SAMBOAN’S ‘SECRET’

Southern Cebu town has 8 waterfalls

Local tourists climb one of the five levels of the Aguinid Falls in Samboan municipality. (CDN PHOTO/ JOSE SANTINO BUNACHITA)

Hold on tight to those rocks and vines! But no matter what the struggle may be, don’t forget our secret weapon – smile!”

Tourist guide Jonathan “Nat-Nat” Rocamora shares this mantra with  his guests who scale up and down the five-level Aguinid Falls in Samboan, Cebu.

Located at  the southernmost tip of Cebu, Samboan is a 5th-class income municipality  fast earning the title of the waterfalls capital of the province.

With summer in high gear, it’s a good  place for people to refresh themselves with its cool waters.

Eight natural waterfalls were discovered in Samboan, half of which are open to the public, Rocamora said.

Different challenge

“Many  people come to  Aguinid because it’s very challenging to climb up the five levels of the waterfalls. And when you reach the highest level, the rock formation and the waterfall is beautiful,” Rocamora said in Cebuano.

The Aguinid Falls in barangay Tangbo is the most accessible in Samboan, a town  150 kilometers south of Cebu City.

For  P175, tourists can head  there by bus  from the Cebu South Bus Terminal in Cebu City.

Vehicles stop along the highway. Parking is also available where there are several sari-sari stores and souvenir shops where tourists can buy delicacies, souvenir shirts, shorts and food.

Each level of the waterfall  offers a different kind of challenge to visitors, who are mostly groups of friends.

Crowded

The third level is the toughest because you have to climb up the falls at a nearly 90-degree incline.

The rocks provide footholds to prevent people from slipping.

“It was challenging to get to all five levels of the falls but it was fun especially when you are doing it with friends. But  it’s a bit too crowded for my liking,” said 26-year-old Quezon City businessman Miguel Dela Paz.

He visited the falls with  workmates and some friends from Cebu on  a weekend.

Dela Paz said he knew about the place through a friend from Cebu who visited the town last year and posted photos in her Facebook account.

Decongest

As one who  appreciates natural landscapes and scenery, Miguel said he thinks there are too many tourists visiting the falls.

He called on local officials to keep the number of visitors to a manageable minimum.

Miguel dela Paz from Quezon City prepares to jump off what locals call the Hidden Falls, Binalayan Falls or Triple Drop Falls.
(CDN PHOTO/JOSE SANTINO S. BUNACHITA)

“I’m not sure if it’s just the peak season, but it did feel like there’s so many people here which takes away a bit of its beauty. Instead of just taking it all in and having a mental picture of the place, you see people and hear noise. That’s usually not a good thing,” he told Cebu Daily News.

Samboan Mayor Raymond Joseph Calderon said they are now working on developing the town’s other falls for tourists to visit so they can decongest the volume of visitors in Aguinid which is the most popular of the five falls.

“We just want to decentralize Aguinid. That’s why we also want to offer the other waterfalls so that people will not just flock there to  Aguinid,” he told CDN.

Aguinid has a minimum entrance fee of P20 for local tourists and P40 for foreigners.

More than 50 guides are on standby and they don’t impose a standard fee, the mayor said.

Calderon said the municipal government is considering  doubling the entrance fee during weekends and holidays.

The proceeds generated by entrance fees will be shared 50-50 with the barangay and the people’s organization managing the area.

Tangbo barangay chairman Irwin Gamallo said they usually get more than 2,000 visitors during weekends and weekdays.

Natural beauty

During the Holy Week, they collected  almost P40,000 in entrance fees.

“This doesn’t include yet the proceeds from the small stores that are within the area,” he told Cebu Daily News.

The municipal government enforced a strict 200-meter no-build zone area from the waterfalls.

“We strictly enforce that rule as early as now so that we won’t have any problems in the future. We really want to preserve the natural beauty of our falls,” Mayor Calderon said.

Despite the lack of promotions, Calderon said word of mouth and social media have drawn people to Aguinid falls since last year.

Triple Drop

He suggested that visitors drop by on weekdays to avoid the crowd and to visit other falls.

The other falls already open to the public are Dao, Balay’g Sawa (which literally means home of the snake) and Hidden Falls, also known as Binalayan or Triple Drop falls.

Miguel and his friends stayed overnight in the town and found time to visit Balay’g Sawa and Hidden Falls on their second day.

Just like Aguinid, the entrance to Hidden Falls is  along the highway. From there, you’d have to walk for  10 minutes to get to the falls.

With only two levels, Hidden Falls is not as difficult to climb  as Aguinid.

What makes it different is its higher drop or elevation.  It looks like  there are three falls cascading.

People can climb up the falls to see a very small cave just behind it.

They can also jump through the falls going down to its basin which is a little deep so there’s no worry of hitting the bottom and hurting yourself when jumping.

“Hidden falls is what I enjoyed the most. Best part of the trip in my opinion. The serene ambiance is amazing and taking a dip in the last level was really stress-relieving,” dela Paz said.

Dela Paz’s group then visited Balay’g Sawa  in barangay Poblacion, a 10-minute motorcycle ride from the highway.

One with nature

A steep trail going down awaits, with guests using makeshift railings of bamboo and wood to go down.

The sight of the secluded falls composed of big lagoons somehow makes one forget about the seemingly dangerous climb down.

“All in all, it can take two hours to go there and another when going back. Lisod pud kaayo ang agianan (The road is also tough),” Rocamora said.

“Habal-habal” (motorcycle for hire) drivers can bring people from one falls to another.

Those wishing to maximize their visit can visit the Colase Marine Sanctuary of Samboan.

Located just along the highway, one can rent snorkeling equipment and life jackets for only P100 and marvel at the rich marine life of the town like sea turtles or whale sharks.

“In my opinion, Samboan has the greatest falls this country has to offer. Other tourist spots are more about  beaches and highly commercialized. If you are looking for something  different from the usual vacation spots, out of the crowd and one with nature, Samboan is the place to be,” dela Paz said of his two-day trip.