Cebu waterfalls are well recognized for their beauty. Kawasan Falls however is one of the most amazing waterfalls we visited not only in the Philippines but in the world. Read any reviews! The turquoise water that lies beneath the waterfall is unlike anything we have seen! Below is our guide to the ultimate Kawasan Falls tour.
In this guide we will cover where the waterfalls are and how to get there, what to do, how to beat the crowds and much more! So lets get started.
Kawasan Falls Tour
Where is Kawasan Falls?
Kawasan Falls is located in Badian, a municipality in Cebu. The distance in time from Cebu City is approximately 3.5 hours.
How to get to Kawasan Falls
From Cebu City
To reach Kawasan Falls from Cebu City, the easiest way is by bus or private car transfer. By bus, you are looking at spending Php140 (USD3) at a minimum. For an air-conditioned bus a little more.
The price of a private air-conditioned car can vary dramatically but for a 5 seater car you are roughly looking at Php1250 – Php2500 (USD24 – USD48) for a 3 – 4 hour journey. So this is the option we went for as it was convenient for us.
From Oslob
It is quite a common route to arrive to Kawasan Falls from Oslob seeing Oslob is the known for Whale Shark tours.
When leaving from Oslob take the bus to Bato. From there you will need to take another bus to Badian. The trip can take anywhere between 2 – 3 hours.
From Moalboal
Moalboal is where we based ourselves for 3 nights to visit Kawasan Falls. It is the closest city that has a number of hotel / air bnbs / restaurants. From Moalboal, the drive to Kawasan Falls is approximately 40 minutes. The easiest way to reach there is by tricycle. This will cost anywhere from Php300 (USD6).
What do at Kawasan Falls
When you arrive to the entrance of Kawasan Falls you will be situated near a car park area. From there you will see signs directing you towards the waterfall. There will be locals there too who will ask if you want a Kawasan Falls tour. But we didn’t take them up on this offer as the walk is not too difficult. If you do decide to take the tour, the guides will help carry any bags, will guide you and help with any rock jumps (we didn’t do any rock jumps so don’t worry if you don’t feel up to it!)
As you walk towards the waterfall, you will pass a number of stores selling corn on a cob, coconuts and a number of other snacks. There are other stores once you reach the waterfall, so not need to panic and buy something!
After around 5 minutes of walking you will reach the formal entrance to Kawasan Falls. Here, you will pay Php40 (USD1) to enter. From there, the first waterfall is another 10 minutes of walking.
The Three Waterfalls
The first waterfall is well recognized, partly due to Instagram! The turquoise water is spectacular and it is easy to see why people come to visit. But the crowds however can be off putting (depending what time you visit). Read on to see what time we arrived to avoid the crowds.
To the left of the waterfall, you will notice a set of stairs. If you continue this path will lead you to the next waterfall which is much quieter. The walk is about 10 minutes so on the way you will pass by a number of smaller waterfalls too! The path is pretty established but if you are not a comfortable explorer maybe opt to take the guide.
The final waterfall is another 15 minutes of walking from the second. We almost thought we were lost however finally we did reach it! And it was most definitely worth the extra walking. Not everyone knows that three waterfalls exist in this location and as such the final waterfall is typically quiet. This is also the location where the Kawasan Falls tour for canyoneering commences. So in our opinion, we think it is worth visiting all three.
There is a nice area to rest with benches along with a rope to swing from. Remember it is a long walk back so enjoy the area before heading back down to the entrance.
How to beat the crowds
Well it is no secret that Kawasan Falls is a popular location. We had lots of people messaging us about the photos we put on our Instagram, “why is no one in the background?”, “how did you get a photo without people in the background?”. The secret… we got there at 6.30am!
While we know arriving to a waterfall at that hour seems crazy, we would do it again! We were shocked by the number of people who were there at 10am when we went to leave. If crowds do not worry you then the waterfall is a lovely place to visit at any time of the day.
Where to head after Kawasan Falls
If like us you decide to visit Kawasan Falls early in the morning it means you have to rest of the day to explore the area. So there are a number of other great Cebu waterfalls to visit if you feel up to it including Dao and Aguinid Falls.
But if one waterfall is enough and you want to enjoy the sunshine then we would suggest going to the beach and swimming with the thousands of sardines in Moalboal. It is an awesome experience!
Take a look at our other blogs on the Philippines:
- Siargao Island Hopping: Everything you need to know
- Siargao Travel Guide
- Things to do in El Nido | Palawan
- Island Hopping in Palawan | Coron
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