Dao Falls Hike In Samboan, Cebu: A Complete Guide

Nestled in the heart of Samboan, Cebu, Philippines, Dao Falls is a hidden gem that offers a refreshing retreat into nature’s pristine beauty. It stands as the tallest waterfall in the area, with its cascading waters creating an ethereal scene against the backdrop of a dramatic cliff. A turquoise pool at the base is the perfect place to cool off.

DAO FALLS IN SAMBOAN: COMPLETE GUIDE

Dao Falls offers not only an epic waterfall finale but it is the trek in that is truly astounding. For thirty minutes you wade through those trademark Cebu blues, while ferns and palms cover the canyon walls on either side. The trek to Dao Falls itself isn’t hard but it does require you to walk through the water and navigate your way around boulders and rocks. It is a moderate adventure with incredible scenery, which is far away from the crowds at Kawasan Falls.

TREKKING TO DAO FALLS: MY EXPERIENCE

Dao Falls has had a recent upgrade and signs now direct you into a parking lot where you will find the ticket office. Here the locals of the community will collect the entrance fee of 60 pesos (which is $1.20 USD).

These friendly locals of Samboan are also the people maintaining the trail and may offer to guide you down. If you aren’t very adventurous you may opt for a guide as many places are slippery and often you are navigating through waist-deep water. A guide would be helpful and many in our group were thankful to have a helping hand steady them along slippery rocks and unstable sections of the trail.

The Dao Falls trail begins with a short downhill section of stairs through the palms. You will then come to a bamboo bridge, which is out of action. Do not use the bridge as it is fragile and will likely snap. Instead, cross the river to the right of the bridge and head up the very clear trail on the other side of the river.

From this point on the trail is beautiful. Cebu is covered in limestone and this means that the rivers and waterfalls have an incredibly smoky blue color to them. My friend has described it as ‘Tiffany Blue’, which I can confirm is an accurate depiction. It isn’t just the Tiffany-Blue water that makes this an incredible trail.

The vibrant green ferns, palms and jungle plants come at you from all angles and contrast against the blues. The final piece of this incredible natural puzzle is the high canyon walls that slowly close in on you as you make your way up the cascades until you are walking through a narrow trail.

In the final parts of the trail, the locals have built a staircase, which is quite necessary as the waterfall gets fierce and steep. This is a very scenic part of the trail and you can actually get a glimpse of Dao Falls from the base of the stairs with the smaller waterfalls below it. This was probably my favorite spot on the trail.

Dao Falls is about 40-50m high and pours down into a large pool. You can swim safely in the pool and near the falls when the flow isn’t too crazy but of course be careful depending on the conditions. It was a great pool to refresh in after the short trail hike. I’ve heard that the falls used to be double the width but a landslide impacted the flow and it isn’t quite as impressive these days but it still impressed me!