Great Things You Can Do on a Weekend in Oslob, Cebu: Whaleshark and More!

          I've heard of Oslob's whaleshark a few years back and thought these water giants would be gone from the place eventually, having some sort of temporary migration.  But they've stayed in the southernmost part of  Cebu's island up until now.  Last year around this time, I just had to see these sharks myself.  Many people I've known have been there and told stories of its awesomeness.  Just hearing about it is not enough. The stories have to be personally experienced.  

          Buy time and experience, I always tell myself if I'm double checking my budget already, signs that I might back out from travel plans due to financial constraints.  So I went there with a friend in a very tight budget, but with lots of convenience.  Here's to a great weekend for budget travelers like me.

Getting there and getting around

1. Most Oslob visitors prefer to take the early morning bus (like 3AM) from South Bus Terminal to arrive at their destination at around 6AM and head straight to the registration and debriefing area for the activity: swimming with the whalesharks.  The bus fare is between Php150-160 and the ride will last for up to 4 hours depending on how many stops the bus will take.

2. If you prefer to have enough sleep before swimming with the Butanding, like me,  take the bus at 3PM on Saturday and arrived at your destination at around 6 or 7 in the evening (buses seems to travel longer in broad daylight, must be due to several stops for passenger-picking).  

3.  Without any bookings, you can just ask around for a decent place to stay overnight.  That's what we did and we found this place called Ester's Place. There is air-conditioning in each of the Php900-worth room (there were four rooms) available in this house, and if you don't use the air-con unit, you only pay Php600 for the room.  If you are with one or two companions, you only spend 200 or 300 for the night. In this inn, there is abundance of water supply and the toilets are clean!

it's a house! It's Casa Bonita Inn (Ester's Place)

just ignore the mess of our  Php600 room ^^

4.  Ester's Place is just along the highway and across it are small stores and the seashore where you can take a free boat in the early morning to the activity's debriefing area. The debriefing unit is actually just 5-minute walk away from the Ester's.  So you can either take a walk or take the free boat ride.

Ambience

          Oslob is very countryside.  It's a coastal area, and the water a few meters away from the land is already very deep and tastes saltier than the seawater in other water areas of Cebu that I've immersed into.  This is maybe why the whale sharks like it there (this is just my opinion).  Southward, there are a lot of resorts of different sorts along its coast.  During the day, you can see men in uniform t-shirts, working for the local government unit to serve the tourists joining the Oslob whaleshark activity.  The moment the sun sets, the locals stay inside their homes and leave the place so quiet.   The people there are very friendly and accommodating.

         The lucky thing about our visit there was the October Fest they held on the eve of our arrival.  Funny because it was still September! So we were lucky to have spent the night there with lots of beer around and music.  Even if we don't drink, the atmosphere was really fun, with locals and foreigners jamming together.  We didn't experience  the boredom of a very quiet night in the country at all.   So it is a good idea to visit around October when they have this event there if planning to stay overnight.

October fest in September!

Oh, she looks drunk already. ^^

Things to do

There are a few things you can do when spending your weekend in Oslob.

1. Watching or swimming with the whale shark.  The fee  for the activity is Php300 for just whaleshark watching and Php500 if you want to swim and take photo poses with the Butandings. The activity lasts for 30 minutes only, which starts the moment you jump off the boat.  So there's no time to waste.  There's no need to worry if you can't swim because they will provide life jackets and personal guides.  If you have no underwater camera, there are Php550 for rentals there. You can get the soft copies immediately after the activity.  It's a good idea to bring your own USB if you are planning to rent an underwater cam because burning the photos in DVDs or CDs will take some time and will cost about Php100.  Here's some of the underwater shots of me and the whale sharks.

2. Have a side trip to Sumilon Island.  The island is very visible from the coast so most Oslob go-ers take advantage of the proximity by having their beach time in the soft white sands of Sumilon after swimming with the whale shark.  In most cases, because you have to pakyaw the boat, the ride will cost Php500 back and forth.  Beaching is not our cup of tea, so my companion and I went for the third option.

3. Chasing Tumalog waterfalls. It's more or less 30-minute motorcycle ride from the main road and will cost each of the two passengers Php100 for back and forth ride.  The motorcycle will not send you straight to the waterfalls itself.  You must walk along the wide cemented path of  winding

steep slopes in chasing the waterfalls.  It's an exhilarating walk to a refreshing shower! Oh, don't forget the Php10 entrance fee. ^^

4. Stopover at the Poblacion. It's just along the highway, so why not take a stroll before heading back to the city?  Its ambiance will take you to a feel of decades ago, decades you were not born yet. 

Enjoy!