After our group’s Oslob getaway last November 2013, I decided
to go back and explore more of Southern Cebu. I know this part of Cebu still
has lots to offer – from its heritage to its natural resources – And so I
eagerly booked a flight when Tiger airways offered a promo fare.
My friends and I decided to
explore the town of Samboan and Ginatilan. The plan was to visit these two towns in one
whole day only. It seemed tiring and impossible at first but eventually we did
it!
January 23, 2014.
As early as 2:30 am, we were already aboard a Ceres Bus bound for Samboan: Bato-Barili route located at the Cebu Bus South Terminal. Buses
leave every hour, and so we waited 30 minutes more. Only non-air conditioned
buses are available during early hours.
Air conditioned ones start their trip around 5 am.
Our first destination: SAMBOAN.
It was a 5-hour journey to this town if
coming from the terminal. No bus stops along the way.... Or maybe there was! I was
sleeping all the way to this town (haha!) so I have no idea if we had stopovers (haha!). The fare is exactly 168pesos.
At around 7 a.m., the bus dropped us off this town which is near their
municipal hall. Habal-habal or
motorcycles can be found everywhere in this town. I am pretty sure that it is
their primary mode of transportation. In our case, since there’s the 3 of us,
we decided to rent a tricycle at 400 pesos to take us to the town’s tourist
sites.
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| Municipal Hall |
 |
| Kuya Soy and his trike |
The
pride of Samboan:
Aguinid
Falls. A 10-minute hike to the waterfalls makes it easy for
any traveler eager to discover its beauty. An entrance fee of 10 pesos
is collected prior to the hike.
Ponong
Lake. Native ‘bakaw’
and ‘nipa’ grow into this lake.
Dao
Falls. It took us an hour to hike towards this refreshing
waterfalls. It is important to travel light when hiking, and of course do not
forget to bring a bottled water with you.
The journey to Dao Falls is
quite challenging. So prepare your reliable shoes/sandals suitable for this kind of activity.
 |
| i love crossing a hanging bridge! |
 |
| steep staircase so be careful! |
 |
| Dao Falls |
 |
| Fresh buko juice on our way back to the town proper |
 |
| A taste of their native 'tuba' |
St.
Michael Church.
It was almost noon when our
group finished our tour of the town. Kuya Soy, our tricycle
driver and tour guide, led us to one of the town’s eateries for lunch.
 |
| oops! I caught myself on cam ...lol... |
It was past 1 in the
afternoon when we headed to our second
and last destination: the town of Ginatilan.
This time, we hired a habal habal to take us from Samboan to Ginatilan. It cost
us 200 pesos per head. This includes a round trip of the said towns, and
a visit to San Pedro Calungsod Shrine, St. Gregory Church and their famous
Inambakan Falls.
The Pride of Ginatilan :
St. Gregory Church.
Shrine Of St. Pedro Calungsod.
Inambakan Falls. It's about a 10-minute ride via habal habal from the main entry point to the waterfalls. There is an entrance fee of 20pesos. A short hike is needed afterwards and then voila! you have reached the amazing waterfalls.
 |
| habal habal |
 |
| Inambakan Falls |
By the way, you could always choose to catch a ride back to
Cebu City from Ginatilan. Ceres buses
bound for Cebu City south terminal pass every now and then. Same rate applies
which is 168 pesos. We left this
town at 4 in the afternoon and arrived in the city 5 hours (or more) later.
A friendly reminder:
Be careful when you ride a habal habal. I got a second degree burn when my
leg accidentally made contact with its
exposed exhaust pipe. And…..It always pays to have a first aid kit with you
whenever and wherever. J
Happy trip!
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