Top travel guide of Moalboal, Cebu
Where: Moalboal, Cebu | Number of days: 4 | Local currency: Philipinne Pesos
Moalboal is one of these typical backpacker places where you will find a wide range of activities. From canyoning and sunset watching to snorkeling and hiking. A large part of the coastal village was destroyed during the December 2021 typhoon but don’t let that stop you from visiting this lovely little town.
How to get there?
We flew from Manila airport with Cebu Pacific Airways, a flight of about 1,5 hours with a return rate of ~60 euros. After arrival we arranged a car to take us to Moalboal, a three hour drive (depending on traffic) which takes you out of the city of Cebu and straight through the center of the island. After some windy roads up to the hills you start descending again and will meet various tricycles, motorbikes and cars along the way.
When you are there you can always rent a motorbike to cruise around, or take a tricycle.
Where to stay?
Our stay was at Quo Vadis dive resort, which was right at the beachfront with nice but basic bungalows. The resort is partly renovated and covers all the basic facilities. You can also book diving tours at the resort itself and can’t beat its location, right at the water front and just a 5 minute walk from Moalboal’s center. The price was quite a bit above average, so if you are looking for a more budget option I wouldn’t recommend the resort.
What to do?
Snorkeling
It is definitely very easy to fill your day with activities in and around Moalboal. Note that most activities require a 1 - 3 hours drive so combining activities in one day can be difficult. We started our weekend by meeting sardines and sea turtles during a snorkeling trip. Just a few hundred meters of the coast you will find the sardine run, hundreds and thousands of sardines, hanging out together in one shoal of fish. It is almost like swimming into a big wall, but don’t worry, the fish won’t bite and will calmly change directions.
I would strongly advice to rent the snorkling gear together with a GoPro so you have some nice shots. Especially from your encounters with sea turtles! We spotted five of them, they were all chilling in the shallow waters, eating some seaweed and now and then coming up for a breath of fresh air. It was truely an amazing and humbling experience to see them in real life.
Waterfalls
The Kawasan waterfalls are one of the main reason people visit Moalboal, besides the sardine run. So naturally, it was also on our to do list. However, if you’re not much of an adrenaline junkie, like me, it is not possible to walk around and visit the falls. Since a few months, they are only accessible for canyoning activities. Fortunately, there are multiple other waterfalls that you can visit, some are a bit more off the beaten track but nonetheless worthy of a visit.
We were able to combine a visit to two waterfalls so I would just discuss with your local guide the possibilities because we had an unforgettable experience with seeing the untouched nature and blue lagoons.
Osmeña Peak
The third must-do around Moalboal is to visit the highest peak of the island, at 1000m above sea level it is a great spot to watch the sunset and enjoy the far reaching views of Cebu. It is a short 20min hike with a bit of elevation. It is a bit of a climb so I would recommend wearing sneakers.
When you arrive at the bottom of the peak, a local guide will be there to bring you to the top. You can easily find your own way to the top of the hill but by working with a guide you are able to support the local community and he/she is quite trained in taking photos so definitely take your time to capture the moment.
Where to eat?
Shaka is the number one place for a smoothiebowl, the bowls are made fresh and with the greatest care. Highly recommend the Bom Dia bowl!
Bom Dia bowl at Shaka Café
Smooth Cafe is a very relaxed coffee place to meet friends or read a book.
If you are looking for a bit more upscale place with lovely outdoor dining., Kugita is the place to go. It would be a very nice and romantic place to have dinner with your partner. The tuna sashimi is the best I have ever tried and don’t skip the local moalboal and kugita rolls.
Okay, not exactly a philipino experience, but sometimes you’re craving food that is a bit closer to home. My Greek Taverna is a cute little restaurant that looks like it came straight of the set of ‘Mamma Mia’ set, try the pita bread with feta and red pepper dip and don’t skip out on the tzatiziki.
Kugati Seafood and Charcoal Grill
