Kawasan Falls in Cebu is probably one of the most famous sets of waterfalls on offer in The Philippines.
And for that matter, possibly anywhere in the world!
The water is known for its pure blue colour and I can tell you, as far as waterfalls in The Philippines go, it doesn’t disappoint.
And to help you plan your own wonderful trip here, I'll take you through all you need to know about visiting Kawasan Falls in Cebu.
Firstly ...
Cebu is one of the most popular islands in The Philippines, thanks to its international airport. Actually, a lot of people mistake Cebu for the capital of The Philippines, (however, this is actually Manila).
Anyway, since it’s pretty easy to get to Cebu, all you need to do is find a way to get to the south of Cebu which is where Kawasan Falls is. The nearest tourist area to stay in “MoalBoal”, which is also famous for its Sardine Run.
So since Cebu city and Moalboal are the two most popular starting places for an adventure to Kawasan Falls, I’ve broken them down separately for you below.
Here you’ve got a few options that all depend on your budget and patience. You could take a taxi via Grab, but you would need to leave super early, OR leave the night before and stay in a hotel close to Kawasan Falls.
Pssss..you can book a private transfer between Cebu city and Moalboal for $25! Great price!
You can also book a shared shuttle for a cheaper price here too.
OR, you can get a bus. If you’re coming from the Siquijor/Bohol area, you’ll enter Cebu from the south anyway, and you can get a bus straight up to the Kawasan Falls area.
When coming from Cebu city, you head to the “South Bus Terminal” and get on a bus that is heading for “Badian”. This is where Kawasan falls (among other waterfalls) is located. The bus will say “Bato via Barilli. I can’t remember the exact cost, but it’s around a couple of dollars and takes about 3-4 hours depending on the wonderful Philippines traffic!
You can take this tour to save yourself the hassle of organising everything.
Moalboal is a lot closer to Kawasan falls than Cebu city, and actually a lot of tours will leave from Moalboal if you choose to go via tour. Moalboal is about 25 km from Kawasan falls and on a good day that’ll take about 40 minutes.
You can rent a moped and drive from Moalboal to Kawasan falls. If you want to arrive there early, then this is 100% your best option. Moped rental in Moalboal averages around 350 pesos a day. (Don’t forget your helmets)
Again, if moped isn’t your choice of travel, then you can opt to order a grab (although I think they’re less available in that area, but I honestly can’t remember).
You can also negotiate a ride with a tricycle for around 600 pesos and they’ll take you there and back and wait on you whilst you have your fun.
There is a public bus that runs from Moalboal to Badian daily, it will stop at Kawasan falls, and this costs around 20 pesos and will take about 40 minutes.
Read More: My in-depth guide on getting around The Philippines
As of 2019 when Bradley and I visited, the entrance cost into Kawasan falls was 45 pesos for foreigners and 20 pesos for locals. Just to be clear at this stage, this does not include any “tours” or “canyoneering”, this is just the entrance fee which will grant you access to swim in the waterfalls.
It costs to park your moped, which is around 30 pesos I believe (can’t fully remember!)
No. It’s super easy and cheap to visit Kawasan falls by yourself. So I don’t think you need a guide. However, if you are doing one of the Canyoneering tours (which I will discuss below), you will have a guide then.
I don’t actually know of any companies offering “guides” without a canyoneering option, so it might not be possible but rest assured, if you just want to visit Kawasan falls for the views and a swim, then you do not need a guide with you.
It’s also important to note that it’s not 100% necessary to book a tour ahead of time, at least in the low season. At 7 am, when we made our way to Kawasan Falls in Cebu, a couple of people asked us if we wanted to do canyoneering, but we didn’t.
I actually didn’t do it because my insulin pump wasn’t waterproof and you are in and out of water 3-4 times, and there is no way to avoid getting my medical device wet, unless I used a wet bag, but since the device keeps me alive, it wasn’t worth it. I could have switched to insulin pens for the day, but I left it too late basically.
Anyway, in the high season and if you just like to be organised and get a good deal, then you can book your canyoneering online. I’ve rounded up 2 tours that I think are worthwhile!
When you enter, you have a little walk to Kawasan Falls. It takes around 15 minutes and it’s fairly easy, hassle free. Don’t “pay” for help to find it, as it’s all signs posted well. However, if you go first thing in the morning, no one will be there to bother you anyway...which is nice…
Once you arrive you’ll arrive at the most famous waterfall..”Kawasan falls”. There is a restaurant right beside it with tables and chairs, and they charge for you to leave your stuff there. However, again, if you go before they open….well, they don’t charge!
When you arrive at Kawasan Falls, you may as well go for a swim. Especially if you're the first there. It starts to get busy quickly and the water becomes crowded, and honestly takes away from the charm. So make the most of the quiet whilst you can.
If you want that picture that people have with no one else in it, then arrive there at 7 am, or else you’ll need to be very skilled at photoshop!
There are more waterfalls in the area than just Kawasan falls. If you head up another level, and another, you’ll discover some more waterfalls which you can swim in. Great if it’s busy at Kawasan and you just want to relax.
BTW, when you see the pictures of Kawasan falls online, the water is super blue, almost like someone has popped blue dye in it, or enhanced the colour on photoshop, well you’ll be happy to hear, it’s actually that blue in real life!
The dry season runs from November to May/June and the wet season runs from June to December. Of course if you go during the wet season then the falls will be heavier, but Bradley and I visited in May time and the weather was perfect, the falls were awesome and since we were the first ones at the falls, we had it to ourselves.
Most people opt to stay in Moalboal since it’s only 40 minutes from the falls and there are lots of accommodation options, but Brad and I actually decided to stay even closer.
We stayed at a place called "TGH" The Guest House Badian which is literally 5 miles from Kawasan falls and you can rent a moped from the place. The rooms were spacious, comfortable, the food was delicious and the breakfast was good. We really enjoyed this spot!
Of course if you’d prefer a hotel in Moalboal you can check out all accommodation in Moalboal right here.
South of Cebu is actually bursting with really cool waterfalls and I am pretty sure if you just drove on your moped and asked locals to point you in the direction of a waterfall, you’d find unique ones that aren’t on the tourist trail yet. We had plans to do around 4 or 5 waterfalls in Cebu but because it was the end of our trip, we were kind of tired and only did 3...whoops!
But, other waterfalls worth visiting in Cebu include:
Pssst, this tour takes you to 3 epic Cebu waterfalls in one day! Great if you're short on time.
So there you have it, my ultimate guide on visiting Kawasan falls in Cebu. Hopefully you’ve found this post useful and it will help you plan your adventures. If you’ve got any questions or comments then pop them below.
Happy travels!
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