Cancalanog Falls is not a majestic waterfall with a tall and stunning cascade of water. I don't know why it was even categorized as a waterfall in the first place. What it boasts is its magical blue water that's located in the middle of a jungle here in Cebu.
Hello Hiveians!
Before the main part of this post, please check out the previous edition of this series if you haven't read it yet. My hope is that this series will encourage you to consider Cebu and the Philippines to be part in your list of places to visit once you're allowed to travel again. Anyway, you can find that post in the link below:
Now for this post, this was part of weekend getaway in the south of Cebu. We climbed Mt. Lanaya via Lumpan Trail and then hired a motorcycle to take us to Cambais Falls and to this one, Cancalanog Falls. I will be featuring Cambais Falls in the next post or after Mt. Lanaya via Lumpan Trail. This took longer than my usual posts because the photos were in raw format and I had difficulty in editing and converting them before. Anyway, I already featured Mt. Lanaya in a two-part post before, but it was on a different trail - Legaspi Trail. You can find those posts below:
After those two falls, we stayed in Lambug Beach for a night and then head to Kawasan Falls early in the morning before heading home at noon. You can find my Lambug Beach and Kawasan Falls posts below:
The reason why I'm showing all those links is because you can visit all of them in one weekend. This is what I have been saying that you can be enjoying the beach in the morning, having a freshwater plunge in a river or waterfall at noon, and then go hiking and camping in the afternoon. Or you can have it the other way around depending on your itinerary. You can even visit other peaks like Osmena Peak, Casino Peak, or Kandungaw Peak and beaches like Basdaku in Moalboal. You can even choose to allocate your entire itinerary to waterfalls hopping or canyoneering. What I mean is that there's so much to see in just a few towns in the south.
And it's really now for Cancalanog Falls.
I know that some of you would agree with me that looking at the photos alone, the falls itself was less impressive. When we got there, it was not the falls that greeted us, but that transparent blue water hole that's hidden in the jungles of Alegria, Cebu. It's part of a river that meanders in the mountains and hills in the area.
How to Get There
Cancalanog Falls is one of those incredible spots that you should have the desire to overcome the challenges along the way. No. I'm just kidding. But seriously, it's one of those places that you should go the beaten path and it's relatively far, at least to my standards. It's tucked in the mountains for a reason and that reason is why a lot of people wanted to go there.
From Cebu City, there's a bus going to the south, but make sure choose the right route. You have to choose the Bato via Barili route as it will go the southwest where the spots I mentioned above are located. Tourism is pretty much established in that area so it's not difficult to find a place to stay at an affordable price. If you're already in the south, you can hire a habal-habal (motorcycle) to take you to the falls. The driver can also act as your guide to the different spots in the area. You can negotiate with the rate, so it's better if you do the research right before you embark in your journey. I'm not going to put rates here because it's on a case-to-case basis depending on your itinerary and rates vary greatly especially after COVID-19.
The advantage of hiring a habal-habal is that you can ask the driver to stop somewhere for you to take a photo especially if there's a good spot. You are guaranteed to pass by vantage points that are overlooking Tanon Strait. There's a point where motorcycles can no longer enter so you'll have to walk to the falls at that point.
That Enchanting Blue Water Hole
There's an entrance fee in the information center near the falls. From there, a few minutes walk and you'll be greeted by that stunningly clear blue water that's part of the river system in the area. As I've told before, the area is generally characterized by karst formations which is why caves and canyons with springs and river networks are abundant.
The small waterfall that poured into the pool came from a spring in a cave just above the pool. The spring is an important water source for the locals in the area. The waterfall is not really the attraction; it's that mini canyon with the natural pool that made people visit Cancalanog Falls. I mean it's really instagrammable and I feel my photos didn't do justice.
A bamboo bridge across the pool connects one side of the canyon to jungle on the other side. There are a lot places where you can choose to do cliff jumping. If you're up to some thrill like me, you shouldn't miss this out. I mean it's not really that tall as I've done far taller cliff jumps before, but it's not bad for an adrenaline pumping activity.
Perhaps the best thing to do is to snorkeling it that crystal clear blue water. The water hole is only about 2 to 3 meters deep, so it's good even if you're not really that adept in snorkeling. As for me, I had a great time. I never missed to explore what's in the bottom of that water hole.
It was a great summer activity and good way to cool down after hiking in the mountains. We stayed there for a few hours and then hit the road again.
I guess that's all for this post. Next post will be about Cambais Falls or Mt. Lanaya via Lumpan Trail. Stay tuned!
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world even if he's still a poor corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college.
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