We love waterfalls. When there are waterfalls to be found, we’re right there, hiking the national parks or driving the road trips to find them. In the past, we’ve covered a bunch of options:

• The best waterfalls in Iceland
• A 3-day waterfall road trip in West Virginia
• Stunning waterfalls to visit in Washington State
• The incredible waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

Well, today, we’re adding to that list with another trip further afield, all the way out to the Philippines. Specifically, we’re looking at some of the incredible waterfalls and canyoneering tours available on the island of Cebu. We’ve mentioned Cebu before in our general Philippines travel itineraries, but this time, we’re focusing just on the island.

All About Cebu Island

The Philippines is a vast collection of islands – over 7,600 of them! – divided into 18 different regions encompassing 82 provinces. Cebu is one such province, a long, narrow strip of land in the south-central area of the archipelago. Cebu the province encompasses Cebu the island, along with 167 smaller islands all around it, many of which are tiny.

Cebu is also one of the population centers and hubs of tourism in the Philippines. Cebu City, known as the Queen City of the South, is the third-largest city in the Philippines after Davao and Manila. With several cities and just over 1,900 square miles of land to explore, Cebu has a ton to offer tourists who want to spend a week or two exploring it. There’s a lot to love!

• It’s a tropical wonderland with millennia of history and culture blended perfectly with rugged natural beauty without being inaccessible.
• There’s plenty to do, both in Cebu and in the surrounding islands, so you can easily fill a week just there; if you want to spend longer in the Philippines, other islands will beckon.
• As a tropical region, your best bet to visit is during the dry season between November and May. Otherwise, heat, humidity, and torrential rains can make exploring the waterfalls much harder. For waterfalls specifically, don’t wait until too late in the dry season, or they may be a bit dry for your tastes. You can also see waterfalls very well during the rainy season from June to November.
• Don’t limit yourself to just the waterfalls and canyoneering tours. There’s a ton to see and do throughout the island, including some incredible underwater diving and snorkeling, where you can watch whale sharks, swim with turtles, and be swarmed by sardines.

It’s hard to go wrong with a trip to Cebu as long as you’re prepared for tropical temperatures, potential crowds, some off-the-grid vacationing, and the flexibility necessary to get around using modes of transport like jeepneys. It’s a fun time as long as you can go with the flow!

Pro tip: Base your trip in Moalboal. Cebu City is the entry point and the biggest city in Cebu, but it’s also far away from all of the best waterfalls, which are 4+ hours of driving south of the city. Moalboal is the nearest large city and a great hub in its own right, and most of the falls are within 1-2 hours by motorcycle through the jungle.

How Many Waterfalls Are On Cebu Island?

When you search for information about Cebu’s waterfalls, the biggest name that is going to dominate the discussion is Kawasan Falls. It’s by far the most popular of the waterfalls, and with good reason, but it’s far from the only falls in the province.

In fact, there are over 100 waterfalls throughout Cebu that you can visit. Some are relatively small, thin trickles that risk drying up in the dry season. Others are 100-foot plunges or broad cascades that showcase the wonders of nature. It can be a tall order to visit all of them in a single visit unless you’re really dedicated, but good waterfall tours will show you the best options in their areas.

7 Epic Waterfall and Canyoneering Tours in Cebu

Many of the waterfalls in Cebu and its surrounding islands are not covered by official tours. If you want to visit them, you’ll need to put together a map and plan your own routes. But, if you just want to hit the best waterfalls with a group, enjoy the expertise of a professional tour guide, and get to see hidden gems you might otherwise overlook, these tours give you great options.

#1: Kawasan Canyoneering Tours

First up is Kawasan, the most famous waterfall in Cebu. Kawasan tours generally involve two phases: canyoneering and exploring the waterfall. It’s only about a 20-minute walk from the main road to the three-stage falls, but with a tour, you can explore background canyons and gain access to locations you otherwise can’t without a guide.

The falls themselves are about an hour south of Moalboal or about four hours out from Cebu City. Many tour groups depart from both locations, often bringing you in via bus and a little hiking.

The canyoneering parts of the tour will take you through fascinating canyons carved through the mountainous landscape and bring you to the height of the falls before working your way down. Expect swimming, and sometimes the option of cliff diving and other more adventurous activities.

As the most popular falls, be aware that they’ll probably be crowded, the lowermost falls especially.

#2: Inambakan Falls

Probably the second most popular waterfall in Cebu, this is surprisingly a bit of a hidden gem. The main falls is a large 100-foot plume of water tumbling from a chute high above the pool it enters, and that pool is the place most people visit.

However, there’s more to Inambakan than you might think. Tucked away behind the main falls, you can find an entire system of canyons with no one, not two, but four more waterfalls on the way. With a tour, you can explore this canyon system and the waterfalls, jump from cliffs to pools, duck into stunning caves, and see some of the most exciting landscapes in the Philippines.

Inambakan Falls is located even further south than Kawasan, so expect nearly two hours of travel to reach it from Moalboal.

#3: Cancalanog Falls

Definitely one of the hidden gems of the Cebu waterfalls, Cancalanog Falls is relatively tucked away off the beaten path, and it’s very much not a popular destination most of the time. Depending on when you visit, you might have the place largely to yourself or with only a handful of others visiting for the day.

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Part of the reason for this is because the falls themselves aren’t terribly impressive. They aren’t tall or even particularly impressive. What is impressive is the canyon leading up to the falls and carved around them and the vibrant, blue-tinted waters that gather at the bottom. It generally feels more like your own semi-private oasis than a tourist falls, and for some of us, that’s worth it.

#4: Kabutongan Falls

One of the best parts of a tour that takes you to Kabutongan Falls is the anticipation. You start downstream and follow the bright blue stream upwards, winding its way through the landscape until you come upon the hidden oasis of the falls themselves. Be prepared; this isn’t the easiest trek on the list, and it even involves swimming in parts. It very much feels like a trek through an untamed jungle if you ignore the strategically placed ropes to help you along the way.

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What’s particularly astonishing is the way the waterfall tumbles down a cliff and is even partially hidden, even when you arrive. You have to make your way down into the lagoon to see the full thing.

When you’re down there, the real star of the show is revealed: a hidden cave that stretches a short distance into the rock behind the falls. This cave is an incredible experience, from the blue light trickling in from the entrance to the sound of the water echoing all around. It’s well worth visiting, alone or with a guide.

#5: Dau Falls and Canyoneering

Dau (also spelled Dao) is comparable to Kawasan when you compare the adventures you can have in exploring the canyons and the falls. Some consider it the most unique waterfall in Cebu! As another waterfall to the south, it’s four hours away from Cebu City. It’s also closer to the coast on the west side, so the trip down can be very scenic.

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Dau Falls requires travel through the canyons, which can be unsafe, so you’re required to bring a guide with you. They’ll bring you through the jungle, from stairs at the entry, to a bamboo bridge that is an adventure in itself, and then to the canyons.

Hiking through the canyons is an incredible experience, and the ability to see millennia of geology formed by the constant running water is awe-inspiring. There’s a hidden pool along the way where you can float and meditate, and after a little further through the canyons, you reach the main falls. As another 100-foot waterfall, it’s an impressive sight but much less crowded than options like Kawasan.

Below the main falls is another waterfall and a cascade through a couple of pools that are also impressive to see before you go.

#6: Mantayupan Falls

The tallest waterfall in Cebu, Mantayupan, is a cliff nestled with trees, and the falls are carving a channel back through them as they cascade down the face of the rock. The pool below is calm and relatively shallow (so no cliff diving), and the natural amphitheater it forms is incredible.

Unlike other falls on this list, this one is actually north of Moalboal, putting it in the opposite direction as the others. It is, however, perfect as a stop on your way from Cebu City to Moalboal, so it can be your first (and potentially one of the best) experiences with waterfalls in Cebu.

Like several of the other falls, Mantayupan starts you in a downstream parking lot and asks you to hike in. You first pass by a shorter, 45-foot cascade before passing across a hanging bridge and finally reaching the main falls. This waterfall is astonishing, tumbling a whopping 320 feet!

Be aware that this is another fantastically popular waterfall to visit, especially from Cebu, so either plan to get there early or be aware that you’ll be far from alone.

#7: Cambais Falls

Last (but not least) on the list is Cambais, another falls within an hour of Moalboal. This is actually a cluster of waterfalls along the same river, with a bunch of opportunities for cliff diving, swimming, and hiking between them.

Since these falls are only around 30 minutes away from Kawasan, it’s not uncommon to find tours that take you through both in the same trip.

Cambais starts slow. The hike is short and simple to get in, and the first waterfall is a sedate, gentle tumble down green rocks. The surrounding area is worth exploring, though, as you can find a variety of diving points and caves to explore.

If you’re into cliff diving, there’s even a rope installed to allow you to climb up alongside the first cascade. There, you reach a hidden gem most people don’t realize even exists. Walking through the waters allows you to reach a bamboo ladder where a second waterfall and a small, mostly private pool await.

Exploring Cebu? Enjoy the Falls!

Listing just seven waterfall tours feels like doing Cebu a disservice. There are so many scattered throughout the island that you can dedicate an entire trip just to visiting them and still not run out. And that doesn’t even get to the other fantastic adventures, like climbing the mountains, diving off the coasts, and enjoying all of the fantastic food.

There’s so much to enjoy about the Philippines that we’re already looking forward to our next trip back. We’re sure you’ll love it too. Don’t forget to take plenty of pictures! If you have any questions, be sure to let us know! We’d be more than happy to help.