I googled for something to do in the summer and a list of waterfalls to visit in Cebu came out. There was actually ten in that list. But with only 2 days of availability, my friend and I were only able to "chase" less than 10.
Though less than 10, chasing waterfalls was much more than the number. So it wasn't about how many, it was about how it was.
So how was it? How did we do it in 2 days?
To avoid long hours on the bus, we took a what we call "cutting-trip" by going to the most accessible waterfalls, then to the farthest for the first day, so that the next day, we would be able to chase waterfalls while heading back to Cebu City. Thanks to the brilliant ideas of my travel companion: Angelique Kaamino!
Here are the details...
* We headed to the South Bus Terminal and caught the bus to KAWASAN in Badian.
I really dislike waking up so early when going on a trip. I always want my trip to be as convenient as possible, especially with time (in the cheapest way available). So my companion and I decided to be at the terminal at 9AM. We had enough sleep and ample amount of time to enjoy breakfast, even if we are 40-minutes away from the bus station.
* After about 3 hours, we arrived in Badian and had lunch before going to the waterfalls. Having lunch outside the waterfalls area is good for those without baon or those with tight budget. There's a small carenderia at the bus stop, so it isn't difficult to find a cheap place to eat. And here's something from our short visit there:
Walking to the waterfalls is a beautiful experience. Some Kawasan go-ers would take a habal-habal (motorcycle ride) to get there for Php50. But the waterfalls is not the only thing beautiful about the place. The foot bridges, the rustling shallow waters that flow like a river from the top of the waterfalls, the local plants that you can no longer see in the urban areas, and the people of different nationalities walking past. You can't miss them by taking the motorcyle. So walk to Kawasan. There were so many people at the foot of the waterfalls, so I didn't feel like taking a plunge. It was like a crowded beach. And it seems that you have to pay for almost anything you do there. So after having enough of looking around, it was time to chase another waterfalls.
* We walked out of Kawasan and took the next bus to Samboan. SAMBOAN was like 2 hours of bus ride from Badian. And this is what we found in Samboan: AGUINID FALLS
Aguinid Falls is accessible via motorcycle from the highway. If taveling solo or just a pair of two poor wanderers like me and my companion, Php50 per person will be a good deal because the driver had to wait for you. And there's a ten-peso fee to enter the area (but no one collected our fees at the time, so lucky!)
The waterfalls has a small pool water at its base. It was almost 4pm and the water was very tempting, but there was yet another falls to chase nearby, so we didn't take a dip anymore, nor did we check out the upper layer of the waterfalls. If we had more time, we would have checked out the entire area.
* Off to INAMBAKAN FALLS in GINATILAN
The town of Ginalitan is pretty close to Aguinid waterfalls. So we decided to take the whole trip there via motorcyle. Our hired driver agreed to tour us around, wait, and send us to Malabuyoc for the night's rest. (With three towns and two waterfalls he had to travel to tour us around, and with the hours of waiting, we paid him Php500. If it is still too much for you, you can do the haggling.)
Our timing in Inambakan Falls was just perfect. The ride that almost took 30 minutes was really worthwhile. It was the time when the waterfalls had just the right access to the sun to create the rainbows around it. And 4pm was the perfect time for a cool and refreshing dip.
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| the water, the rainbow, and us |
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| doesn't this look magical? |
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| the water, the rainbow, and me |
* Time to rest for the night. We heard of a very cheap place to stay overnight. It's this place: SAIVE MARIE PHARMACY in the town proper of MALABUYOC. For Php50, you have a safe place to sleep already. And because it's the town proper, it was very easy to find a cheap place to eat. There's a market nearby and some decent carenderias around.
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| This is the Saive Marie Pharmacy and the decent rooms are on the second floor |
*The next day at 9AM after a hearty breakfast, we're Cebu City bound already. But still with falls to chase, we took the bus to another KAWASAN FALLS, but not the one in Badian. It's the Kawasan Falls of Batad-batad in MOAL-BOAL.
This waterfalls was the hardest to get to. The place was very remote and the roads were mostly under-developed. And the waterfalls? There wasn't even a trail to easily find it. Good thing we found two nimble little girls to guide us to the undeveloped Kawasan falls.
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| after the tiring trek, we deserve this pose. ^^ |
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| this is pretty much what we can take from our view |
*The last chase (arriving there at lunch time) : MANTAYUPAN FALLS in BARILI
This is contrary to Moalboal's Kawasan. Mantayupan is well-developed, almost like the Kawasan in Badian when it comes to attention it receives from the local government. But of course, in Badian, the body of water is bigger and the crowd larger. So even with this seemingly overcrowding in Mantayupan, I still like it's ambiance. For me, it's a simpler version of Kawasan in Badian and I would definitely come back here for a longer dip.
* Time to go back to Cebu City. And to reward ourselves for the successful chasing, we dropped off at the most amazing place to beat the heat of the afternoon sun: THE MILK STATION in Dakit, just before Carcar. The station is just along the highway, so it is easy to spot!
And so before 6pm, we are back to our place in Cebu City!
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