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CANYONEERING AT KAWASAN FALLS ON CEBU: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

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CANYONEERING AT KAWASAN FALLS ON CEBU: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls on Cebu was the most extreme adventure we did in the Philippines.

KAWASAN FALLS CANYONEERING ON CEBU

In Badian, there are lots of tour companies you book with for your Kawasan Falls canyoneering adventure on Cebu. However, sometimes it is nice to book in advance and look at the reviews and prices before you arrive. Below is the tour company, I recommend as they have the best guides and also have good vibes and get involved with cliff jumping and make it a fun day.

My Recommended and the TOP-RATED Kawasan Falls Canyoneering tour in Cebu for under also includes swimming with Whale Sharks and transfer to and from your hotel. CLICK HERE to check it out.

FINDING OUR CANYONEERING GUIDES

Huddled together in a village of Alegria we were waiting for locals to decide who wanted to be our guide. Surrounded by huts and coconut trees, we handed over 1500 pesos or $30 USD. It would turn out to be the best money we spent all trip. The entire trip lasted over five hours and our guides were with us for 3.5 hours and then sent us on our way to Kawasan Falls Cebu for the last part of the journey.

The adventure started with a walk down a jungle path as we got to know our guides. Five different guys came with us and allowed us to go without lifejackets and helmets. I got to know our guide Jerome who was actually spiderman and did the entire canyon in jeans and flip-flops without slipping once.

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ALEGRIA TO KAWASAN FALLS

As soon as we saw the river for the first time, the turquoise blue shocked me. I had never seen water looking so dense and rich in color. Our guides yelled out to jump in. I was a bit nervous about how deep it was and how lax the guides were but Jerome casually backflipped into the river so from that moment forward it was on.

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The current was strong but even without lifejackets, it was never overwhelming. I would call myself a good swimmer and definitely had no issues but a lifejacket would have been more relaxing for the floating parts of the canyoneering tour at Kawasan Falls.

Each section of the Kawasan Falls canyoneering tour went for 10 or so minute before we would arrive at a big jump or a natural water slide. Our guides had no issues waiting around for everyone to climb the canyons and make their jump or to re-do their failed backflip to get a better photo. This is the benefit of booking a tour rather than just going with a big random group you will get thrown in to at the entrance. Our crew was really chilled out and it made the experience much more fun knowing that our guides were just in on the fun too.

My Recommended and the TOP-RATED Kawasan Falls Canyoneering tour in Cebu for under $40: Click Here to book

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The biggest jump of the day came early on and wasn’t a necessary part of the adventure. Only those who chose to climb the canyon and make the leap had to do it.

I jumped feet first but snapped a photo on my GoPro of this crazy headfirst dive from 50-60 feet. A GoPro and a small amount of cash were all I brought along as there was some food sold halfway through the adventure. It would be smart to bring a spare 200 pesos that will get you a drink and a snack and some cash for the tricycle home.

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HALFWAY POINT OF THE CANYONEERING TOUR AT KAWASAN FALLS

From this point onwards it is mostly just trekking and exploring rather than cliff jumping and swimming. The water Is only ever about knee height. If you are like me and get cold easily you will be happy that you are out of the water and can now warm up for the rest of the Kawasan Falls canyoneering tour.

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There was a huge dam wall and a rope swing that we spent some time checking out. The jungle was such an amazing setting for our journey and around each corner was another magical scene.

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We were starting to wonder if we would ever reach Badian Kawasan Falls when all of a sudden a small group of people huddled over a huge drop. We were at the second falls, which was about a 50 foot drop. I watched someone jump and decided this was a great way to cap off an amazing day!

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FINALLY AT KAWASAN FALLS CEBU

After hanging out in the pool below the second falls for about half an hour we decided to finally check out Kawasan Falls Cebu. Arriving at the falls we saw the 60ft+ jump and decided to give it a miss because of all the ropes below.

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This pool was much more crowded because many people just walk in off the road and pay Kawasan Falls entrance fee of 20 Pesos or 40 cents USD. We took in the moment and reflected on our amazing half-day journey before finally heading home.

A 10-minute walk out to the road before a short tricycle journey home and our amazing day was complete.

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MY TIPS FOR CANYONEERING IN KAWASAN FALLS CEBU

  1. Do the Canyoneering from Alegria to Kawasan Falls. Just seeing Kawasan Falls at the end was not nearly as awesome as the entire experience and for only $30-40 USD it is amazing value.
  2. Don’t try and do canyoneering alone. I am the first one to try and ditch the guide but this is a tour where you really do rely on their knowledge with your safety. The guides tell you where to jump, land, step and what areas are safe. They help you hold on in the current and guide you safely. Our guides were happy for us to do risky climbing and high jumps but were on hand to point to us where to land and give us helpful advice.
  3. Only bring a GoPro. We were given a dry bag, which leaked. There is too much impact, scraping on rocks and big drops to feel entirely confident in a dry bag. Bring a GoPro but definitely no DSLR. If you only visit Kawasan Falls from the road without canyoneering you can bring a DSLR as you don’t need to swim or jump.
  4. Wear grippy closed shoes. I wore a pair of Nike’s and had no problems. There are lots of slippery rocks and climbing made much easier with a decent pair of sneakers.
  5. Try not to pay more than 1500-2000 Pesos. You can always find cheaper and you can definitely find more expensive but it seemed like 1500 Pesos was about the average price going around. At first, the tour guide tried to have us pay 1500 for a random tour of some waterfalls but we made it clear we wanted to do canyoneering from the top all the way down through the canyons and end at Kawasan Falls.

WHERE TO STAY ON CEBU?

I really think that if you are going to be exploring Cebu, the best place to stay is in Moalboal. There are a few reasons why!

Cebu City might be where you land at the airport but if you are looking for adventure, you will need to head south as soon as possible. Most of the best waterfalls, whale sharks, snorkeling with sardines and turtles are all down south.

So where do you stay to do all of these adventures? Moalboal! Trust me I know… I rent an apartment in Moalboal and that is my base for all of the adventures you have just read!

Moalboal is a cool town, which is the free-diving and scuba capital of Cebu and even the Philippines. Here there are tons of hostels, hotels, and homestays. There are plenty of restaurants and even a small mall.

This is really the last spot as you travel down south where you will have good wifi, 4G connection, western restaurants and lots of facilities. Once you head further south to Alegria and Ginatilan those towns just aren’t set up for tourists really.

Moalboal is just a short drive from most attractions and even all the way down to the Whale Sharks is just a 1-hour drive. There are a variety of accommodations in Moalboal but I will tell you my favorite for each style of traveler. I have a recommendation for budget travelers, mid-level and luxury.

MoHo Moalboal Hostel – Budget: I stayed at this cool hostel for a few days. It is brand new and pretty modern with a huge chill-out space. The WIFI works! I was blogging and using WordPress and the connection was fine.

The dorm rooms are clean and modern with each bed having a blind for privacy. The staff were super chill and helpful. There was free water to refill your bottle and free coffee and tea. It is the cheapest option on booking.com at just 8 USD.

Teobas Homestay – Value: You need to click on that link just to see how rad this place is. It has a staircase down to the ocean into crystal clear water. I can tell you, I have snorkeled out the front of this place with turtles many times.

For about $30 USD you get a private room with all of the facilities you need. There is not much better than having ocean access and a bit of a sunset view!

Dolphin House Resort – Luxury: If you are looking for a nice resort, Dolphin House is a 5-star resort with a huge pool for less than $200 USD per night. It has ocean access, a great restaurant, chilling areas, and a beautiful garden throughout the property.

To view all of the accommodation options in Moalboal head to the Moalboal search page on Booking.com

MORE CEBU TRAVEL GUIDES

The Cebu Waterfall Guide: Best Waterfalls on the Island: BEST WATERFALLS ON CEBU

Kawasan Falls Canyoneering: KAWASAN FALLS CEBU CANYONEERING ADVENTURE

Oslob: WHAT TO DO IN OSLOB CEBU

Osmena Peak: OSMEÑA PEAK IN CEBU – A BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE HIKE

Digital Nomad Guide to Moalboal: THE DIGITAL NOMAD GUIDE TO MOALBOAL, CEBU

The Ultimate Philippines 3-4 week Itinerary: ULTIMATE PHILIPPINES TRAVEL ITINERARY FOR 3-4 WEEKS

The Backpacking Guide to the Philippines: PHILIPPINES BACKPACKING GUIDE: 1 MONTH FOR $800

KAWASAN FALLS MAP

Marisa

Friday 5th of May 2023

hi I experienced that last April 30, 2023..extreme to the extreme LOL but its great experienced Tour guides is very helpful and funny . we are 7 in a group and my son really enjoyed it .

Magda

Wednesday 28th of December 2022

Every time I go on holidays, I check if you have been there before as your reccomendations are spot on and adventurous - just how I like it -If you are ever back at Cebu I reccomend doing wonderfalls in Algeria.

It is a canyon but they have just opened in for tourtist 2021 so there would be 10 visitors per day as not many people know about it. The scramble features are interesting, no shopping cart half way the canyon and it is so remote and beautiful. It has two parts as well so you can do part 1 one day and part 2 the other.

It was my favourite experience while staying in Moalboal .

How I Spent a Month Backpacking the Philippines With US$800

Tuesday 17th of August 2021

[…] town just north called Kawasan. Famous for the spectacularly blue Kawasan Falls. We planned to do a canyoneering adventure from Alegria to Kawasan that cost about US$25. After a few communication breakdowns with tour agents, we were finally taken […]

Kris

Thursday 23rd of January 2020

Hi Jackson, do you happen to have contact details to guides that took you for the tour? I followed the link for your Recommended and the TOP-RATED Kawasan Falls Canyoneering tour in Cebu for under $40 - but it appears the tour is only for Kawasan fall but we would like to do the whole tour from Algeria

John Alex

Saturday 9th of November 2019

I am Mr. John Alex, These travel blogs are awesome and cover a range of travel styles. I've been excitedly following and Expert Vagabond for at least 2 years now which is cool. I'm really digging the Camels & Chocolate site too, thanks. Question Pete, would you mind taking a quick look at my site and providing some advice or suggestions? I realize you are busy so if there was a consultation fee, I'm okay with that too. Thanks :-)