Kawasan Falls: The Adventure You Didn’t Know You Needed

Our canyoneering day trip from Cebu City to Kawasan Falls turned out to be an exhilarating adventure full of breathtaking sights and experiences. While we WILL tell you all about it, we will NOT keep you in suspense: we cannot recommend it enough!

We rented a private car for the day and set off early in the morning to embark on the 3-hour drive to reach Kawasan Falls. The journey is long, and there is only one way around that: To sleep. And sleep we did! We woke up just as we were arriving at the falls, feeling rested and refreshed to begin our thrilling day of exploration. 

We were expecting to jump off a few cliffs and swim through a few streams, but we were not prepared for the sheer size of the canyon. The actual Kawasan Falls were not that impressive to us, but the mesmerizing blue water and endless cliffs along the way left us in awe. It was jump after jump and swim after swim. We jumped off of natural cliffs and wooden planks, slid down cutouts in the rocks, and braved a couple of rope swings. We even took a break halfway through to have some chicken skewers, grilled before our eyes on a tiny rock outcropping in the middle of the canyon. 

You will want to have very good and sturdy water shoes for this adventure. If you forget, there is a decent chance the guide shop you go with will have some you can borrow. But even with proper protection, you WILL get injured. You will scratch yourself and stub all of your toes and if you are anything like us, it will all feel worth it in the end. 

We went with Dante’s Peak on this tour which turned out to be an incredible decision. We brought an older GoPro with us, the kind that needs to be housed inside a waterproof casing and is nowhere near up to the task of capturing this kind of adventure. Our guide has a much newer model than we did and was kind enough to place our SD card inside of his. He then captured photos and videos of us the entire way down.

The real perk of touring with Dante’s Peak came at lunchtime. When we reached the actual Kawasan Falls, we found a structure was built across from it. It was here that our team had grilled up an incredible spread, complete with the best pork chops we had ever tasted. We were able to sit overlooking the falls and enjoy our feast, soaking in all the beauty. It was our understanding that the other tours all returned to their home bases outside of the falls, and served lunch there. 

The journey back to Cebu City was longer, at 3.5 hours, but the heart-pumping jumps and breathtaking canyon views we had all day made it worthwhile. If you have even more patience for driving than we do, there are some other excursions, like swimming with the sardines in Moalboal, that you can tack onto your day along the way as well. From conquering our cliff-jumping fears to the scrumptious lunch overlooking the falls, it was an adventure we will cherish forever.