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.