PH Canyoneering Review
TLDR: If you’re committed to hit all of Cebu’s ecotourism highlights in one day, this is the tour for you! It’s a long day, for sure, but we enjoyed it all and felt comfortable and safe throughout the whole experience. Staff, guides, drivers, and owners are so kind and made sure we felt welcomed and had an incredible time!
Full Review:
We booked this private tour (just me and my husband) on Viator prior to our travels to the Philippines. Tour operator/owner, Maan, texted me on WhatsApp to confirm our hotel address and pick-up time a few nights before our tour. She also gave the contact info of our driver and a short list of essentials to bring with us.
We were scheduled for a 03:00 pick-up time as it takes about 3-4 hours to drive from our hotel in Cebu City to our first stop in Oslob for the Whale Shark sighting tour. Our driver, Catherine, was an excellent and safe driver! We were able to catch some more sleep en route. We arrived in Oslob around 06:30, with plenty of time to change, use the restroom (20PHP each), and grab a coffee and light breakfast (not included). Our guide, Vince, kept us well-updated and even went out of his way to find seats for us in the waiting area. Our turn was called by 08:30 and we stayed in the water for about 45min, plenty of time to swim around, see the whale sharks, and grab footage.
Afterwards, it was about another 90min drive to the next stop: Kawasan Canyoneering. We met with our canyon guide, Charlito aka Cha-Cha, who set us up with the required helmet and life vest. He, among many of the other guides there, were EXCELLENT. Cha-cha has been a guide here for over 7 years; he walks through the slippery 5-mile canyon hike with such ease! He carried our small dry bag and kept my phone handy to take all our footage so all we had to do was enjoy the beautiful scenery and waterfalls. There are a few pit stops for food and snacks along the way (which is honestly impressive and hilarious; imagine a bbq pit in Zion National Park’s slot canyons?!) which were delicious! You don’t bring money with you for this; you pay your guide at the end if you choose to indulge in snacks.
It was 14:00 by the time we reached the car to meet Catherine. About 20min drive to PH Canyoneering’s HQ for lunch prepared by Maan’s mom and family. Traditional Filipino food was served (vegetable pancit, lumpia, rice, pork sisig, fried chicken), as well as some local fresh fruit and iced tea. So delicious after a long day! I don’t know if they accommodate other nutrition preferences, so please ask ahead if these are things you can’t eat.
After lunch, we went to our last stop in Moalboal, about an hour away, to see the sardine run and hopefully find some sea turtles. With luck, our guide was able to spot a sea turtle right away! If you’re a snorkel and ocean fan, the sardine run is impressive. We didn’t spent so much time here, though, because we were really quite exhausted. Beautiful nonetheless! There’s a rinse-off hose for 20PHP near the parking area. After doing so, we got back in the car for the long 4-hour drive back to Cebu City.
PRO TIPS:
The 3am wake-up call is tough, especially if you’re jet lagged! But I promise you the sunrise over the ocean as you’re driving past (left side of vehicle) is beautiful and worth it.
Hundreds of guide operators are working as early (or late) as 12am just to make sure their guests have a prime time whale shark experience (6am, 7am, and 8am). These slots fill up quick and are only available to be picked on the same day. If your work is in logistics, as mine is, the process to do this can seem chaotic but once you relinquish the idea that you can control anything, the experience becomes way more enjoyable. If your work is in wildlife conservation, there’s much to debate on this process, but again, I don’t live and work here. Not my lane.
The Kawasan area is impressive, but be prepared with the right outdoor nonslip shoes (such as Keen, Tevas, or water shoes). THE ROCKS ARE SLIPPERY. Some British girl in the group in front of us was wearing crocs and sprained her ankle. You can wear whatever is comfortable for you, but if I were do it again, I’d probably wear some kind of dry-fit shorts and shirt; there’s a number of spots that you slide off of. I wore a bikini like most of the westerners there and had major wedgie after every waterfall jump 😂. Your guide will happily take your phone or GoPro to take all the video and pics that you’ll ever need. Make sure they’re in the proper casing. I have an iPhone 14 Pro and used it without a waterproof case, relying on its “water resistant up to 6ft” claims with no issues afterwards (use the Eject Water function on Shortcuts). This is also obviously an incredibly popular attraction so the crowds can feel overwhelming, but it’s the price to pay when the conservation effort isn’t a lottery system or limited guest entry policy (like what I’m used to in the US).
Tips are appreciated and I cannot wholly emphasize to make sure to bring enough small bills to share with each of your guides. They truly make it worth it!
Lastly, I wish I didn’t have to say this, and I’m not sure if there’s any other way to phrase it, but for the love of God please don’t be mean. No local, especially a tour guide, is going to tell you you’re being rude, but from one foreigner to another, I’ll tell you. Just be nice and considerate. Yes it’s their job, but you can make the experience more enjoyable for you and people after you if you’re kind and open to an experience you wouldn’t have had at home!
Packing List:
- dry bag
- Snacks for the road
- Cash for snacks, tips; coins for using the restrooms
- Wipes/tissue paper (most toilets don’t have this stocked or they charge, even at the malls!)
- Action camera or waterproof casing for your phone
- Towel
- Swim suit
- Change of clothes
- Sunscreen (the only time you can’t use it is during the whale shark experience)