It is a fulfilling thing to be able to visit a certain tourist spot in the province which you are living in. I have been living in Cebu for more than a decade and that I am still not able to explore the entire province. So whenever I have the time and chance, I would definitely work on being able to see personally and experience how is the other side of this province looks like. While most of the Filipinos would love to travel to another country, I would love to start from where I am located. My husband and I love to move around and explore so we had this project Bohol and Cebu where in, as much as possible, we would be checking out the beautiful places here in the provinces where we were born and raised.
And finally, I had conquered Kawasan Falls and explored its three layered waterfalls. Badian, the town where Kawasan is located is just a 10-15 minute drive from Moalboal, from Basdaku Beach we went straight to Badian via our motorcycles, each motorcycle carrying three persons including the driver; we didn't have to worry since there were no enforcers around in the province. We were determined to go but at the back of our minds there were some kinds of hesitation, I had personally checked the internet about its reopening since Gov. Gwen Garcia had it closed for what they addressed as Renovation to Nature and there were posts about it still being closed, others were able to go inside. It was inconsistent but gladly, the place was already open when we reached there and was accepting visitors but we had to pay Php 50 instead of the regular Php 10. According to the attending officers at the gate area, Kawasan Falls will have their grand opening in three days, that should have been Oct. 23, 2012 and the regular fees will apply at that point. Their soft opening would require Php 50 per person, this didn't include another Php 50 for the motorcycle parking fee because no vehicle is allowed inside. It was really expensive to park in that area! In the city, so far the maximum parking fee I knew is Php 20.
Anyways, we didn't have the luxury of time to ask them because we were excited to see the water falls. Aside from those fees, people from the gates would also offer tour guide assistance and water rafting through the waterfalls for Php 300 per raft regardless of the number of persons which we courteously declined.
To get there
From the entrance gate we had to walk 1.5 kilometers to reach the first falls. On our way we met foreigners and other local tourists, there was a souvenir store as well, we met a friendly dog too by the bridge area.
It was a bit of a long walk but then it was all worth it. We also enjoyed taking photos of each other while on our way to the destination. As what the cliche quote says:
"It is not the destination but the companion that matters."
So yeah we were really having fun while on our way towards the spot where the waterfalls are located. Aside from the things that we have passed by, it is pretty obvious as well that the water is indeed strong because from afar, we can hear the rushing waters of the waterfalls.
There was also a river of which its waters were coming from the waterfalls and the river current was also strong so we are really sure that we were on the right way.
A glimpse of the first waterfalls
Since it was raining the day before we went there, we were already expecting the mud-colored waters. We reach the first waterfalls and went trekking to the second and the third waterfalls. It was an adventure for all of us, we walked another set of 1.5 kilometers to reached the thirds falls; we had passed by slippery pathways, bamboo made bridges were the only option to go across another end of three rushing rivers and slimy scary stairs.
Bamboo made bridges, water current's strong
These bridges were clearly old and some of the bamboos were already torn yet we had passed them all and dominated the three waterfalls. It was a challenging part since we aren't really sure if these bamboo bridges will be able to hold on to our weight considering there were lots of us coming and walking into it. Gladly, we were able to reach the third waterfalls complete.
The second waterfalls
That's the view from a far of the second level of waterfalls. These are twins since there are two of them with waters rushing and pouring very fast. The water obviously tells us that this isn't the best place to take a dip into the waters. This is a result of the rain last night.
Reaching the second waterfall was still tiring but then we have hope that at the end of this journey, we would be able to enjoy the beauty of nature.
The Natural Jacuzzi
My favorite was the third falls because first, we were all alone there until some trekkers from Osmeña Peak came down and rested. Second, even though it rained last night, the waters were clear and clean; locals said we can drink from the waters. Third, there was a Jacuzzi like tub in it. The pressure was very strong that we needed to hold on tight to the rocks. Underneath, I felt my body being massaged y the waters and aside from that, it was damn cold!
The third waterfalls and the main source of water for all the other waterfalls down below. The first waterfall is actually where most tourist and guests would just stay since there are restaurants and rooms to stay. The cottages as well are very near to the waterfall so anyone can just dive in if they would like to.
Cottages at the second waterfalls
Since that was my first time, I don't have any idea as to what the changes were but our friend, Richel Roca who had been there five times already who acted as our tour guide told us there were tons of cottages floating in the waterbeds before in the first waterfalls and now those were all gone away but that was the only change she could think of. The bridges made of wood and bamboos were still the same and the way to the third falls was not even cleaned for the tourists and guests.
Enjoyed our natural Jacuzzi so much! The true reason of the long closure wait, I don’t really know but I am happy I had the chance to get there!
Since we didn't have any videos of the travel, I have included here some of the videos taken by other tourists when they had visited Kawasan Falls.
This one down here is a vlog by Christian's Travels in youtube. He is a foreigner who had enjoyed Cebu so much!
Here's another vlog by a foreigner named Steve Coan. Check out his video below:
