Moalboal: Hear The Waves And Watch The Sunset
I'm on a quest to check out all the coasts of Cebu, especially the tip parts of the province as that's where all the magic is. The farther I travel the more exquisite it gets. This time around I traveled to the southwestern tip of Cebu in the municipality of Moalboal. Let’s go!
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How to get there: Cebu City to Moalboal
From the Mactan-Cebu International Airport
You can take a cab to go to the South bus terminal. The estimated fare is 250-350 PHP, depending on traffic. Or you can take it straight to Moalboal, but we try for the cheapest travel method, which is by bus.
Alternatively, if you're familiar with Uber and/or Lyft, then you can download and use the mobile app, Grab, to book your transportation.
First option is by bus
From the South bus terminal: take the Ceres Bus
Bus Fare: 120 PHP - 180 PHP
Bus Route: Cebu to Moalboal Terminal
Second option by V-hire (van for hire)
From One Citilink Terminal, a few meters away from the South Bus Terminal
V-hire fare: 120 PHP - 150 PHP
Travel time (bus/v-hire//private car): 3-4 hours
Prices may have changed.
From Moalboal bus/v-hire terminal:
Take the local transportation: tricycles or habal-habal ( motorcycles) to your accommodation. You can also pre-arrange a transfer from your resort/hotel.
Tricycle/Motorcycle Fare: 30 PHP -100 PHP
Tips
- Power outlets: are commonly type A, with a standard voltage of 220 V and a frequency of 60 Hz. Be sure to bring a universal plug adapter!
- Money matters: We recommend getting your currency exchanged via Western Union (WU) since you'll get a better rate than at the airport. You can send your travel budget to yourself and pick up the exchanged amount at the local WU.
Survival Terms
- CR is the term for the toilet
- Salamat means "thank you"
What to do in Moalboal
A friend of mine just came from Singapore and she wanted to go swimming on the beach. It's one of the things you will miss when you go to work abroad. A clear and pristine beach is what Cebu holds in its neighboring municipalities. One of the famous is Moalboal which is on the south side of Cebu and famous for its long line of white sand beaches.
1. Where to stay
Bigsand Campgrounds is located in Basdaku, Saavedra, and Moalboal. It's not expensive and not too cheap. I recommend it more for the adventurous people who like to go camping as the campground offers tent gear and equipment rentals. There's also a table tennis on the beachfront and a volleyball area. At night when it's cold and breezy you can ask the caretaker to light a bonfire by the beach. They have rooms and cabins at a very affordable price, but nothing beats a tent and a campfire by the beach.
Please contact the resort for more information, this is not a sponsored post.
2. Explore the Beach
I've been to Moalboal several times to celebrate my cousin's birthday, "barkada" (which means a close set of friends) outing, company team building, family reunions and more. The beach in Moalboal never changed and is still as beautiful as today. Most of the things like the seashore, the sand and the waters remained clean. There are plenty of new resorts now but they all respected the distance away from the beach to share it with the locals and tourists.
Walking along the beach shore was a pleasant way to start the day and a fabulous time to take pictures too.
It's a long walk from the Big Sand Campground to the other resorts so I enjoyed a lot of things that caught my attention. I love children's enthusiasm especially when you go to the beach with them. The contagious laughter and energetic force inside them are inevitably inspiring.
2. Where To Eat
If you're looking for some food and you're on a tight budget just walk further away from your resort and you'll find small cottages selling barbecues of different kinds of grilled meat or fish. At night, it's way easier to spot these cottages as the smoke from the barbecue stalls lit up the dark skies like a call for help signal, and the barbecue smell in the air can't be mistaken.
If you're staying in a resort, they have complimentary breakfast and a restaurant. For smaller accommodations, you can ask your caretaker to make you a delicious meal at a reasonable price.
Besides Bigsand Campground is the Club Serena Resort where we had a sumptuous dinner but the prices are a bit pricey. What do you expect they're quite far from the city and it's a tourist destination at least you'll get your money's worth.
3. Go for an Island Hopping
Check out: Pescador Island, Sardine Run and the Turtle Marine Sanctuary.
Boat rental (8-10 pax): 2,000 PHP - 3,000 PHP
For solo travellers or less than 10 pax: 500 PHP - 1,000 PHP per person
Some operators include the snorkeling gears in the package if not snorkeling rental is around 100 PHP - 150 PHP.
4. Try Scuba Diving
Scuba diving rates: 1,500 PHP - 20,000 PHP (from shore dive, 5 dives up to 20 dives)
Diving courses: 3,000 PHP - 10,000 PHP
5. Enjoy Beach Camping
I love tents, sleeping inside them, the cool breeze at night and hitting the sack while closely hearing the sounds of the waves. I like the feeling of opening up the zipper door and see the rays of sunlight touch my face. Greet Ms. Sunshine as it rises at the east and say goodbye at as it sets in the west. Then as the day ends the light fades away and here comes Mr. Moon as it shines mysteriously at the dark grey sky.
6. Watch the Sunset
We watched the day fade away, as the clouds moved our worries down the drain. The water was calmer, the light beautifully changed right in my very eyes, the sand soothed my skin and the air sang in my ear. As the airbrushed my hair, I thought about how things had been in my life. Sunset does things to people I tell you before I had my moment of silence my friends gone wacko! I guess that includes me too, we chased the sunset with a camera timer as we posed in our wackiest faces and with ridiculous body movements.
Being at the beach always reminds me of my family, thou I'm far away I know somewhere on the horizon I'm connected to home. Right there, the breeze, the sound of the waves, the fading heat of the sun and the people close to my heart- I couldn't ask for more!
7. Have a Bonfire
Gathering around the bonfire brings back memories of childhood: like being a Patrol leader in the Girl Scouts in my primary years, singing with friends with someone playing a guitar, getting a glimpse of seeing my crush from school and more. This is one thing that makes the beach experience surreal and exotic in some way.
I remember my first time camping in Moalboal, it was fascinating and memorable. I don't know if my memory serves me right. While we were busy pigging out around the bonfire, our tent started rolling over the sand and the wind was playfully trying to fly it like a kite. We ran for our dear tent and laughed it all out by the fire.
Memorable Camping Experience
Another camping experience was with my cousins but this time around we stayed near the campground, a bit away from the beach. I learned my lesson from my first camping trip. The weather that day was surprisingly changing as we set up camp, but that didn't stop us from sleeping inside the tent. We ate by the campfire and watched as the last firewood lost its flames, and then we went to sleep, well of course after a few shots of alcohol. The wind grew stronger and the waves were furiously getting bigger, little did we know what happening outside as we had beauty sleep.
Maybe we didn't do a great job with the tent, the water came in and the sand was rolling around, or maybe the wind was that strong. I woke up with one part of the tent almost stripped off and the mouth of the tent wide open. I thought did somebody go out and leave the doorway open? Everyone was asleep, I guessed maybe someone peed last night or sleptwalk and left it open. I was half asleep and immediately after being disturbed for seconds, I went back to sleep. As a result, we woke up wet, sand in our hairs and all our things were drenched in water. After all those mishaps, I still went for another camping trip by the beach the next year. I'm going to keep doing it until one day I'll wake up with a smile and no sand on my face.
Do you want more adventure?
If you still have more days to spare why not check out these three places:
8. Discover Kawasan Falls
From Moalboal to Badian:
Take a Ceres bus to Badian, ask the driver to drop you off at Kawasan Falls
Travel time: 30 minutes - 50 minutes
9. Experience Whale shark watching
Another activity nearby Moalboal.
From Moalboal to Oslob:
Ceres bus fare: 100 PHP - 150 PHP
Travel time: 1 hour and 30 minutes - 2 hours (1 hour plus to the town of Bato plus another 20 minutes)
10. Witness Tumalog Falls
After swimming with the whale sharks check out these beautiful, curtain-like waterfalls.
Have fun and be safe ^__^
Where am I going next?
My next adventure is checking out the Underground River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world of 2012.
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