Tumalog Falls

Tumalog Falls can be found in Oslob, and has become a common part of the itinerary of tourists coming to experience Whale Shark watching in the area. Its unique horseshoe shape and clear blue waters has left tourists awed; wanting to extend a few more days just to enjoy the lovely destinations Oslob has to offer. We went to Tumalog Falls after our Whale Shark watching activity.

How to get there

From the resort where we had our Whaleshark watching activity, we already had a guy who will take us to the falls and out and about the island. He's also the same guy who toured us around Poblacion and who helped us find a resort. From the resort, we rode a habal-habal going to Tumalog. The ride was about 5-10 minutes. If you're fit enough (pretty sure I'm not, lol), you can walk. It will probably take you 30-40 minutes; it gives you a breath-taking view of the nearby mountains. 

Once you get there, there's a checkpoint before you thoroughly get to the exact entrance of the falls; you'll be asked to pay an entrance fee of P20. We were a bit surprised because our habal-habal driver told us that he can't take us any further. We were asking if the real entrance to the cave was a bit far so we can just walk--but it was far. There's a separate group of habal-habal drivers that we had to pay P50/each so they'll take us to the entrance. I think it's a scheme so everyone gets to benefit from the tourists flocking the place. In a way it's inconvenient and pricey because we already had a prior agreement with our main habal-habal driver. But if it helps the locals earn money fair and square, then okay. I just wish our main habal-habal driver mentioned that!

Chasing Waterfalls

Once we got there, our other habal-habal driver offered to help the boyfriend get around. My boyfriend was having a hard time walking around because of his leg. The place was also extremely moist due to moss build up. He also offered to take our photos. Even if we had an action cam with us, it helped that he knew which poses to take and which places to exactly be in so we get to have the best shots, lol. Kuya wins the Oscar for best supporting photographer. 

The water was freezing! I didn't know when or if I will be coming back so despite hating freezing water to the core, I took a dip. It was once of the best decisions in my life because I frolicked like a kid on sugar high. I played with water, got really wet and had a water massage care of the falls. 

After all the running around, posing and playing in the water, we finally got tired and decided to go back to our resort. It took us about an hour or so to fully enjoy the whole place. We decided to give our habal-habal driver a tip because he carried most of our things and pretty much served as our overall photographer. There was a small carinderia at the habal-habal terminal; while waiting for our main habal-habal driver, we decided to grab something to eat. We had 2 servings of Ginisang Ampalaya, 2 servings of Adobong Atay and 1 huge coconut, all for the price of P68! I kept thanking the lady manning the carinderia for the awesome food at a very affordable price. She replied with a coy smile on her face. 

One of the things I'm an advocate of is supporting local wherever I go. I'd rather eat at a local restaurant or carinderia rather than a capitalist brand. Remember, these brands don't have problems staying afloat. The locals on the other hand, most of what they make come from tourists and travelers like us. So next time you visit a place, make it a point to support local restaurants, merchandise, products and services. I still have a ton of things to share re: my Cebu trip. Watch out for my next post on our Whale shark watching experience in Cebu and what I think about the whole encounter. For now, hope you guys are having an awesome Tuesday!