Whale Sharks and Canyons: Cebu Day Trip
Cebu Day Trip
There are many companies providing different day trip packages on Cebu Island. Most of them include a combination of swimming with the whale sharks, canyoneering, scuba diving/snorkeling, waterfalls, and island hopping. We decided to book a tour with whale sharks and canyoneering on Get Your Guide, however it is not required to do both. It is theoretically possible to do some of these experiences without a guided tour, but be aware that transportation is very limited, and some areas may not allow you without a guide, so it is absolutely not recommended.
We started our day at the brutal hour of 1:30am. Our driver arrived at our hotel at 2am so we had to be prepared to leave quickly. Whale shark watching begins at sunrise, demanding an early start. Since the drive is several hours, it is a race between tour companies to get their clients from Cebu City to Oslob as fast as possible. You can avoid this by staying in Oslob the night before. Our driver drove unbelievably fast, flying down bumpy and winding roads, making it a challenge to catch up on sleep.
Swimming with Whale Sharks
Oslob
The first stop on our Cebu day trip was whale shark watching in Oslob. These massive sharks are actually the largest fish in the ocean, as true whales are mammals not fish. They filter-feed on plankton and krill, meaning they will never attack or harm humans. You can find them anywhere in warm tropical water, although they are sadly an endangered species. This rare and unique experience makes it a prime attraction in Cebu.
When we finally arrived in Oslob, there was already a long line of hundreds of tourists. The guests must go through the line individually and get a queue number. Even though we arrived around 5am, we still were several hundred people back, so we had to wait until 8am to go out.
This ended up being a good thing because the lighting was better later in the morning. There are many shops, cafes, and restaurants in the surrounding area, making it easy to find somewhere to chill and grab a bite to eat while waiting for your turn. Most of our tour group stayed in the van, but we highly recommend taking a stroll and supporting the local businesses, otherwise, you’re in for a very boring few hours. Our tour did not provide breakfast or snacks, so this was a great opportunity to get something in our stomachs before the long day.
Whale Sharks
Finally, it was our time to see the whale sharks. Our guide gave everyone life vests, and we simply hopped in a boat. Masks are provided, but flippers are not. Far offshore, people line up and tie the boats together, while smaller boats move in between with men feeding and watching over the whale sharks. We jumped in the water, and just like that, we were swimming with whale sharks!
The sharks come and go, and we had many opportunities to look down and see them. At one point, a whale shark went directly beneath me. A guide offered to take my GoPro and helped me get the shot of my life, with me next to one of these beautiful creatures. These gentle giants of the sea are so majestic to see in person. Their skin has such a lovely and interesting pattern, and they swim so calmly. We both had an amazing view of the sharks from the boat, which is good because you’re not allowed far from it. If you know how to swim well, they also let you take off the lifejacket once you’re in the water. 30 minutes later, it was already time to return to shore, but we felt like we had enough time.
A Note on Controversy
Whale shark watching can be controversial. These animals are considered endangered and are sensitive to human activity. Some say that any interaction with them should be avoided. There are definitely tours that do not treat the whale sharks well, but in our case, there were many measures in place to protect the animals. First, each boat had an employee on board to ensure the safety of the animals. Authorities strictly prohibit touching or swimming next to the sharks and will immediately remove you from the water if you do. They also do not allow you to wear any sunscreen or products that could seep into the water, and they strictly ban feeding the sharks or placing anything next to them.
In reality, these sharks are often hunted for food and skin, and since the introduction of these tours, the populations have stabilized. Although they are fed by the guides, which may not be ideal, we observed that the sharks are healthy, have no physical human interaction, and are not in captivity. If you do not find these conditions acceptable, we understand, but we have seen many attractions that have much worse animal safety, so we felt comfortable.
Canyoneering
The other main attraction on our Cebu day trip was canyoneering. This thrilling activity has you swimming, hiking, and jumping off cliffs in narrow, rocky ravines. For that, we had to drive a few hours from Oslob to Kawasan, although the drive was much less hectic this time. We arrived at the canyoneering site, where our new guide greeted us and gave us water shoes, a helmet, and a life vest.
Zipline
Before you get into canyoneering, you have to get to the canyon. You can hike there for about 45 minutes, or you can take a zip line. There are two zip lines, a high and a low option, which cost an extra modest fee. We chose the high zip line because why not have even more thrill? To get to the high zip line, you have to take a hair-raising motorcycle ride along sheer cliffs. Honestly, the motorcycle was the sketchiest part of the day. We chose to go down the zip line superman style, which was honestly pretty scary as the zip line is very high in the air
Although we were both pretty nervous, the view from the air was incredible. The green mountains and nature with the beautiful blue ocean off in the distance made me feel so relaxed as we swung through paradise. Yemisi hates heights, but managed to get through it, and it was so worth it. We recommend the zip line as a great, fun way to get to the canyon quickly. As soon as we finished, our guide came down with us, and we headed on our way.
The Adventure Begins
As we approached the canyon, we realized what we had gotten into. This massive canyon is full of meters-high boulders with rushing blue water cutting through. The camera doesn’t do it justice; the rocks and cliffs are so much bigger in person. We realized why the helmet was so important because making one wrong step here could lead to serious injury or worse.
Our guide, Ronald, was amazing. He took hundreds of photos of us using my GoPro and Yemisi’s phone. Ronald clearly knew what he was doing, helping us with every step and giving us lots of tips, as well as having a good laugh the whole way. Don’t be afraid to ask your guide to help you with pics on your adventure!
Cliff Diving
We climbed, swam, and jumped our way through the canyon and finally arrived at the first cliff jump. These jumps are the main attraction in the canyon, and the first one was 4 meters (13ft), the size of the smallest diving platform. I’m not going to lie, we were already intimidated. I had seriously underestimated how tall 4 meters was, and while this jump was easy, thinking about the last one being over twice the height was terrifying.
There was also a rock slide that was incredibly fun, as I slid down, I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I was surprised that I was even allowed to do something so unreal. There are several other small slides and waterfalls along the way, but there’s just too much to mention.
Break time
After two hours of ziplining, swimming, jumping, and sliding, we made it to the halfway point. Exhausted and running low on energy, we noticed the heavenly smell of grill smoke wafting through the valley. As we turned the corner, we were shocked when we saw a line of barbecue huts on the edge of the cliff. Like heaven on a stick, we happily destroyed some barbeque chicken as we took a break. Since we had been on our trip all day, we hadn’t eaten since we left Cebu City. The price was probably a little high, but 100 pesos for a stick of chicken is only $1.75, which was more than worth it.
Even More Cliff Diving
Directly after the chicken was the scariest jump of the trip. This one is 7 meters (22ft). Not only that, but the gap was narrow, and the jump required a bit of forward momentum to get over the edge. Needless to say, I was shaking in my Crocs. Thankfully, we both survived, and it ended up being a ton of fun. Afterwards, we swam under a rocky tunnel with amazing rock formations, reminding us of our boat tour in the Philippines 3 years prior.
It’s impossible to go over everything we did, so let’s skip to the big one. The terrifying 10-meter (32ft) jump. This one is so big you have to take off your helmet for safety so the force of the water doesn’t choke you. Unlike the others, this jump is blind, you just have to run off the cliff (sounds easy, right?). There’s not much to add, but with all my senses telling me “no” I sent it off the cliff for the biggest jump of my life. Yemisi followed, and we sat in shock and awe that we mustered the courage to do it. After this, we felt fearless, and we were having so much fun.
Kawasan Falls
Finally, our tour was coming to an end. Thankfully, we had finished the hardest parts because our limbs were trashed after nearly 4 hours of canyoneering. On the way down there was a rope swing, which was a ton of fun. The last stop was Kawasan falls, which is a massive three-layer waterfall that dumps the river into the ocean. At the upper falls, our guide surprised us by asking if we wanted to go behind the falls.
We thought the adventure was over, but just one more couldn’t hurt. Underneath the falls was incredible, with water beating down and mist everywhere. Our guide told us to dive, and for some reason, we listened. Diving under the waterfall was one of the most intense parts of the tour. I always think I’ve done it all, but then I go and dive under a waterfall and realize there’s still so much to do in this world.
At last, we finished the tour. We arrived at the lowest falls, which are also the largest. Many people took a break in the large, calm pool at the end, but we were just too tired since we had taken the hardest path through the entire canyon. We enjoyed the beauty of the waterfall and spotted a tree full of adorable flying foxes. Tipping isn’t required, but we decided to tip our guide for his incredible work going above and beyond for us. He truly made this one of the best experiences we’ve had on a guided tour.
Dinner
The tour ended with lunch/dinner, depending on when you finished. They served fried chicken, rice, stir-fried veggies, and soup. The perfect meal to end the perfect day trip. We sat on the upper floor of the building overlooking the ocean and islands, and all we could say was “wow”.
Final Thoughts
I can’t recommend this experience enough. Even though it was so tiring and we had to get up so early, everything was worth it. The whale shark experience was mind-blowing and felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Canyoneering turned out to be the most intense thing we’ve done (even more than paragliding in Switzerland!). If you were hesitating on whether or not to book a Cebu day trip, I hope this helped you decide!
