After our encounter with the whale sharks early in the morning, we indulged in a full breakfast. Thankfully, the area surrounding the whale shark interaction site is flanked by several carinderias which offer a variety of local dishes. While having our breakfast, we browsed through the pictures taken during our interaction with the whale sharks and still we can’t help but be awed by their beauty. Indeed, nature offers a different experience.
To read our encounter with the whale sharks of Oslob, Cebu, please click here.
After having our breakfast, we asked the locals what are the other places we can visit which are within the vicinity of Oslob. We have plenty of time to spare before travelling to neighboring Dumaguete City. The locals recommended Tumalog Falls which lies within the proximity of Oslob. It is accessible by habal-habal and is about 20 to 30 minutes away from Barangay Tanawan. We bargained with the local habal-habal drivers to take us there. A round trip usually costs PHP 100.00, including the waiting time.
Upon reaching the jump-off, you have the option to either walk down to the water falls or hire another habal-habal. Please note that the habal-habal drivers hired from Barangay Tanawan are PROHIBITED from taking passengers from the jump-off point to the waterfalls. Because the waterfalls doesn’t seem all that far from the jump off point, we opted to walk instead and save us some spending money. The waterfalls can actually be seen from the jump-off point. After 10 minutes of walking, we finally reached the waterfalls.
To be honest, my spirit was a bit dampened when we finally reached the waterfalls. I was expecting a huge flow of water from the mountains but what I saw was just a trickle. Honestly, I was expecting a waterfalls as grand as Sagada’s Bomod-ok Falls or just Badian’s Kawasan Falls. Nonetheless, the waterfalls still looked serene amidst of the lush and green forest surrounding it.
As we got closer to the falls, I finally began to appreciate its understated beauty. The trickle of water falling down created a diaphanous curtain-like illusion which is idyllic. At the base of the falls is a shallow depression that forms into a swimming hole that can accommodate quite a number of swimmers. The swimming hole is shallow and doesn’t get deeper than 5 feet. My friends and I just immersed in the early morning cold drop of the falls. We also took the opportunity to take picture after picture on the different sides of the waterfalls.
While we were swimming, we saw small rainbows form before our very eyes. The spectrum of colors that formed where the sun’s rays struck the water is awe-inspiring. We tried to capture this phenomenon with our camera but it can barely be seen on the pictures. There are just things that are meant to be seen and appreciated rather than be captured. Like kids, we swam our time away until we got weary.
We didn’t spend too much time hanging out in the pool though because of our tight schedule for the day. From Tumalog Falls, we plan to go to Osmena Peak which is located two municipalities away Oslob. According to our guides, it takes about an hour and a half by habal-habal to reach Cebu’s highest peak. If we intend to cross that out on our list, we have to limit our time in the waterfalls.
As we climb back up to the jump-off point, we can’t help but look back and witness again the beauty of Tumalog Falls. Nature does have a different way of captivating one’s heart. It was just unfortunate that we have to leave early.
From Tumalog Falls, we went back to our accommodation to fix our things. New guests are about to arrive and will occupy our room. As we can’t bring our things all the way to Osmena Peak, we asked our hosts if we could leave them at their house. Thankfully, they heeded our request. When everything was settled, we began our journey to Osmena Peak.
Do you watch out for the continuation of our South Cebu Adventure!
The Pine-Scented Chronicles 