a Cebu favorite- the Kawasan Falls, part 2

continued from Kawasan Falls, part 1


Kawasan is a series of 10 or so waterfalls. In fact, before you get to the “first” major falls, you have shall pass at least two or three small drops and numerous brooks and streams. The “first” falls is spectacular. Easily the biggest and tallest at about 50 feet, it offers a broad and cavernous lagoon of cool and fresh river water. Cottages dot the easements, offering food, shelter and the popular bamboo raft that take you safely under the falls. (Don’t worry, life vests are provided).

Another 15 minutes of a rigorous climbing over narrow passageways and steep stairs between boulder-hewn canyons is the second major falls. Although not as tall or as voluminous, this second falls is really not just one but two waterfalls feeding into a deep and inviting pool. The embankments here are also a lot wider and more spacious that the first so there are more cottages more comfy for overnighters.


a minor falls right before the first major falls

For the more adventurous set, another reward waits if you went further upstream. The trail zigzags over trickier tributaries and darker overgrowths. At the end of perhaps a 30 minutes of brisk trekking is a wall of concrete dam with a voluminous cascade, which probably is operated by the small hydroelectric plant downstream.


the first major waterfalls of Kawasan


There were stories in the 80s of communist rebels operating in the border of Badian and Alegria so venturing beyond the mountains was discouraged. Today though, the New People’s Army threat is already gone but it still is advisable to get a local guide as going under the dam is difficult and circuitous. The Matutinao river system after all is 18 kilometer long and getting to the source in the Alegria mountains is an arduous journey but definitely, no less rewarding.


the second major falls



getting the falls without the people is difficult during weekends


To go: Badian is about 90 km south from Cebu City via the southwest Carcar-Barili highway. The Kawasan Falls is in Matutinao, which is marked by a modern church of the same name.


a stream feeding into the second major falls

a Cebu favorite- the Kawasan Falls, part 1

Having traveled some 100 kilometers from the big city for about 3 hours and then hiked some 30 minutes uphill, I was more than eager to be in Kawasan again. It is Cebu’s most famous waterfalls and I’ve been there twice or thrice. My last visit was some 10 years ago so I wanted to come back, with camera in tow of course.


a roiling stream beyond the second major falls


The first time I went to Kawasan was some 20 years back, during my backpacking days in college. Things have definitely changed.


the river of Matutinao, downstream


The trail upstream requires you to cross from one bank to the opposite side several times, so part of the thrill in the past was to balance yourself on makeshift bridges made of bound bamboos absent any hand railing. Now, there already are three concrete bridges that allow for easy crossings.


arched branches provide shade over the river


When before, I felt that I was entering into some uncharted territory through thick green forested thickets and muddy sludges, today, the track is semi-paved with pounded soil or concrete. Still, the trek may be lighter but thanks to a successful community-based environmental management, the “jungle” feeling still holds strong. To its credit, the Kawasan Nature Park, has been awarded numerous times as the cleanest and greenest river in the Philippines.


a concrete bridge before the first major falls


Except for the occasional local bather or laundry washer, a trek to the falls in the late 80s was an exercise of solitude and the occasionally eerieness. Today, the 2 kilometer road already sports modern conveniences from T-shirt stores to ambulant vendors selling cold drinks and ice cream. Who can say now that the journey cannot be leisurely and easy?


two smaller falls downstream of the first major falls


Part 2: the major falls

To go: Badian is about 90 km south from Cebu City via the southwest Carcar-Barili highway. The Kawasan Falls is in Matutinao, which is marked by a modern church of the same name.