much experience it requires.
- Good dive centres:
  - Cebu Dive Center
  - Savedra Dive Center: not cheap, but worth it; runs 6-day dive safaris.

### Mactan Island

- Next to Cebu City: upscale resorts, dive sites.
- Moalboal and Malapascua have better diving.