Secrets of the City

The island of Cebu is truly blessed. It has a thriving metropolis, impressive cultural and heritage sites, rich marine resources, and unspoiled natural wonders. According to one Austrian I know, Cebu is perfect. He said that when you are in Cebu, everything is within reach. In the morning, you can go scuba-diving and in the afternoon, you can go mountain trekking. Then, in the evening, you can go to the city and watch a movie on Imax or head to a club and party the night away.






Most of the natural spots in Cebu are just a couple of hours away from the city. The famous Kawasan Falls in Badian, for example, is only three hours away. And the Mantayupan Falls in Barili is only two hours away. To get to both Aguinid and Inambakan Falls, you only need to travel for three hours. And you only need an hour to get to that beautiful waterfall below. Yes, you heard it right. That’s how close it is to Cebu City. In fact, to be technical about it, the waterfall IS in Cebu City. Bet you didn’t know that! 🙂

Cebu City’s best-kept secret: Kabang Falls in Budlaan. Wicked!

Before you start planning a trip to this beautiful, beautiful waterfall, let me inform you that getting to this gem is no easy feat. There is no clean and paved path to this natural wonder. But if you think you are brave enough, then read on.

The very first step is to get to the mouth of the trail. How? You ride a jeep to Talamban (Php 8.00) and tell the driver to drop you off at Sunny Hills Subdivision. When you’re there, talk to one of the habal-habal drivers you see and ask him to take you to Sitio Baugo (Php 20.00).

Like this.

You will know that you are in Sitio Baugo when the motorcycle stops and the driver asks you to get off. Or if you see this house.

Before starting the trek, you can buy water or snacks. Remember, this is no easy feat. So, I suggest you buy the whole store. You’re going to need something to eat, trust me.

The start of the trek.

The mountains of Talamban. Gorgeous.

You will see a lot of things along the way. But always remember: never leave a trace and never take anything!

Even this cute Birds of Paradise plant.

Thirty minutes later, you will reach a concrete house with wooden benches in the front yard. You may sit down. But please do not waste your energy by taking a lot of pictures. You will regret it.

Those smiles will fade, trust me.

After finishing a small bag of Piatos we were back on the road. I mean trail.

Remember, it is necessary that you trek only with an experienced guide. Or you will get lost and you will never be found. Ever! (Cue evil laugh)

You will see a small river which drops a few meters into a small delicious-looking pool. But don’t get all giddy. That’s like the tail end of the river.

And don’t mind Gian. Guides can get really excited. You won’t get it. It’s a guide thing.

 

Remember what I said! Just let him do his stuff.

Now, I suggest you take no more than 5 photos there. Like I said, do not waste your energy. You have to listen to me.

Total torture ensues!

You will most likely meet other trekkers along the way. But fret not. Always remember, according to official hiking rules, hikers on their way back need to make way for hikers who are still beginning their trek. So, go ahead and keep the nice trail. Let them get wet and sweaty. Bet you ten bucks they won’t make it to the other side dry. Nyahahaha.

Another small drop. But it’s no cause for celebration. Take one picture and keep moving!

A little trivia. This is called Cab-Cab. It’s where the city of Carcar got its name. (Oh, geez. I hope I’m right.)

Thirty more minutes of nonstop boulder-loving and you will hear water. Lots and lots of water!

And there it is! You win! But not quite! Hahaha. You see, you still need to climb up a huge huge huge boulder. It’s quite tricky, really. Now, let’s see you do it!

An old man was ‘fishing’ nearby. So we asked him if he got lucky. Well, he got his first two for the day! Yay for him! But you will never ever get to taste it. So, move along!

When you reach the top, you can rest for a while and have lunch before your great assualt. I swear assualt isn’t even a strong enough word to describe it.

 You can go ahead and have fun!

Weeeeeeee!!!!

Rarrrrrrrr!

And, you know, remove some excess baggage. It helps to travel light, believe me.

So, anyway, after all those silly water games and crazy dives, you are forced to make a horrible choice. To move forward or head back. Of course, you’d be a total loser if you head back. So, it’s a go go go!

 And that’s how we learned how to crawl!

And rely on the strength of the roots of plants for our survival.

Last look at happiness. Not everything has a happy ending, kid. Now get a move on!

Those loose soil can be quite a pain in the neck, I tell you. They can introduce your face to the ground without your permission.

After 30 minutes of pure suicide, you will reach a cute home on the edge of the mountain. The only thing that keeps it from falling off the side of the mountain is that huge mango tree.

Oh, yes. That’s the last time they smiled.

Time is gold. So you should be on the road again after 15 minutes.

A little further up the trail, you will see these. I’m not sure what these are.

If you want to know how deep these things are, you can try this little experiment.  Take a long stick.

And dip it. Imagine the evil that lurks underneath.

Well, enough of that. Time to move on and see more, uhm, plants.

This is the part where you either end up hugging the trunk of a thorny tree or kissing the back of the legs of the person in front of you.

Oh, yeah. These plants are like armed and dangerous. They can slice you up real good.

After almost an hour of swordfighting with vicious plants, we reached a stream. And that’s when our guide informed us that we were actually lost. Time check: 4:30. Cue Blairwitch Project trailer.

Although there were flower fields, we didn’t see houses and people nearby. It was starting to give us the creeps.

Thankfully, we saw this awesome dude who was watering his field. He said we were almost there.

And that’s why you don’t trust the locals when they say you’re almost there.

He was kind enough to give us free water. Hey, thanks!

A great way to rest your weary arms. But goodluck to your shoulders.

Before 5, we reached a small sitio. We were so happy. Here’s the group smiling with a local. We asked him if we were close. He said, definitely!

I shouldn’t have believed him.

Thirty minutes later, and still miles from our campsite, we saw this beautiful lake.

5-minute rest.

See that mountain near the top? That’s Pedro Calungsod Peak. That’s where we’re headed. Good luck to us!

We saw more flower fields.

And more dizzying trails.

Supply status: 40% remaining.

The final stretch, Gian said.

We started the final assault at 5:40. In chest-deep sword-sharp cogon grass-filled field. I’m starting to think this is all a punishment. Suddenly you’re not so tough, huh?

It was getting dark when we set up camp. We were all too tired. Good thing the city lights kept us company. The campsite was like a secret hideaway. It was like the city was one big movie screen in front of us. Awesome.






The next morning.

Our campsite was clean by 8:00 am. Now, it was time to head home.

Easy-peasy.

Resting by the side of the road.

I was wearing shorts. Now, imagine what I felt.

Sword-fight survivor.

By the way, sorry for this schizoid storytelling. I’m bored. Hehehe. Hope you enjoyed the photos. If you have real and serious questions, I will seriously answer them. Seriously. 🙂

98 thoughts on “Secrets of the City

    1. Hi….it was really really amazing i didnt know that there is this kind of place here in cebu,
      i hope i can join you guys the next time you go back there…..

  1. nice one!di kau lalom ang falls didto and safety ba?walay malala mananap didto.mora man god ug remote kau ang area and libon kaayo,hadlok man ang palibot sa falls basin naay bitin ug uban pa.

  2. I never laughed so hard before, you said it well, ley. It’s hilarious! but what a beautiful place especially the falls! I don’t think so I can survive to trek there. they should at least make a road to there so people can visit the place. well, anyhow, thanks for sharing the pics. God bless.

    1. Hi Ma’am Ianne. Yup, it is indeed a beautiful place, and the Kabang Falls to Pedro Calungsod Peak traverse is one of our group’s “practice” trails. It is really challenging, but the feeling of having a tremendous sense of accomplishment is all worth the soreness, tiredness, scratches, and sweat. The view of Cebu City and the surrounding barangays from Pedro Calungsod peak is spectacular.

      Hmm…about the road going there, I don’t think it’s viable. It is deep inside Cebu’s hinterlands and constructing a road to Cabang Falls/Pedro Calungsod will utterly destroy whole hills, mountains, forests, and mountain barangays. And with too many people coming in, mass tourism will just destroy this beautiful place. It is best if the places are preserved this way; after all, when it comes to tourism, it still caters to visitors with adventure in their blood.

  3. Oh, by the way, I just learned this from EWIT, the mountaineering group I belong to: the trail that we took is actually the mid-trail. There are 3 trails to Pedro Calungsod Peak from Budlaan, with the longest one traversing Mt. Dao before reaching Pedro Calungsod Peak. The longest trail was the path I took when I hiked with the eco-tourism ZETS.

    The shortest one is EWIT’s Chilax trail, which cuts across the eastern mountains to Sitio Malubog valley.

    EWIT mountaineers dub the mid-trail as Saag Trail because they got lost here too.

    Thus, we were not really lost; we just were not familiar with the trail. 🙂

  4. Beautiful! I think I can handle the trek, but not sure about the camping part. It will have to be a vicarious trip through your blog, Ley. Thanks for another entertaining post. I viewed each photo and read every word.

  5. I enjoy reading @ looking. But the same time I feel sorry for ur hard trek. Anyway at the end everyone are still smilling (our Cebuano nature). Thanx very much Ley.

    1. No maam Luisa, it’s far from Pit-os. It’s nearer to Barangays Sirao and Malubog in Central Cebu. Pit-os is farther north.

  6. I sometimes go to Barangay Busay and pass along Budlaan then Manokan but I didnt know there is a waterfall there until I saw this article.

    Great Job Ley!

  7. Hi, your blog is really cool! Interesting posts with all the important facts — waaay better than the ones you see in government tourism websites. Multiple thumbs up, bai! 🙂

  8. oh man, your blog is the best! it felt like I was trecking with you when I’m actually here in some horribly tidy office here in Dubai with recycled air.

    Thanks bai!

    1. sa talamban ghapon to kato naa murag lake??? kato nag rest mo ug 5 minutes? nice au .. asa to dapit sa talamban? kato makita gani ang Pedro Calungsod Peak …

  9. I enjoy reading your blog. I think it was one great adventure you had experience in your life. I love the pictures and the beautiful sceneries there. I do hope that I can go there and explore the place.

  10. i was actually bored in cebu during that time, looking for something like what you did! sayang! nice blog! do you accept adventurous beginners to join you?

  11. Wow…. that was a pure adventure!!! seriously?!? Im from Talamban but I never heard about this place….my ged! kanindot sa inyong hiking churva uie!!!! mytag maka anha pud ko…the shots are great!!!!! i feel like i was there with u guys…haha

  12. at first, i really wondered what those huge camping bags were for. hahaha. padung diayg camping. cool kaayo inyo adventure oi. mayta maka-ari sad ko one of these days! thanks for sharing ley! nalingaw jud kog basa. hahaha

  13. Hello Ley!
    I really enjoyed reading all your adventures.
    Who’s your guide? Im planning to trek this place on weekend, but I don’t know someone who can come with us this weekend.

  14. hello ley, nlingaw kaau q ug tan aw s imo photo blog ,kabang advntre trekking, presently i’m here n saudi arabia ,puhon ug mauli q pwede kuyog n u advntre trek,thnk’s 4 sharing.

  15. bg.o ra mi ni.anha sa Kabang Falls! 🙂 kato ga.immersion mi sa Sitio Baugo.. mg.one week na..

    wa lng mi sugti na maligo since it was getting dark ky mga 5pm naman mi na.abot sa falls.. we were also told about some stories of drowning incidents there.. kuyaw pa sd jd ang dan.. bakilid jd kaau nya lugsungon pa pd.. alkansi ang hubakon! :D..

    the whole thing was very challenging but fun! di na nimu ma.mind ang ka.kapoi once you catch a glimpse with one of nature’s hidden wonders.. 😀 it’s all worth the ka.hangak and ka.kapoi jd..

  16. how long is the trek to the falls from jumpoff? is it possible to reach the waterfalls and back to jumpoff in 4 hours?

  17. hello! i am really in need of a place to hike with my royal rangers kids coz it is one of our lesson now.. and i was thinking if you could suggest a person for me to help us with our hike? since you know a guide.. pls.pls.i badly need your help! we are planning to go hiking next week.. it will be a great helpif you could help us! Thankyou so much! i am hoping for your fast reply.. Godbless!

  18. hahaha.. It was fun reading your story.. I had a few laughs :D.. You have a natural sense of humor. The photos and the experience they portray are so nice as well.. Especially the ones by the lake (sigh ^_^). We are heading there this weekend, I hope. If way mga kakulian. Thanks for sharing this.

  19. I’ve been here! We took the dry trail and found ourselves at the top of the falls 🙂 So, we were overlooking the falls yet still take a dip on the small pond above it. Then, later trek uphill and saw a small cave but it was dark since we left around 5PM. We took the trail where the flower fields are, trudging all the way to the village nearby. And from there get our motorbike rides all to the JMALL Lahug. Memorable experience!

  20. viva la raza here dropping by bai. nangita ko ug little known places of interest within Cebu City nya naabot ko dre. lol. happy to see your faces ni redgie. I’ll share sa fb ha. great job bai @leylander

      1. Hi, Ley. Wanted to share with you that we survived a 6-hour-ish trek from Budlaan to Sirao with our little adventurer (who was barely 2yo then) in February. Kudos to my partner who carried her all the way to the top in her backpack carrier. I think we may have taken different trails though we did pass by the falls and that store with a basketball court (where you have a group shot above).

    1. look for my friend Gian Jubela on facebook. he’s an all-around adventure guy behind the blog Adrenaline Romance. i think he can help you. 🙂

  21. As a resident in the brgy. where Cabang Falls is located my sincere appreciation for exploring one of the amazing places, worth exploring, in our barrio. For your next adventure you might try exploring WW2 man made caves, used by then guerrillas and japs(you might be able to find some remnants of the equipments they used;)). It is located in Bahong MAnok.
    Anyways, would appreciate if you can help us improve our best kept secrets, from an adventurers perspective. Hope to hear from you.

Leave a Reply

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