Kawasan Waterfalls is a little bonus to my 6 days trip in Moalboal. Traveling with a group of divers and staying in a pretty remote resort. I really needed a little time out on my own. Perhaps I was still very used to traveling alone so being bound to a single activity and confined within a resort was driving me crazy. I needed to go somewhere to find my peace.
Taking a motorbike driven trishaw, it took me around an hour to get to the base of the waterfall. The ‘driver’ was really friendly and chatty. Being out of the resort was really great and we drove past local towns and markets and past through several villages. There was this sense of relief, freedom and I definitely felt I could breathe a lot better.
I met a group of trekking guides. It seemed that you need a guide to bring you around. My guide was really friendly and while we took our walk along the river, he suggested that I hiked all the way to the source of the waterfall. Something that I didn’t know could be done and it really sounded good.
Kawasan Waterfalls is made up of 3-tiers of waterfall and stands only at 30m tall. Hiking this should not be too tough. My only concerned was I had a pair of non hiking sandals. My guide was so kind he actually gave me his slippers which had a rubber base and a lot much better grip.
There were several resorts near the start of our hike and my guide told me that many tourist would choose to stay over for a night. Food would be very basic local food but they sure looked good. As we moved on, we passed by a village and my guide showed me his house and the village’s chapel. It was a small little shed-like building.
The trail was extremely wet and slippery as it had been raining for the past few days. From cemented floor to earth track to what I would hardly call a trail. After 20 minutes, we arrived at the spring of the waterfall. It seemed almost unbelievable that this was all natural. The water was so clear and inviting. I folded up my pants and walked as far out as I could.
I crossed the spring on a bamboo bridge that was almost falling apart. The rocks were also extremely slippery. Finally I saw the very first tier of the waterfall. At first glance, I had thought it was a concrete base and it seemed almost artificial but on closer look, it was just one huge rock under the flowing water. After many years of washing out, the rock was entirely smoothened out, making it look like on giant concrete boulder. Once again, I couldn’t resist sticking my hand into the water. It was icy cold… so refreshing against my sweaty arms.
The guide seemed amused at my joy and told me this was nothing. We had 2 more tiers to go. And he was so right. The second tier was a bit milder but the water was much faster flowing. Crossing the river now was slightly harder as the water seems to be rushing past pretty fast. I nearly lost my balance a few times and I told myself, no more hiking with sandals or slippers.
And finally I arrived at the most impressive fall. It was crowded with people swimming. I had initially thought that I would only be at this level and taking the bamboo raft right under the waterfall. But the little hike was definitely a little highlight of my Cebu trip. I took the bamboo raft and though we were avoiding going under the waterfall, I was still thoroughly wet from the splatter of water. It was amazing how clear the water was.
There was a little cave behind the waterfall and we went through that and behind the waterfall. Some of the guys were enjoying their waterfall massage . I had no extra clothes with me so I decided to give that a miss. I stayed around for 30 minutes and I had to rush back to the dive resort for my afternoon dives.
This is my guide and I was really grateful for the slippers. I had a really good time and for some reason, I was in deep thoughts on my way back. I was glad I made the trip.
