We travel to various destinations, however, it’s the experiences there which make a trip.
Think of any destination you’ve been to and one of the main tourist attractions there. That same destination will be remembered in a variety of ways depending on your experience of the day as a whole. For me, almost any destinations’ experience can be ruined before the day has even begun by being crammed into a minibus like a sardine with a driver so bored they drive like a maniac to make up for it, only to be told once you arrive at your destination, ‘ok, you have 12 minutes until we leave, enjoy.’
I’ve just returned from the incredibly beautiful island of Cebu in my home nation, the Philippines. Renting a car from JT Car Rental Cebu and without doubt, those journeys made the overall experience!
When you land in Cebu you’ll arrive at Mactan International Airport, up in the North East of the island. If like me you’re in Cebu to enjoy all the beautiful scenery and adventures that are to be had on the island, you’ll need to head down toward the South and the West as you can see from the incredibly detailed map below!
Cebu isn’t a small island and to get to the South there is just one main road which runs along the east coast, before switching over, across the mountains in the center of the island before running south and hugging the coast line all the way round (and back up again if you want to do a full lap!), all of this means it isn’t a short drive, as you can see.
Once leaving the city, the road is almost exclusively a single lane each way with various villages dotting the way, each with their own interesting quirks that slow traffic, whether it’s blocks in the middle of the streets near schools to slow the traffic, the local village taxi’s which are in fact bicycles with sidecars attached and someone pedaling away at about 5 mph or of course the hundreds of awesome dogs which feel quite at home taking a nap in the middle of the street and having you go round them the journey isn’t exactly a smooth highway ride, more a constant start stop of interesting surroundings.
Of course with all these interesting surroundings, you sometimes want to stop, take a picture, explore or simply find a bathroom! Now put yourself in the back of a minibus with several other people and tell me if this is the holiday experience you are looking for?
Not really hey?
Which is why renting our car was what made the trip special! My boyfriend and I could set off at whatever time we wanted, to wherever we wanted. We stopped at scenic viewpoints, we found tiny little road side bakeries with incredible treats for only 1 peso each, we had our own music playing, the aircon at the level we want, snacks galore and best of all our own beautiful brand new Hyundai Accent which served us valiantly for our week in Cebu!
So what did we get upto with our trusty car whilst in Cebu?
Having spent a full day making the drive down in a very relaxed manner with various stops along the way, we arrived at our accomodation in Malabuyoc.
The next morning we woke up bright and early (or so we thought) at about 545am to head down to Oslob and swim with the Whale Sharks. The Philippines location and time zone means that the sun rises at about 5am each morning, and as such so do most of the people! The flight is almost 4hrs due East from Singapore and Malaysia yet they share the same time zone.
The Whale Shark experience is an interesting one, for me filled with conflicting emotions. Firstly it’s incredible that a town where the economy previously survived on fishing, fishing which saw numerous whale sharks either caught up accidentally or illegally fished has now turned to conservation to fuel it. This conservation is bringing in so much more money to the surrounding area that it is even featured on the banknotes nowadays. Which goes to show that all our planet’s animals have so much more value alive than dead! The only drawback to this however is that the place is packed. Your half an hour with the whale sharks will also involve an hour at least waiting for a boat to become free and most of your time in the water being kicked in the ribs by those slightly less competent swimmers and paying 1500 peso for the pleasure. If like my boyfriend you’ve swam with Whale Sharks before, or like me, you’d already visited Oslob before then frankly this might be one to miss on the list, however, if you haven’t. The chance to swim with one of our planets truly awe inspiring creatures, regardless of the environment is not one that you should pass up on!
So how did we spend the rest of our time adventuring around the southern parts of Cebu?
Easy…. Waterfalls!!!
The amount of spectacular yet completely diverse waterfalls on the island is incredible! We decided to try and do at least a couple each day as well as visit Osmena Peak, the highest viewpoint on the island.
In total we visited 6 waterfalls. Each and every one of them completely different, from blasting torrents to gentle trickles, single pools to multiple levels, busy with tourists to completely empty. The one thing they all had in common however was the tough roads up to them.
Cebu is a very mountainous island. To get from the West coast to the East isn’t simply a case of drive across, rather, you need to travel all the way round the coast to stay on a proper road. The moment you head in land the roads get steep, unmaintained and in some cases, dangerous!
All this means 2 things. 1) The landscape for waterfalls is incredible. 2) Having the right transport is a must!
Many people choose to use motorbikes. If you have a lot of experience with bikes & you’re travelling on your own or with another experienced bike rider then great! You’ll love the challenge these roads have to offer. However, if you’re like the majority of us, renting a bike with limited experience is extremely dangerous. Not only is the main road filled with hazards but as soon as you venture inland you are on dangerous roads, miles from any potential first aid and with limited to no mobile phone signal. Take the extra expense and do so with peace of mind and comfort for your entire stay.
Our first day of waterfall adventures saw us venture to 3 incredible locations, all completely different, providing all together different experiences even when located nearby each other!
Our first stop was Tumalog Falls;
Tumalog is a beautiful gentle flowing waterfall set slightly inland. The drive up mirrors this gentle flow with twists and turns as you head upward followed by stunning views out over the sea and over to neighboring Negros Island. You reach a car park and then have the option of either a hilly 15 minute walk or to hop on to the back of one of the locals bikes who will run you down to the falls.
Once there, relax. The gentle falling water, Swift’s and other birdlife darting around make Tumalog the perfect spot to chill out for a while and bask in the beauty of the nature surrounding you.
Of course, if you’re anything like me, you’ll also be heading to these waterfalls to release your inner Lemming and launch yourself from great heights into the pools below! So on we went.
Next up was Aguinid Falls.
Aguinid is a slightly busier waterfall, set in a little village just away from the main road. When you arrive and do the customary sign in and entrance fee formalities you’ll also be assigned a guide per person.
Guides are quite customary at the waterfalls in Cebu, so please go expecting them and also be prepared to tip them. There isn’t much in the way of industry in the South of Cebu and people there also tend to remain in their particular village for their entire life. As such, if they live in an area with a waterfall, there is a good chance this is almost the only tourist or industry opportunity available to them. In places like Aguinid, everyone capable of being a guide is a guide. Locals only take it in turns and are only allowed to guide 1 group per day. They do so without any pressure put on you to tip well, but boy do they put in a great job and deserve every penny!
Our unlikely duo consisted of June & Jai Ho (sorry if I spelt that wrong but she did say, ‘like the song!’)
They were amazing, guiding us through the 7 levels of the waterfalls, taking pictures for us each step of the way, guiding us along the safest routes, or in the case of June challenging my boyfriend to the most difficult routes whilst making them look easy skipping up the rocks. We had an incredible time scaling the falls, jumping off ledges, exploring the small caves and laughing every step of the way with this fantastic pair!
Our final stop of the day was Binalayan falls, just a few minutes drive from Aguinid and not far from the main road. A sleepier atmosphere our guide showed us along the 1.5km path until we reached the falls which we had all to ourselves. Having had a splash around and jumped in a few times from the main ledge we could find our guide asked if we want to see him jump? ‘Sure’ we said. Not realising what he had in mind. What happened next was one of the craziest things i’ve ever seen. So crazy that my boyfriend who filmed it pretty much missed the shot as he gazed on in shock!
That is a 90 foot jump into only 7 feet of water! Standing on the bottom in that exact spot my arms were out of the water! Insane!
Throughout the week we then travelled to incredible spots such as Inambakan Falls with it’s powerful fall and multiple layers. Osmena Peak with stunning views out across the island in a full 360°! And finally Cambais Falls where as you arrive children seemingly appear from nowhere, interested and excited to meet you and all desperate to be your guide! We chose 2 who guided us up to the entrance to the falls before wishing us goodbye and returning back to ‘protect’ our car with their friends for the next couple of hours whilst we relaxed and enjoyed this truly stunning waterfall!
Upon our return the kids were all still there, thankful for the food we offered out to them and even more so for the small amount of money we were able to give each of them. The smallest amount to some people means the world to others and whilst unfortunately i’m not in a position to be dishing out anything near what i’d like to have given them their faces still lit up with pure gratitude.
We ended our action packed adventure in the South with an absolute must, CANYONEERING!!
Returning to my old friend’s who’s homestay I visited some years ago on my last trip, RAYMUND Canyoneering took us out for one of the most fun, action packed days you can imagine! Starting with a briefing and finding you suitable safety equipment you make your way down into the canyon following the river the whole way down. Where it goes, you go! Whether that’s left, right, or DOWN!
We did jump after jump into the perfect blue waters below with jumps ranging from just a couple of meters up to about 12-15m! Don’t worry if the larger jumps aren’t for you, you don’t have to do any as there are always alternative ways around or down, just do whatever you feel comfortable and if you’re like me then that will involve some thrilling leaps, sliding along natural rapids, dipping into small crevices and relaxing as you gently glide along the river. Right the way down until you reach Kawasan Falls!
Kawasan is the most popular and by far the busiest of the waterfalls, and whilst in certain points it is packed full of people and quite uncomfortable, making your way up along the trails can lead you to some absolute gems!
We finished our trip with the drive back up, stopping at various points along the way until we reached Cebu City again. Here we made what turned out to be a great choice! Rather than jump straight onto a plane exhausted we spent 2 nights relaxing in the lovely, Bai Hotel. Here we relaxed in the biggest comfiest bed you’ve ever seen, chilled by the beautiful rooftop pool and ate! Boy did we eat! Most notably at the in house all you can eat buffet at Cafe Bai! Food as far as the eye can see from every corner of the world and all of it delicious!
We returned our trusty car to Jonathan who will take amazing care of you with JT Car Rental Cebu and finished what was just about as fun a week as you can have!
So if you’re looking for beautiful scenery, friendly people & adventure, head to Cebu! And tell Jonathan Jidie says hi!
Rent a car with JT Rental Cebu
Lapu-lapu City, Mactan, Cebu, Philippines
Website: http://jtcarrentalcebu.com/
Contact: +6332 233 5543
Email: jtcarrentalcebu@gmail.com
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Source: https://jidienne.com/post/184383135142/renting-a-car-exploring-beautiful-cebu