Cebu is packed with countless of wonderful places to visit, exciting things to do, and delectable food to eat! Upon spending 4 days in Cebu, travelling from Lapu-Lapu, to Cebu City, and then to Oslob and Moalboal – I’ve come up with a list of the 10 things you should not miss when visiting Cebu!
1) 10,000 Roses Cafe
10,000 Roses is located in the town of Cordova. Luckily, we’re staying at Lapu-Lapu City which is just approximately 20 mins away. To be honest, it is not as good as it looks in photos – it’s quite flat in person. You really have to find that perfect angle to make the roses pop! Locals say it is prettier at night when the led lights of the roses are lit.
There is an entrance fee of 20 Php per person while their coffees are priced from 110 Php to around 150 Php. We ordered Caramel Latte and Cafe Latte and both are actually good.
2) Lapu-Lapu Shrine and SUTUKIL
Lapu-Lapu’s Shrine is located in Mactan. Ironically, his monument is built about a century later after Magellan’s. His statue is around 20 meters in height and is made of bronze! There are many souvenir shops in the area and lots of SUTUKIL places.
SUTUKIL is a food preparation that Cebu is famous for. It stands for Sugba (Inihaw), Tula or Tuwa (Sabaw) and Kilaw (Kilawin).
3) Sirao Garden
Sirao Garden is very far from the city. It’s like Cebu’s own Tagaytay. And guess what, we rode a habal-habal from the city going up! That’s atleast 20km, yes, #YOLO.
Sirao Garden is tagged as the Little Amsterdam of Cebu. Unfortunately, it was ruined by a landslide early 2017 and was closed for a while to prevent unwanted accidents – we’re in luck that it’s open to the public once again when we went.
4) Tops Lookout
Tops Lookout is a must! It is the perfect place to end your long day, city lights + cold air is just a superb experience. There are also restaurants located in the area so it’s really ideal to spend the night with friends and loved ones.
Too bad it’s already too dark when we got here, we failed to capture the unique architecture. Be sure not to miss this one!
5) Badian Canyoneering to Kawasan Falls
For me, this is the highlight of our trip. We spent the whole day canyoneering and it was a blast!
We started our day at Kuya Yoyoy’s house, he is said to be the one who discovered canyoneering. In there, we were provided with all safety gears: helmet, life jacket, floaters for action cameras, dry bags, etc. And then, we rode another habal-habal to the drop-off point and started trekking.
The trek was hard and energy-draining. Good thing, there’s a food stop just after the second jump of around 20 ft. I got minor cuts after stepping on the wrong stone, thankfully our tour guides are quick to help.
Here’s a short video to show you how our canyoneering went. Check out our 30ft jump!
[wpvideo nketen1P]
After all those nerve-wracking jumps, you’ll end up in the beautiful Kawasan Falls! It’s a very fulfilling experience!
If you want to book Kuya Yoyoy for your canyoneering adventure, you can contact him at: +639777753176.
6) Whaleshark Watching at Oslob
Whaleshark or butanding watching is one of the most famous attractions in Cebu and you will surely not want to miss this! At Oslob, Cebu – you can actually swim with these “gentle giants!”
Take note that nobody is allowed to touch the whalesharks. There are marine biologists swimming under water and guarding them, as well as the tourists, to check if any violations were made. You need to maintain a 4ft distance and swim away if they’re getting near. Sunscreens are also a no-no!
7) Tumalog Falls
Tumalog Falls is a hidden paradise also located at Oslob. The pictures don’t give justice to the actual waterfalls – it was magnificent. I cannot say more, all the visitors of the place were in awe of its beauty.
If you’re going to Oslob, be sure to drop by Tumalog Falls. There’s a habal-habal terminal at the foot of the mountain where the falls is located, and they only charge 100 Php per person back and forth. Also, be prepared to take a dip in the falls’ icy water!
8) Pescador Island
We weren’t supposed to visit Pescador Island, but accidents happen and this is the best accident we encountered. In order to go to Pescador Island, you need to ride a boat from Moalboal. We got lucky that the tricycle driver we hailed knows someone who offers island hopping tours!
This island is in the middle of nowhere, I was actually scared to dive because the waves are too strong. But once you go deep, your fears will definitely be replaced by excitement. Pescador island’s water is so clear! We saw tiny fishes swimming near us, held a starfish (and put it back gently), and coral reefs! Check the photos to see how beautiful it is underwater.
9) Million Sardine Run
After diving at Pescador Island, we went to the shallow beaches of Moalboal to see the Million Sardine Run.
It’s supposed to look like this: (photo from johnnyafrica.com)
Unfortunately, the water is murky when we went there due to the large waves. But we still managed to dive deeper to have a clearer sight of the sardines. Not bad I guess.
[wpvideo lVimW3Zq]
10) Lechon Cebu!
And of course, last but definitely not the least, Lechon Cebu! You can’t leave Cebu without tasting their lechon, Cebu is not the Lechon Capital of the World for nothing! After tasting Cebu’s lechon, all the lechons I’ve had in my life are now null and void, lol. The taste, smell, crunch, flavor, everything is just revamped!
And that’s it, you can definitely fit all of these things in a 3 days 2 nights itinerary but I’d really suggest staying longer!
I hope you find this list helpful and I hope you’ll still join me in my next adventures! Don’t hesitate to pop questions in the comment box below.
