Dea MarianoCanyoneering to Kawasan Falls is one of the can’t-miss adventures in Cebu. It involves traveling down the streams and springs through variety of means including jumping, swimming, walking, and climbing through rocks within the canyon. The adventure begins in the mountains of Badian and ends at Kawasan Falls.
Non-swimmer? Not a problem! As long as you’re a thrill-seeker who’s willing to experience an adventure of a lifetime! It is mandatory to wear life jackets, helmets, and water shoes, which are usually included in the package.
Our Kawasan Falls Canyoneering Experience
We availed our canyoneering package from iCanyon Cebu Canyoneering Group. Probably the most accommodating and welcoming people we’ve met! They provided everything we need for the trip and really took care of us until the end of Kawasan Falls canyoneering tour!
We did not book in advance as this trip is semi-spontaneous (we only had flight tickets booked online). We just told the bus attendant that we’re going to “kawasan canyoneering“, then he dropped us off at iCanyon. Seemed like he knew the owner whom he said is a policeman.
We arrived at iCanyon around 12 noon, in time for lunch! They served us food that are not only sumptuous but special as well. The timing was perfect as it was fiesta in their town!
After the tummy-filling feast, we then proceeded to pick our footwear. It is mandatory to wear proper footwear, but if you’re already wearing one no need to change. In our case, Jec was wearing slippers so he was advised to change, and I didn’t want my trekking sandals to get worn out so I also opted to change. While Diane wore her sandals as is.
We put some of our important belongings in a locker (as we can’t bring our xa20 and other camera accessories), while our huge bags containing clothes were put in a storage. We journeyed with just a GoPro, a Yi action cam, and a dry bag (containing wallets, mobile phones, and extra batteries).
At around 1pm we left iCanyon and headed to the tourist registration via habal-habal, it was about a 10-minute ride. After the registration and a brief orientation, we started trekking down a paved and cemented path with lots of stairs! Take note that it is tiring, but a good warm up!
We got excited upon seeing the streams with blue hue and jumped into the cold water right away! Our guides, Kuya Allen and Rey (if I remember correctly), were very careful and experienced so we had peace of mind that we’re in good hands! Not to mention that they’re quite fluent in Tagalog!
What’s so cool about this trip is that you’d get to pass by several mini falls along the way. And the guides will automatically assist you to go beneath the mini falls and take photos!
We also took a few quick rests. For me this is a must! You’d get to appreciate more the beauty of the surroundings. The views are surreal! Turquoise waters, green vegetation, and huge boulders of rocks in different shapes and sizes. Remember to take a pause (a couple of minutes would do) every once in a while.
My most favorite part is swimming, as I don’t have to stress my feet walking and climbing. I’ll just swim and float comfortably on the water. I consider this as a rest after jumping off a cliff!
My second most favorite is the part where we had to slide down a slightly sloped rock and let the water and gravity take us to another pool of water. I tried it head first, it’s awesome!
After about 3 hours of swimming, jumping, trekking, and climbing up and down boulders of rocks, we reached the Level 3 of Kawasan Falls. The surroundings looked otherworldly! I’ve seen this many times in social media photos but it looks more beautiful in person!
At this point we’re so exhausted and I honestly wanted to chill here and stay longer. But it was already 4pm and we still need to pass another level before reaching the main level of Kawasan Falls.
We trekked down for another 10-15 minutes until we reached the 2nd Level of Kawasan Falls. Our guides said this was once a perfect spot for cliff jumping, until the aftermath of typhoon Odette. Sadly, huge rocks got submerged beneath the falls, making it unsafe for cliff diving.
It’s still a gorgeous view though! Our guides suggested we take photos from here but we were already dog-tired** so we decided to do the picture taking at the main level.
**the night before we worked overtime (until 7pm), then traveled from Bulacan to NAIA (arrived around 10pm). We boarded the plane at 3:30am, arrived in Cebu around 6am (flight was delayed!), and traveled by bus to Badian. We literally had no sleep!
We reached Kawasan Falls Main Level around 4:30 pm. Glad we arrived before dark! Kawasan Falls’ grandeur was still evident, eventhough its shape changed. There was a huge boulder trapped on top of the falls, changing the water’s direction. There were also debris of an overly damaged establishment (a restaurant) beside the falls.
The place, I could say, is still a gorgeous display of nature’s art. The water is so blue! It actually looked like a huge pool of blue gatorade drink. And it’s so clean as in zero trash spotted!
After a few snaps of photos and some kulitan moments, we left at around 5:30pm. It was still a 20-min walk from the falls to the main road. Along the way, we passed by a bridge that looked interesting. We also met 2 bubbly Tarlaqueñas who happened to speak kapampangan, so my 2 kapampangan buddies easily conversed with them and got along!
As we walk our way to the main road, we passed by a vendor selling chocolate donuts for 20 php each. Such a yummy sweet treat after a very tiring expedition! A lovely way to end our Kawasan Falls canyoneering tour!
We went back to iCanyon (just along the main road) to change clothes. Our guides were inviting us for dinner (it was fiesta!) but it was already getting late. We have to spend the night at Moalboal so that we could start our tour early in the morning the next day. We turned down the invitation with a heavy heart huhu. Although they served us macaroni salads before we left!
And as for our belongings, everything was found as how we left them. Complete and untouched! Thank you iCanyon staff for taking care of us and our belongings!
Travel Guide
Ready to take the canyoneering challenge and you’re already planning for it? Here’s a simple travel guide that you can follow!
How to get to Kawasan Falls Canyoneering?
From Cebu City:
Go to South Bus Terminal and take a bus going to Bato via Barili. Travel time is approximately 4 hours. Take note that you must take a bus going to “Bato via Barili” and not “Bato via Oslob”.
Simply tell the bus attendant that you’re going to Kawasan Falls. Surely, they know where to drop you off as they’re already used to visitors going there.
In our experience, we took a Metrolink Bus (a color red non-ac bus) as it’s the one that was about to leave the terminal. We paid 194 php each for the ride. You can also ride a Ceres Bus (yellow ac bus) from the South Bus Terminal.
From Moalboal:
If you’re already in Moalboal, it’s a 45-min to 1-hour journey to Kawasan Falls. You can take a bus from the main road, or rent a habal-habal (motorcycle) from wherever you are for around 200 php.
From Oslob:
Take a bus from Oslob to Bato (fare is around 40-50 php), then from Bato, ride another bus bound for Badian or Cebu City (these buses will pass by Kawasan Falls). Travel time will be approximately 2 hours and fare is around 100 php.
Where to Book Kawasan Falls Canyoneering Tour?
You can walk-in if you’re spontaneous, but you can also book in advance if you want a more organized trip.
If you opt to walk-in, we highly recommend iCanyon Cebu Canyoneering Group. We paid 1,500 php each for the tour, including life jackets, helmets, water shoes, locker, meals, and experienced guides.
If you want to book online, you can easily book via Klook!
Book here:
- Badian Canyoneering Admission and Guided Experience
- Badian Canyoneering in Cebu and Kawasan Falls Tour
Note: Life jackets, helmets, and water shoes are already included in tour packages as these are mandatory.
Tips & Tricks
- It is better to take the morning tour so you won’t get too pressured by time.
- Make sure you have enough sleep and eat your breakfast. You will need all your energy for this!
- Wear rashguards and tight leggings to protect you from the sun and to prevent wounds and scratches.
- Apply sunscreen if you’re wearing sleeveless and shorts.
- Wear comfortable aqua shoes.
- Listen to your guides! They’ve been there countless times.
- During cliff jumping, don’t stare and look hard on the water. Take a look once before you jump then look away! If you don’t follow this you won’t be able to jump. Shout if you must!
- Put all your necessary stuff in a dry bag such as extra batteries, mobile phones, and wallets.
Watch our Canyoneering Experience!
Did you like this guide? I hope it inspired you to try this adventure! Feel free to comment below and share this to your travel buddies!
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