Canyons are of great wonder and it’s nice enough that in Badian, Cebu, you can actually swim, trek and even jump through these.  This activity reminds me of Sagada spelunking with all the rocks that you have to go through but the charming waterfalls and refreshing water make canyoneering in Kanlaob river much much more rewarding.  No wonder adventure seekers from all over the world come all the way to experience this.

How to Get to Badian from Cebu City

From the airport, take a cab going to South Bus Terminal.  There are Ceres buses that are bound to Badian or Moalboal.  We got off on the latter, which is one town before Badian, as we were also planning other activities in the south such as sardine run and turtle chase.  The bus ride would take about 3 hours (4 hours for us due to traffic and stopovers).

How much does Badian Canyoneering Cost?

The standard price for the canyoneering is P1,500.  We availed this service from Kawasan Canyoneering, which I’ve found after reading some Badian travel blogs as most of them recommend this tour operator.  I’ve looked it up on Facebook and saw that it has the 2017 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.  As I am currently not in Phils, I inquired thru FB and was relieved that they responded fast.  It’s good to know that their package is actually complete of what you needed for the trip:  lifevest, safety helmet, ride to jump station, tour guide fees, all government fees, bottled water, recovery meals (lunch) at beach ambiance, use of dry bag, luggage counter, use of showers and comfort-rooms.

The trip starts from Matutinao Beach Resort where we left our bags at the luggage counter, picked up our life vests & helmets, and signed the waiver.  We were given two local guides (Kuya James and Lloyd), who are very accommodating and experts when it comes to navigating the canyons — they very well know which paths to follow or not to follow, which rocks to step on and they will even assist you on taking photos on the best spots.

As a heads up, this activity welcomes you with high jump. Yes, the first jump is required after few minutes of walking.  There will be more jumps which are relatively higher to cater the adrenaline junkie in you and these are optional.  You just have to brave yourself on the first one to get through this course.  As a reward from the first jump, you’ll be amazed with the views of the canyons and the refreshing water, then you’d suddenly say to yourself “good thing I decided to push through with this adventure”.

How long will the canyoneering last?

The activity would take 3 – 4 hours depending on your pace.  Ours took 4 hours plus if you include isaw/bbq break, pausing for photos, etc.

When we first passed the barbecue stopover, I wasn’t enticed to eat, probably because I was overwhelmed with the activity.  However, I tasted the isaw and it seemed like, by far, the best one I’ve ever tasted.  I tried it somewhere else the following day, but it just isn’t the same.  Haha!

The photo above is your second to the last optional jump.  The wide angle camera made the depth appear shallow, but it is indeed high and quite scary.  The good news, however, is that, on the last one, you can actually do a couple jump 🙂

What to Wear and Bring:

Ideally, it would be nice to wear rash guard and dry-fit leggings / tights to avoid scratches with all those rock encounters — the activity includes a series of walking and climbing through rocks then swimming so it’s advisable to wear something light and comfortable.  Shoes and sandals with good traction even on wet rocks should be worn and not slippers.

Action cameras are recommended (this is where your GoPro would be of great use) to record all those amazing jumps.  On a side note, wide angle settings make canyons more spectacular but it makes the depths (when jumping) quite shorter.  If you wish to bring smartphone, a waterproof holder to hang around your neck would be great.

 

Where to Stay in Moalboal:

Pescadores Seaview Suites – Accommodation would depend on your preference and planned activities in Cebu — we opted to stay in Moalboal since we also wanted to do other activities (sardine run, turtle chase, Pescador Island).  Lucky for us, we had an Agoda discount and got this only for P2,250/night (double room with aircon).  It’s actually beachfront, so it was very convenient that the boatmen picked us right in front of the resort for the sardine run.  Also, there are a lot of restaurants nearby so we had a good time doing some food trips.

Where to Stay in Badian:

Matutinao Beach Resort –  If you want to do canyoneering early in the morning so it’s still not congested and prefer to skip the commute (Moalboal to Badian is about 30 minutes), this is also a good find.  The resort was one of our options and is quite huge — perfect for those who are seeking a relaxing beach experience.

Other Activities in South Cebu

Moalboal is also worth visiting as it offers lots of activities like Pescador Island tour, turtle chase, sardine run (the latter being my favorite).  It would be good to start off your adventure in the morning to see a lot of them (there’s quite some waves in the afternoon and you might not enjoy nor see them).  Kawasan Canyoneering also offers tours for these, which we also availed since they provide good service and are always on time to pick us up at our resort.