Cooling off the summer heat, bonding with friends and marveling at nature’s wonder: a perfect way to relax and enjoy. The place to be is Tumalog Falls in Oslob, Cebu, which is also known to locals as “Toslob Falls” or “Mag-Ambak Falls”. This freshwater shower is just the right place to chill after your Whale Shark encounter or Sumilon Island visit. Check out my previous post here to know where we left off: Whale Sharks Up Close and Personal

After our seawater trip, we took a motorcycle that will take us to the waterfalls around 10-15 minutes travel time. You will be dropped off at the entrance which is sort of an outpost where you will pay Php20 for the entrance fee. From there it is still a 5-minute steep downhill walk to the waterfalls though you have the option to take a motorcycle (Php50 back-forth) but I find it scary because the side of the road is a ravine.

We decided to take a walk as it’s just about 400 meters and you can actually see the top of the falls already. They have cemented the road towards the falls which means they are really developing this spot for tourists. Time check it’s 12 noon so it was really hot.

Tumalog Falls

And voila, the majestic view of the Tumalog falls that left me staring at it for a minute.

You’ll want to freeze the moment and stay in there forever. It’s just so relaxing and full of life as the place is surrounded with lush flora and the water from the falls cascades smoothly and gracefully like natural rainfall.

The water drop is not so strong so the basin below is shallow which is not advisable for jumping and swimming. The pool below was a surprise for me as other blogs showed pictures of little to ankle-level water only. It was waist to chest-deep during our visit  just enough for you to walk close to the drops.

We rested for about 20 minutes to cool down because of the walk under the heat. Take note that there are no rooms, cottages and vendors in the area so you just need to find a place to leave and watch for your things. They have built a Comfort Room just outside the place for you to change clothes or answer the call of nature. You may need to bring your own food and snacks but please don’t forget to take your trash with you. We wasted no time and took a freezing cold shower under that umbrella-shaped rock formation.

Ohhhhthe cold sprinkles really soothes your soul and refreshes your tired body. The green stuff on the sides looks cool also and adds life. Now time for some meditation to counter the freezing water. Grrrrgrgrrhh!

Whooaah it’s just so cold we need a wacky shot. 🙂

Sometimes it is just sad to see those writings etched unto the stones vandalizing its natural beauty. Rather than just enjoying the place, people often forgot the  traveler’s golden rule.

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time.

There were groups of people scattered around when we arrived, I think a quick estimate would be around 30-40 people that comes and goes.  Most of them you may have bumped during your Whale Watching and Sumilon Island beach bumming as this place is a great place to chill after a salt water trip. Don’t forget to give chance to other groups for their turn to take the shower.

I think they created that little dam to somehow create a pool. That also make a great platform with a wonderful background so we took our signature group pose to celebrate 9 years of friendship in this cool amazing place.

The Tumalog falls is pretty high enough to create a spray of water into the surroundings that makes the place cool and wet. Because of this I needed to constantly wipe off my camera lens with a dry cloth or else I’ll get blurry shots just like this photo I took on the opposite side since I forgot my dry cloth. You can see here how high the drop of the water above the umbrella-shaped shower area and gives you another perspective of the waterfalls.

Time flies when you are having fun.

That was the case during our stay and it was time to go. I really hope that the people and authorities behind this will maintain its natural masterpiece and protect it from being abused and commercialized. All in all we had a great time even for a short while and I definitely recommend this as a must-visit waterfall in Cebu. It deserves its rightful recognition and not just a side trip after whale watching.

We all left the place in body but not in mind and soul. It was one of the closest we can get to be with Mother Nature, God’s wonderful creation.

Expenses

  • Php155 – Ceres bus fare from South Bus Terminal to Tan-awan Oslob (Air-con)
  • Php120  – Habal-habal fare back and forth (from whale watching), if you drop off right  from the highway junction it is onlyPhp60 back and forth. Don’t forget to set a time with the driver to get you back since there is no clear network signal in the area.
  • Php20  – Entrance fee for waterfalls
  • Php30  – Habal-habal (one-way) back to the outpost since we were all freshen up and want to skip the steep uphill walk
  • Php150 – Sunrays bus liner back to Cebu City (Air-con)

Have you been to Tumalog falls? Share your experience and spread good vibes! 🙂