When you search for Moalboal on Cebu one of the first things mentioned are tours for canyoneering as well as swimming with sardines. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Moalboal, to experience swimming with sardines. The canyoneering happened more by chance. While on Bohol I met a solo traveler from the Netherlands, who also had Moalboal and Siargao as her next destinations.
We hit it off and booked a canyoneering tour for 1.200 PHP (19,- Eur), in the end I gave 1.000 PHP tip because it was such a great adventure and the guides were all super friendly and considerate. The price for this tour seems to be the same everywhere. Ours was quoted without the zip lining included, which was 600 PHP extra. It doesn’t really matter where you book it, they all go to the same canyon.
an adventure with new friends @Moalboal
Our group consisted of 16 people of all kinds of nationalities and age groups, and thankfully I was not the oldest one. The Badian Canyoneering Adventure offered something for everyone and included the before mentioned zip line, ten jumps with one from ten meters, and ended at the Kawasan falls of Badian. We started with the one kilometer long zip line, always two people together. It was a new experience for me to not be on my own. In any case it was well worth every peso, I loved it! You can see a video here.
where the magic starts @Badian adventure
let’s start with the zip line @Badian Adventure Tour
Once the zip line was behind us there was a short walk until we reached the canyon and from that moment on it was pure action.
the Badian canyon below @Moalboal
I was very lucky to met Jesse, a local tourist, with a waterproof bag. He was kind enough to take my phone, sunglasses, and everything else I was stupid enough to take with me against the advice of the guides. He also got someone to take lots of pictures from the three of us, so these are the one you are seeing here.
start of the canyon @Badian adventure tour
first jump @Badian adventure tour
working out a figure in the water @Badian Adventure Tour
There were so many different jumps of getting into the water, while sometimes we had to swim or walk to get to the next interesting stop. Here is a video of me sliding backwards into the water.
our group in the canyon @Badian adventure tour
we made it to the waterfall @Badian Adventure Tour
The tour was huge fun and I especially enjoyed my ten meter jump. What a thrill! That evening we went out for drinks together to Chilibar, because we had had so much fun.
drinks with new friends @Chilibar
Since the canyoneering experience was such a fun event we booked the sardines adventure through the same company. The next morning I met my friend at 7am in front of the agency and we got our snorkeling gear to swim out into the sea. Quite fascinating to sea Moalboal at high tide that early in the morning. It’s a very relaxing way to start the day. While snorkeling we saw one large turtle, which was beleaguered by hordes of diving tourists.
encounter with a turtle @Moalboal
The picture comes from my Filippino friend, who went snorkeling with a different agency. Unlike us, he owns an action camera and he was generous enough to share his footage with me.
In the beginning I was happy that we even saw this turtle, although we had paid for the sardines. But let’s think about it for a minute. The ocean is vast and one cannot book a sardine run and then hope that it materializes out of thin air. But apparently one can, because in Moalboal the guides know where to look for the swarm. Suddenly we were upon it and just beneath me there was a huge school of fish. You can watch a video of the sardines here.
There were also a lot of jellyfish in the water, but my friend assured me that once you get out of the water, you won’t notice anything. Even in the water I was a bit doubtful, because I felt a lot of stinging. True to her words though, once we came back to shore there was nothing to see. By the afternoon though I noticed that the jellyfish bites had left some mark, and my arms itched like hell.
my one arm after the jellyfish encounter @Moalboal
Just in case that happens to you and you feel the sting of a jellyfish, go back to the agency and get doused in vinegar. Since I missed that window of opportunity, I felt exhausted in the evening and was quite in pain. Both my arms looked worse over the next days, before the marks started to vanish. This was definitely an experience I could have done without. Yours, Pollybert
