Kawasan Falls - Kawasan Falls - TravBuddy

Fields of nipa (a type of palm used as a building material) line the roads through the barangay of Matutinao. Kawasan Falls is the highlight of Matutinao, which is located in the town of Kawasan, municipality of Badian, and province/island of Cebu. Admission (as of January 2007) was only 10 PhP (about 20¢ US). A 30-minute hike along the riverbank leads to the base of the falls. The three-tiered waterfall cascades cool spring waters into heavenly turquoise pools. Volcanic rock formations make up the swimming holes, which are surrounded by lush, green rainforests. The magical landscape of Kawasan Falls is a veritable tropical paradise.

Rugged hiking trails and bamboo bridges provide visitors access between the various levels of the falls. “Cottages” (i.e., picnic tables and seating covered by a roof of nipa) can be rented by the day and provide a peaceful, sheltered place to eat and relax during the afternoon rains. There are camp-style cooking facilities too available, so pack cooler and remember to bring your cookware. Food can also be purchased onsite at several indoor-outdoor restaurants. Numerous shops and vendors sell a menagerie of items such as tee shirts, souvenirs, and costume jewelry. Rooms can even be rented for overnight stays.

Visitors can hire large bamboo rafts, capable of accommodating sizable groups, to float around the pools and catch a shower under the falling water. Dropping into the chilly water off the end of the rope swing at stage three is a fun and popular activity. Likewise, the rock ledges and cliffs rising from each terrace are ideal for climbing and those daring enough are free to take a plunge from various heights. For anyone less comfortable in deep water, lifejackets can be rented for a few pesos.

At the highest accessible point, the source can be found. It’s crystal clear water rushes from a small cave and pours over the stones and boulders below forming natural whirlpool baths where one can sit under the massaging waters at the climax of an extraordinary day.

I have a bad habit of deleting photos after sharing them with friends and then regret it later on. I think it’s the third time that Larong have forwarded these pictures back to me. They were taken when we went to Kawasan Falls a couple of years ago. I do not have a better camera then so don’t blame the beautiful models for the ugly shots. :)



Larong and I had a great plan of venturing the mountains of Cebu to check out this place called “Island in the Sky”. We met in Ayala Mall and bought some foods for our lunch to save money. After a while, we found ourselves riding a bus at the south bus terminal heading for Kawasan Falls, south-west of Cebu. Girls have a right to change their minds after all and two scatterbrained girls like us are not exempted to this rule.



It’s a long three hours bus ride from Cebu City and we fell asleep with our heads swaying everywhere until we finally reached our destination. From the bus stop, we have to walk for about 30 minutes along a rocky path and breathing in cool fresh air. Kawasan Falls consist of 3 falls, of which the first is the biggest. It is quite popular with locals as well as tourists especially during the summer season because it offers fresh cold water as well as relaxing scenery.



Larong and I have been to the falls countless times before and is no longer a stranger to its beauty. We were just being true to ourselves when we went looking for a place to eat our lunch immediately upon arrival. After eating our inasal and puso (roasted pork and rice wrapped in coconut leaves), off we went hiking until we reached the third falls. We didn’t bring any extra clothes at all because our original plan was for the Island in the Sky after all so we just took some photos and practice our modeling skills before going back to catch a bus back to the city.