South Cebu Backpacking 2022 | DIY Itinerary and Breakdown of Expenses

The island province of Cebu is definitely a destination worth visiting over and over again! Beyond question, Cebu is nothing short of a wondrous masterpiece with its countless natural attractions, exciting adventures, insta-worthy places, unique food experiences, great people, and more! That’s why it’s not surprising that Cebu has been in the international spotlight as it once again made it to the list of the World’s Best Islands!

Just recently, we took the opportunity to revisit Cebu when my sis-in-law (who just passed the Architecture licensure exams and wanted to celebrate) requested to see Whalesharks up-close and personal. A great chance also for us to cover some places we haven’t been to yet! This trip is semi-spontaneous — we only had roundtrip plane tickets booked online and a draft itinerary that only got altered right on the spot (because of delayed flight!).

We were supposed to go straight to Oslob for whaleshark watching at 9 am (it is until 12 noon only). Since our flight got delayed, we decided to start with Badian, then Moalboal, then Oslob, before we head back to Cebu City.

Now, let me share you our actual itinerary. This is exactly how our trip went!

 

South Cebu DIY Itinerary 3D2N

 

DAY 1

(Travel to Cebu; Badian Canyoneering; Kawasan Falls)

04:30 AM	Flight from Manila to Cebu
06:00 AM	Arrive at Mactan Airport
06:30 AM	Arrive at South Bus Terminal
06:45 AM	Depart from South Bus Terminal
11:15 AM	Arrive at Badian; iCanyon Cebu Canyoneering Group
11:30 AM	Lunch at iCanyon
12:30 PM	Start Badian Canyoneering to Kawasan Falls
04:30 PM	Arrive at Kawasan Falls Main Level; Explore and photo-ops
05:30 PM	End of tour; Walk from Kawasan Falls to iCanyon
06:00 PM	Back at iCanyon; Quick rest and merienda
06:30 PM	Depart from iCanyon via habal-habal
07:00 PM	Arrive at Moalboal; Check-in at Moalboal Backpacker Lodge; Wash-up
09:00 PM	Dinner at Lola's Bar Moalboal
10:00 PM	Lights off

 

You can also read full details of our Badian Canyoneering to Kawasan Falls here.

 

Watch our canyoneering experience!

Book your Canyoneering tour via Klook!

• Badian Canyoneering Admission and Guided Experience
• Badian Canyoneering in Cebu and Kawasan Falls Tour

 

DAY 2

(Moalboal Tour; Sunset at Sumilon Island Oslob)

05:00 AM	Wake-up call; Prep for Panagsama tour
06:00 AM	Meet-up Kian Tours; Start Panagsama Tour: Sardines Run, Pawikan Chasing
07:30 AM	End of Panagsama Tour; Buy souvenirs
08:00 AM	Check-out Moalboal Backpackers Lodge; Leave Panagsama
08:30 AM	Arrive at White Beach Moalboal; Breakfast
09:00 AM	Explore White Beach
10:30 AM	Depart from White Beach Moalboal
10:45 AM	Arrive at Bus Terminal; Ride Bus to Bato
12:15 PM	Arrive at Bato
02:15 PM	Arrive at Oslob; Check-in at Bangcogon Resort & Restaurant
02:45 PM	Boat ride to Sumilon Island via Bangcogon Resort
02:55 PM	Arrive at Sumilon Island; Explore sandbar
04:00 PM	Depart from Sumilon Island
04:10 PM	Arrive at Bangcogon Resort; Wash-up; Rest
07:00 PM	Dinner by the beach at Bangcogon Resort
10:00 PM	Lights off

 

Read more about our Moalboal Day Tour here.

 

 

Watch our Moalboal Day Tour!

 

Day 3

(Oslob Whaleshark Watching; Sirao Flower Farm; Pasalubong; Travel to Manila)

05:00 AM	Wake-up call; Prep for Whaleshark watching
06:00 AM	Orientation; Boat ride to the whaleshark site
06:30 AM	Start Whaleshark Watching/snorkeling/swimming
07:00 AM	End of tour; Back to Bangcogon Resort
07:30 AM	Wash-up; Quick Breakfast
09:15 AM	Depart from Oslob
02:15 PM	Arrive at Cebu City (South Bus Terminal); Charter Taxi to Sirao Garden
03:00 PM	Arrive at Sirao Garden; Explore and photo-ops
04:45 PM	Depart from Sirao Garden
06:15 PM	Arrive at Mactan (Pasalubong Center)
07:00 PM	Arrive at Airport; Dinner
08:30 PM	Boarding Time
09:00 PM	Flight back to Manila

 

More about our Oslob tour here.

 

 

Watch our Oslob tour!

 

Read about Sirao Garden tour here.

 

 

Note: This was our second time in Cebu. I will also write a post for first timer’s guide about best places to visit in Cebu with itinerary and travel guide soon!

 

Let me also share with you our original (draft) itinerary. If there was no delay in our flight, this could have happened:

Day 1: Oslob Whaleshark | Sumilon Island
Day 2: Kawasan Canyoneering | Moalboal Sardines Run | Pawikan Site | White Beach
Day 3: Sirao Garden | Temple of Leah

In short, we only missed Temple of Leah because of delayed flight. Not that bad though.

 

Breakdown of Expenses

Item	Cost per person	Total Cost
Taxi from Mactan Airport to South Bus Terminal	150	450
Breakfast bought from South Bus Terminal (Chorizo de Cebu + rice)	53	160
Ordinary Bus Fare to Badian	194	582
Canyoneering Package from iCanyon Cebu Canyoneering Group	1,500	4,500
Snacks and drinks	90	270
Choco Donut at Kawasan Falls (this is 20 each only, we offered to treat our guides)	33	100
Tip	100	300
Habal-habal from iCanyon to Moalboal Backpacker Lodge	133	400
Overnight stay at Moalboal Backpacker Lodge (AC room with own CR for 3pax)	467	1400
Dinner at Lola's Bar Moalboal	378	1,135
Panagsama Beach tour (Sardines Run + Pawikan Site) via Kian Adventure	500	1,500
Tricycle from Panagsama to White Beach then to Bus Terminal (kontrata)	167	500
White Beach Tourist Pass	25	75
White Beach Entrance Fee	10	30
Breakfast at White Beach (shanghai, bbq, eggs, rice)	45	135
Snacks at White Beach (banana-q, bottled water)	18	55
Ligo fee at White Beach	10	30
Bus fare Moalboal to Bato	95	285
Bus fare Bato to Oslob	40	120
Boat fee to Sumilon Island	600	1,800
Lunch + Dinner at Bangcogon Resort and Restaurant Oslob	767	2,300
Overnight stay at Bangcogon Resort and Restaurant Oslob (AC Room w/CR for 3pax)	833	2,500
Whaleshark Watching fee	500	1,500
Bus fare (Ceres AC) from Oslob to Cebu City (South Bus Terminal)	277	831
Taxi from South Bus Terminal to Sirao Garden then to Airport (kontrata)	667	2,000
Dinner (Rico's Lechon Takeout + Jollibee Airport)	227	680
TOTAL	7,879	23,638

 

Note: This is not a pocket-friendly trip. You can lower down the cost significantly by opting for cheaper accommodations like Fan Rooms (our li’l sis can’t sleep without AC), and by not opting for chartered tricycles and taxis (our li’l sis brought her whole bedroom in her maleta 😂 so we had to lessen the hassle of commuting). Another factor is that a group of 3 people is not the best number for travels like this (a habal-habal is for 2pax, a taxi for 4pax, a tricycle for 4pax). Also, we felt like splurging a little bit for food in this trip (for an unknown reason 😅), so take that also into consideration. You can still use this budget breakdown as reference.

I did not include the roundtrip plane tickets because we differ in cost. Diane’s ticket is in regular rate (around 4,200 roundtrip), and for me and Jec we used our Cebu Pacific vouchers that were about to expire (we spent around 6,000 roundtrip for 2pax).

 

South Cebu Itinerary

 

And that’s it for this guide! Hope it inspired you to visit Cebu soon and help you plan your travel!

Stay tuned for more posts about our Cebu trip!