Kawasan Falls, Finally!

The famous Kawasan Falls is situated some four hours from Cebu City in the sleepy little baranggay of Matutinao in the town of Badian. Badian is famous for a system of waterfalls which has two major drops, a huge water source squirting thousands of liters of fresh (and very cool) water every day, and an adverture trail which takes you deep into the heart of Baranggay Matutinao.

If you are planning to go to Kawasan, make sure that you can handle a thirty-minute walk through rivers and wooden bridges. Also, note that you are required to go up a very steep passage if you intend to see the second drop as well as the spring near the top.





At long last, I was able to take photos of Kawasan Falls. Such a lovely, lovely natural wonder! Woooot!

The long walk begins here – After parking our van near the church by the South Coastal National Highway, we started our long trek to Kawasan.

There are tons of things to see along the way, so you won’t get bored.

Taking a short break after paying the Php 10 entrance fee.

Crossing a small wooden bridge, you’ll reach the ‘Children’s Spring’ – a small ‘resort’ especially designed for young kids.

View of the river. Cool!

Two guys looking for ‘omang’ or freshwater prawn.

If you can’t do it on the natural rock formation, do it on the sign. Toink.

Fresh fresh water!

Wow. Doesn’t that look nice?

 

Another view.

Walking through coconut trees.

See? I told ya! Hehehe.

First bridge. Pretty nice.

Those are some of the ‘omang’ the local kids caught.

Labadami, labango. La. la. la. la. la.

Keep walking until you reach the second foot bridge.

Kids enjoying the raft.

There’s the second foot bridge!

Just keep walking! A group of excited out-of-towners now taking the lead.

Are we there yet?

Wow. An age-old stone bridge.

View from the back.

A small hydro power plant (?)

First of the many houses for rent near the first drop.

Fantastic view!

Another foot bridge.

There she is! Ahh. What a sight!

The first Kawasan Falls

Let’s see what the second drop looks like. Up, up, up we go!

Climb, boy, climb!

Waaaah! Where are we going????????????

 

View from the top.

Trees. Tall trees all around.

Ahh. Cool water!

A very small ‘falls.’ Hehehehe.

Another foot bridge.

Wow! I love it!

Another angle.

And yet another one. 🙂

Wow! Pwede mag-shower diri.

Cool. Pwede latay-latayan sa mga walay lingaw.

Another foot bridge to falls number 2!

View from the top.

There’s the beauty!

 

Wow! Kanindot!

Now it’s time to swim!!! Woohoo! – Tita Line fixing Erin’s life vest.

Ladies chilling by the water.

 

Mga tarzan.

We decided to not go to the source because we were running late. Hehehe. Next time na lang daw. =)

————————————————

MORE SHOTS

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    





Tell us about your experience in Kawasan!

135 thoughts on “Kawasan Falls, Finally!

  1. such beauty. hope the place remains to be perserved
    for generations to come.
    beautiful pics,as always, ley. excellent work.

  2. Magnificent view! My sister’s son & daugther & some other family members from the U.S.A. went to this place. They jumped to all the falls there.=)

  3. kawasan is one place i’ll never get tired seeing. in my last visit, we hiked down all the way from osmena peak in mantalongon dalaguete, to the very source of kawasan falls. it took us at least 5 hours to hike. we didn’t have to pay an entrance fee because we got in through the top. kadaginot pud! camp overnight at osmena peak to see the spectacular sunset. if you get lucky, experience your tent being tossed by the wind in your sleep. then leave early morning to start your trek to the falls. quite a long hike especially when you do this in the summer. but a great experience for avid backpackers! you will see priceless sceneries on the way… try it ley!

    1. ibog ko! hehe ive been to kawasan actually but that was way back in high school and it was the first falls i was introduced to.. imagine that. now ive been a falls-lover/hunter ungo-sa-busay-ug-tubod ever since. now im in mindanao and believe me ive been to several falls already but i never forget about Kawasan! 😛 and now ive read about osmeña peak-traverse-kawasan falls trail. it gets me excited again weee =)

    2. very familiar story…because i and my classmates and some teachers also had the same experience. that was for our survival camp. it happened three years ago.
      we walked for three days and we aimed to settle to place that has water nearby, para maka refill mi for the next treking. that was a great experience. and we had a free bath, right from the water source. too bad i dont know how to swim, i stayed near big rocks where water could fall on my head without putting myself to danger.
      we also made our own way, we did rapelling, climbing tall mountains, jumping on tall shrubs. basta i love recalling that experience.

      osmena peak is a great place for reflection, survival camps. especially for those who like treking.

  4. i will also say that the kawasan experience is not complete unless you stay there overnight. the ambience is very different in the evening. how lovely it is having the sound of the running water and singing crickets to lull you to sleep.

  5. Uy! I’ve been to Kawasan a gazillion times. Hehe. FYI, Badian is just right across Bindoy. As a matter of fact, it’s just an hour and 45 minutes pump boat ride. So during summer, Kawasan lang gyud ang among madali ug adto, kai aside from the fact na duol lang siya and sulit na ang among ‘summer get-away’, the family of a Bindoyanon friend partly owns the ‘land’ sa first falls and the ‘source’. So in short, pa-libre lang mi didto. We do not have to pay for the entrance, the cottage, and sometimes, we also enjoy free food. Usually, we stay there for about 2-3 days para masulit gyud namo pag-ayo ang among trip. Haha. Sayang, wala mo kaabot sa ‘source’. Nindot kaayo didto. Super! And latest info na ako nadunggan about Kawasan is that naa na pud daw na-discover na falls after sa source. Meaning, the ‘source’ isn’t the source after all. Amazing! Haha. =)

    And since summer is fast approaching, lagmit mag Kawasan na sad mi karong April. =) Can’t wait!

  6. Ha! Finally, a place I’ve been to (though just once). I’ve even been to the source as well. It’s a really cool place (literally and figuratively speaking). Cielo’s advice about camping in Osmena Peak and hiking to the source sound like a lot of fun. Sadly, I am neither young nor that adventurous to do it.

    I haven’t heard of Osmena Peak but sounds like a great place for you to explore for MCPB, Ley.

  7. actually, when we went to mantalongon, we were about to turn left (and up) na gyud for osmeña peak. pero ako mga kuyog baya ato mga tiya ug tiyo. so wala na lang. hehehe. sige lang next time =)

  8. . . better have a change of name now Takdol—> to Talisawop-you sounded like you are now in the sunset of your life, no WAy!!!!!! get up bud and have fun=:(

  9. Absolutely beautiful photos of a tropical paradise.The turqoise green color scheme looks fantastic, interesting to explore.
    Thanks for the great cool shots Ley, cheers

  10. Thanks Leylander for this report. You have inspired me to visit this place. I would also like to climb Osmena Peak. I’m old and decrepit but I have an adventurous spirit!

  11. i love kawasan falls. my dad’s is from alcantara so when we’re around, we try to go to kawasan.

    i took a picture of that exact same vandalism sign… with the vandals’ handiwork still on it. i thought it was creatively obedient and law-abiding of the vandals. LOL.

  12. super niceeeee pictures!!

    i went to kawasan once with officemates…that was 2005….lingaw! the best part was that we didn’t formally planned everything and it turned out nice…:)

  13. Ley,

    Many thanks sa Kawasan pictures, my wife is from Brgy. Malabago, Badian. We are so happy to see it. Invokes so much memories of home. Was also surprise to see the signs from Bayer CropScience, i used to work for them before we left for Canada. Looking forward to our family’s upcoming vacation diha sa ato and Badian is on our itinerary. What your doing is excellent work. Keep it up.

    Take care

  14. hoz, go for that climb. i’ve been there 3 times and still want to go back. the view from up there is gorgeous. you won’t regret it. it only takes 30-45 mins to go up from the foot to the peak. just get a habal-habal to get you there. if you wan’t to start the hike from town, it only takes 2 hours. no special skill is needed here, just the love of “taking time to smell the flowers”. there is so much to see in mantolongon.

  15. thanks for posting the pics! what kind of camera are you using? really love the pics. daghang salamat!

  16. ayaw pag sir bai kay ma tigulang ta og dali ana. hehehe kung ma home sick ko, diri ra gyud ko mo tanaw og mga pics sa cebu, labaw na sa malls! keep it up! thanks!

  17. waaaaaah! i think it was taken last feb. 24.. right?!
    and while i was wandering around, looking for some feature-worthy stories, i stumbled on some ECE students too doing their annual activity on measuring the discharge of the stream…. that’s the reason behind those ropes! haha!
    and i saw two of our pix there! pwde ko manguwa?! pwde?! hehehe.. 😀

  18. On my first visit to Kawasan Falls I was really amazed with the cascading falls plus the lush trees. Plus, the cool waters of the third falls, we dipped in there until we shiver! Hope to visit the place again ^-^

  19. We were there when that man got drowned in the second falls last holy thursday, very sad. Gitabang pa jud tawn to siya sa iyang mga kauban. But unfortunately, i read on the news the following day nga namatay jud diay siya. Anyway, nice pics.

  20. hello guys! just wondering…unsa ka lawom ang tubig sa kawasan kay dili man gud ko kabalo molangoy…hehehehe..no joke hapit nako malumos sa 8ft pool and i just want to make sure im not gonna ruin my husband & i’s vacation tungod kay gadanghag lang ko 🙂 …and i dont want to look stupid by wearing a life vest ….so mao na xa….I MISSSSS CEBU sobra…and ill be back home soon for my vacation !!! this december 2008!!!

  21. hi leylander,,,bravo for your nice shots,,,i love it,,,a job well done.in fact i like to have acopy of your compilation.

  22. I actually love nature! I love this place! And I do really like this fascinating falls. Though I am a Filipino but I admit I am still strange to this place. I been in some other countries but I never been here. The Cebu, PHILIPPINES.

    I wish soon when I could visit back the Philippines during my vacation from Europe I could visit this place. I wish also to have friends from Cebu. Don’t worry I could speak Cebuano.

    I am open for talks and friend link. My and YM friendster: dan_accountant@yahoo.com.ar

  23. Maayo kaayo amg angles sa pictures. Hope you can get also some pictures sa Monghe ni Mama Mary nya human ka og dagkot pod didto,kaon mo og barbecue og sinugbang baboy sa “Park ‘n Eat sa ilaom sa Kamanggahan”. Nica kaayo didto,jud!

  24. BAI! LEYLANDER
    OK PAS ALRIGHT ANG IMONG MGA PICS! KAOLION NA HINOON KO
    IMONG KALAKI!HAHA DIA KOS SEATTLE KARON,BUT MY BATIKOLON NAA SA ATO BAY! THANKS 4 THE GOOD WORK! MO I SHALL RETURN UNYA KO..PASOGAT KO BANDA PARDO! HAHA

  25. WOW!! TRIPLE WOW! I can’t believe how much changes are going on in Kawasan falls. It’s been a long time since I was there with my relatives. The trail is amazing unlike in my time very skinny trail we were walking . No houses near the falls at all! Good job! Someday I want to go back there with my family. I’m going back home to Cebu next month with my 2 kids, but I’m not going to the falls without my hubby, he will freak out if he will know. Someday perhaps all of us can go.

  26. hey, can i use your pictures for my report about cebu architecture and go to places? im studying my masters in architecture and i kinda need pictures for my report. =0) thanks.

    your pictures are great by the way…

  27. from cebu south bus terminal, look for bus going for Badian, pwede pod Bato via BArili then naog ka sa Matutinao, diha ka magsugod ug lakaw padulong sa falls…..kung wala ko masayop, Librando lines man guro ang moagi didto and ceres pod…

  28. amazing! 🙂 i’ve heard kawasan is such a beautiful place yet this is the first time i got to see them in pictures. nice jud siya! 🙂 how much more if i get to see it live sah? hmm, hagbay rjud ko nahan adto da pero busy pjud ang life. ge lng, s0on, planuhan nya nko jud. hehe.. :p

    nice shots leylan! 🙂 i never knew blogger na day ka ron.. ikaw man to classmate ni maypril noh?ikaw tong nindto aug tingog!!! iya ni youngest sister..hehe.. :p lingaw ko read imo mga blogs and watch imo mga shots! 🙂 nice, nice! 😀 keep it up! 😉 ako nya ingnon ako sister about this. hehe. :p na amaze ko nimo! 😀

  29. i never been there in this place but my husband jump here ….he said to me he is the oldest guy who jump on the falls…he is 56 years old….i am so proud of him…and i am so proud being a filipino having lots of beautiful spot…..

  30. NICI AJO INYONG PICTURES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1…………………………… MAKABOANG HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEEEEE……………………..

  31. kalami sa tubig! ive been there twice, once was in early 1990’s and second time was in early 2000 ug dako na kaayo ang kausaban sa lugar. mas daghan na ug improvement pero ang serenity medyo nawala na. daghan pa gyud ug tawo. pero nindot lang gihapon ang lugar. makahinumdum ko sa tubig nga perte gyung kabugnaw. i wish i can go back. probably one of these days when i go home. btw, i love your pics, esp of the water. that must be one heck of a camera you got, klaro kaayo, nindot ang kuha.

  32. ley, nakakita na gyud ko sa kawasan falls didto mi ni dave adtong jan before the sinulog, we had fun we even went to the highest peak the 3rd falls! ingon gyud among tour guide adventurous kuno kaayo mi kay dili man unta siya mosaka kay it was raining and slippery and the climb daw is sooo steep and narrow pero adto gyud mi and we told him he can stay behind and i’m glad we did it was such an experience in our lives!

    ley thanks

  33. hi I’m planning to got to Kawasan with my friends..but dont know how to get there?..i’m from manila…i like watching the pictures you posted…i would like to experience that too..can you tell me the easiest way how to go there …from Cebu city…thank you….

    1. hi hanna. the easiest way to get there is by bus. you can also go by van if you are traveling with a large (10-16 people) group.

      From Mactan Airport, just get a cab and tell the driver to take you to the south bus terminal. Ask the driver to run using the meter. But if you make a deal, 250 to 300 should be okay.

      Then, look for a Ceres Bus going to Barili. The sign should be Bato-Barili. It means, it’s going to Bato via Barili.

      Tell the driver that you’re going to Kawasan Falls in Badian. The bus should stop right in front of the Matutinao Church in Badian. That’s where the trek to the falls starts. You won’t get lost where you’re there.

  34. i’ve been there 2004 with my family. nindot gyud kaayo. looking on the pics makes me think to go back again someday with my daughter. sigurado she will love it.

  35. i went there last weekend. it was so fun! we were only up to the 2nd waterfalls. the most exciting part was rafting then going under this huge low rock that we had to lie flat as in flat. then going under the waterfalls!! ahhhhhhhh massage! it hurt like hell but after that, you’d wanna try it again!

    yeah, it’s a long walk before you reach the waterfalls. nevertheless, the crystal clear river kept us up.

  36. Wow this is great! I’m looking for a place to visit and I’m considering Cebu. Been there before but was not able to really explore the place. But this is fantastic! I wanted to see that falls myself. Geez, thanks for posting this!

  37. do you have any info about the cottages? or any rooms that we could rent, and could also accomod8 around 10 pipz……

  38. 25 yrs had past, it a big change, but still prefer when it was a virgin forrest. Regards to the Virtucio Family.
    One day I will be back there. Regards to Blesilda and my best friend Vic Salvador

  39. been there once also during my college ecology class outing ( it was in 2000).
    very nice! kutob ra mi sa 2nd falls..nindot jud kaayo!

  40. tagaSamboan ko peRo wa pa gud Qoh kaAdto kawaSan ooiiii…asa gud na dapit…heheheehh soRii.,,wa man gud gapuyo cge Samboan..twiCe a year rah twn
    kauli hOme,,buZy man studIes.

  41. Hi poh! can somebody please help me unsaon pag adto sa kawasan?like what na bus ang sakyan and pila ang pamasahe? i really want to visit the place kaya lang wala ko idea how to get there.. I am staying sa city jud!please help me!!
    and by the way thanks for taking the pictures! i really love it!

    1. adto lang ka south bus terminal. pangutana lang unsay bus muagi ug badian. ang pliti ana murag less than a hundred gyud.

      adto ka ana ihunong sa simbahan sa matutinao sa badian. daghan man signs didto. dili ka masaag. daghan pud taw mangadto didto.

      entrance padung sa falls kay 10.

  42. Excellent photos. I had photos there in 1988 when I garduated Nursing school. I went there with my family and friends. I’m glad to see that it’s clean and well preserved. I haven’t gone back since then. I now live in new York with my family. someday I’ll go back…

  43. hi.. i fell in love with the pictures and im dying to get there.. naa mga for rent na rooms sa kawasan or we need to bring tents? how do we get there from the city, i have no idea asa ni but i’d love to go there..

  44. Love the pictures and I can’t wait to visit here and see for myself..there are so many places to visit there on Cebu Island, as well as on Leyte I want to visit as well. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

  45. yes that true kawasan falls is a very very nice place,even they’re far from our place..last sept.09 we’ve gone there and having an overnight…water is so malamig,.i hope na makakabalik kami doon…god bless

  46. Hellooooooooo am coming back to cebu Philippines. could you pls. email me the direction of this kawasan fall? and tell me how is the cost to get there, how is the room for rent per night or per day. thanks a lot.

  47. Hi…..I’m from Badian……thanks sa pictures! glad that someone boosted my place….I’d be home this April….thank God!makalaag na pod ko sa kawasan bisag kada-adlaw pa. hehehe….

  48. to those who’d like to go to my place…..

    -from Mactan Airport ride a taxi cab to “South Bus Terminal”. (It takes more than an hour if traffic!)And it costs about 200 php.
    -Then, take a bus…. Barili via Bato. (you can choose either Series Lines or Librando Trans). 3- hour travel.(fare is 120). just tell the conductor ….you’re going to “Matutinao, Badian”. The bus usually stops in front of Matutinao Catholic Church. (Get off the bus.)
    -from the church to kawasan you can start a 20-minute walk trail. (rooms usually costs 600-1k…..according to sizes). But if you want to stay overnight near the beach which is a 5-minute walk, from the church…try to contact this resort ( La Playa-032 3197932), owner of the resort is Sony Capacio.

    …..hope this helps…..
    ….be careful!

    Thanks again Ley!

  49. Hi Ley,

    Ka aligri man aning imong mga caption sa pictures 🙂 na lingaw ko ug basa. Naa ko ron sa Singapore. Hapit nako mo uli sa Cebu karong december.

    Manghinaot ko nga dili mag baha sa Badian kun mo anha ko hehehe Hay sa ka dugay na nakong puyo diha sauna before ko nag menyo wala pa jud tawn ko ka anha kay perte man gung layo-a 😀

  50. Hi Leylander, I’ve been reading your blogs for weeks now and I really enjoy looking at the pictures. I’ve come across your site while researching about Kawasan Falls because I am planning to go there. My initial plan was to go by bus because it’s cheaper. Still I got a few questions in my mind. What time will I arrive in Kawasan Falls if I arrive at South Bus terminal by 10am? Is it also ok to set 3 hours for the whole Kawasan Falls trekking and swimming? Lastly, can I still ride a bus going back to the city if I finish my Kawasan trip by 6pm? If not, what are my other options? Thank you so much again for putting up this site. It’s a big help.

    1. hey ayi. if you leave the city at 10 am, you’ll probably be in badian around 1pm. you can get to the falls (from where you get off) in 30 minutes. to be safe, you should be on a bus by 5 pm. 🙂

  51. Thanks, Leylander. 🙂
    My trip here will fall on a Friday, will the 3 hrs. bus travel time be affected by traffic there?

  52. ang ganda ng kuha! suuuper likeeee! (thumbs up ala FB) hehehehe
    pupunta kami sa cebu next month kaya nag-se-search ako ng mga pwde puntaha, tapos nakita ko ung blog mo. meron kb marerecommend na place sa badian? balak ko kasi sa badian beach nlng kami mag-stay, maganda din nmn ung beach at malapit pa sa kawasan falls… 🙂

  53. Just thought you would like to know, the hydro planet at Kawasan Falls produces, or has in the past, 125 Megawatts of power, to add to the grid in Cebu Province.

    As a side note, I LOVE this site.

    Thanks!

  54. it seems not new for me seeing pics of kawasan….those beautiful scenery of kawasan same mana sa amua sa probinsya…naa daghan ani sa leyte(sa among bukid)…,,kawasan is a very nice place to go for adventure pud.. well maintain..

  55. yup!!!!!!!… we had been visiting in kawasan falls last year during our tour together with my classmates, professor sir Napoles as well as my boyfriend.>>.,but sad to say ,,we were not able to swim and we were just eating our lunch there, because we have so many place to visit that time,,,,,,,.. i hope that i can visit kawasan falls again, soon!!!!//……….., i love it!!

    DOD BLESS KAWASAN FALLS.. for being a nature lover,..

  56. Hello,im staying in Danao for my trip to Cebu,how do we get to Kawasan falls from there,,the fastest way please,

    1. Hi Alan, go south past Cebu, to about the 40 kilometer post. This will be Carcar. At the round about in Carcar, you will turn right, and head across the mountain approximately 16 kilometers, to Barili. In Barili, the road will automatically turn south. Continue south toward Moalboal, which will be about 27 kilometers south of there. About another 11 kilometers will be where you need to go, in Bdtian, Cebu, and Kawasan Falls.

      If you are not driving, you can go to Cebu City. South of the city, along the highway, you will look for Citi Link, where you can find a v-hire that will take you to Badian. If you choose, you can go to the South Bus terminal instead and take a bus to that side of the island.

      HTH

    1. kawasan falls is around 3 hours from cebu city. cordova is around an hour from the city. so, that should be around 4. there are a few cottages/rooms near the falls, some along the highway..

  57. What a wonderful place to visit soon…. great job on posting those pretty pictures…. i am planning to take my family somewhere in July of 2011. Kaya lang I have a problem though, my husband cannot walk that far anymore…. 30 minutes of walk? it might be too much for him…but I really wanna go there with him with my 10 year old daughter who doesn’t know how to swim. Any advice please..I don’t know which area should we go to.. Is there any way na duol lang ang mabaklay? I’m from Ronda and I never been to this wonderful place. Thanks in advance……

  58. Xllent arrangement of photos in the sequence
    my experience – two of us from a team of 10 walked all the way to falls from first bridge in the river itself.
    It is a good exploration. It is really wonderful. Of course you should spend more time as walking in water with all obstacles consumes more experience.
    This will give an experience like Walking in Duns river in Jamaica if any one has done
    Try out, chill out, enjoy

  59. Super Nice.. buti na lang I won the Oratorical Contest. sa Badian kasi venue ng Division namin.. Wohooo! party2x!! sana wala nga lang masamang mangyari sa amin. :)) excited nah!! hehe 😀

  60. Great photo tour of Kawasan Falls. Will travel to Phil. in May (from US) and hope to visit the Falls. How far of a walk is it to the car park? Thank you for the tour!!!

  61. Tnx sa pic bai leylander. Ang problema lang pag adto ngadto kay dili ing-ana ka accessible. Daghan ka pang agui-on b4 reaching the place.. Pero nice ang Kawasan Falls. 🙂

  62. you should have seen kawasan before capitalism blew its deadly breath on it. i believe my family has pics of it during the 50’s and the 60’s. I will share it with you when I do find them.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *