Swimming with the Whale Sharks in Cebu, Philippines

We ended up going to Oslob from Malapascua island, instead of Malapascua to MoalBoal because of the bad infection I was having with my ear after scuba diving. So, with a change of plans Oslob was our next destination in the Philippines!!! We took two very long bus rides (very long) one taxi ride, and one boat ride. Then we finally arrived very late at night to Oslob after traveling for 12 plus hours. We got dropped off in front of 7-11 and if you have traveled in South East Asia before, you know that 7-11 is a savior! We refilled our bellies with snacks that we have been without for hours on our last bus ride. It literally has it all! A nice local lady who worked at the nearby Pizza shop helped us get to our guest house since we had no idea where we were, and it was 11 O’clock at night. It can be extremely dangerous to walk around the Philippines as a tourist, so it was very comforting knowing someone had our best interest at mind. After arriving to our place we realized we were staying right next to a Karaoke bar and by right next to, I mean it was literally connected to our bedroom… later we learned that Filipinos love a good ol time and love to sing karaoke. (this is why I always travel with ear plugs, whew)! Despite the loud karaoke bar at night our guest was was simple but cute and the family who owned it was extremely kind and helpful.

Oslob is famous for …... Whale sharks! They have one location where the whale sharks are year-round. You can pay to scuba dive or free dive and swim with them. It runs about twenty US dollars to do so. It was such a cool experience to free dive with the most majestic huge creatures of the ocean! The only thing I wish was different was how touristy the whale shark diving is but I am grateful the government now regulates the tourism scene and has the whale sharks well-being at mind. But don't spend all your time or money on the whale sharks, because the landcsape in Oslob and the waterfalls are so beautfiful!

Tumalog Falls, Oslob, Cebu, Philippines

Hidden Falls with our local guides!

There aren’t many white sand beaches in Oslob but there are many marine sanctuaries that are great for snorkeling and scuba diving. We spent most of our time on land exploring the hills and waterfall chasing. Cebu is home to over 100 waterfalls! It would take all year just to see them all. We did manage to explore a few of them and they did not disappoint! Tumalog waterfalls was so beautiful and very easy to get too. I recommend renting a motorbike and just exploring yourself! Because if you are looking for one waterfall, most likely you will find five more along the way. Another great waterfall was Hidden Falls. You get assigned a guide that you later tip. They guide showed us all the best places to jump in the waterfalls swim hole and they even took Sawyer rock climbing up the face of the falls. It was such a fun day!

If you want some delicious local fruit and veggies head to the main road in Oslob and check out the public market. We bought about 7 avocados and a ton of mangos! The crazy part is we only spent a few dollars and they are completely organic and locally grown. I love shopping at the local markets because you are supporting the locals and not big businesses. The vibe of the sleepy beach town is very relaxed a great place to adventure on your own time and chill.

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