How Was Cebu 2015? (2 out of 4 series): Oslob, Revisited and the Aguinid Falls

Phil goes under to take a beautiful shot of this big baby

Leaving the Mandarin Plaza in a rented van arranged by Phil's friend, our 11-man group headed out to Oslob at 4 in the morning. Unlike our previous visit, where we were checked in at a resort that was 15 minutes away, the road to Oslob was much further from the Cebu City proper.

We arrived at the Whale Interaction Center in Oslob at around 8 in the morning (after a drive through pit stop and another stop at a gas station along the way).

we're baaaack!!! This time, we brought our own snorkeling gear, the easy breath mask

Whaleshark interactions aren't day long activities. It's recommended to come in early as the whalesharks tend to swim to cooler waters by midday. Come before 11 at the latest.

After paying our P500 interaction fee (comes with a life vest and snorkel rental), we stayed for the short briefing on the whalesharks and headed out to our boats.

Phil dons his Easy breath mask by Tribord as he swims with the whalesharks

MAX's version of "no glove, no love:  We didn't allow him to go in the water despite the fact that he knows how to swim. Water was a bit rough on the day we went. I ended up hitting the air vent of my Easy breath mask on the bamboo poles of the boat, allowing water to enter my mask.

The water was much choppier than the last time we were there. Add the fact that it was a long weekend and this time, a lot of people were in the area. We still got to go into the water and see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. MAX wasn't allowed to go in though since he did not want to put his life vest on. Maybe 3rd time's a charm and we'd all be able to go into the water at the same time on our next visit.

all's well that ends well though. After my temporary phobia of going into open water (after that bump I took from a whale shark in Donsol), I was once again back in the waters of Oslob. I can't believe I was ever afraid...

Before 10 am, we were all done and ready to get cleaned up after our early morning activities. We had told our driver that with a kid and all, we did not want to ride the van, then ride up a forest trail on a motorcycle, just to get to one of the man waterfalls in the area. His solution? A 1.5 hour ride to Aguinid Falls.

one of the many homes that provide facilities for tourists. There's also a small resort by the falls

Upon arrival, we went to one of the homes that offered food and bathroom usage. For a minimal amount, our group ordered chicken tinola, grilled pork belly and grilled tuna for lunch. The homeowner and his family headed out to the market and cooked our lunch as we enjoyed the cool and clean waters of the Aguinid falls. Food was ready by the time we were done with the falls. For small groups of 2 or 3, worry not. There are kiosks going to the falls, that sell barbecued meats, snacks and drinks.

grilled pork and grilled tuna

tinola

Walking a few meters up a low hill, we signed up and paid a 20 pesos environmental fee per person. A short briefing came soon after, then it was a walk into the forest.

a short walk to the tourism kiosk

the tourism kiosk

a short briefing

We were still in our swim gear, from the whaleshark interaction, so the though of covering up against bugs was something I didn't think off. For the 5-10 minute hike (depending on which level of the falls would you want to stay in), insect repellent may just be a good idea.

 still at level zero

The Aguinid Falls is composed of 5 levels, each level, a 15 minute walk apart, uphill. Given that MAX had sensory issues with his latest pair of sandals and would rather be carried or walk barefoot, we decided to just enjoy the super cold pool at level 1.

Swimming in the waters of level felt so surreal, like I was a water sprite in a long lost forest (minus the scantily  clad visitors). The late morning sun barely hit the waters, as a canopy of trees covered the pools. It was so purrr-ty.

looking up

the path to the other levels

The water, as with all spring water, was extremely cold. It was so cold that after entering the water, I re-injured my sprained ankle and didn't feel it or see it swell until we were back in our hotel room - late in the afternoon!

Lunch was pretty good and the falls did wash off all traces salt on our skin, from Oslob's waters. After a little primping for the ladies and bathroom breaks for the guys, we were back on the road, this time ready for more foodie adventures that await us in the Queen City of the South.

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!

**Check out PART 1 of our How Was Cebu 2015 series and the other links above of other related posts