Whale Sharks (Butanding) Adventure, Tumalog Falls, Sumilon Island and the century-old church. These are the pride of Oslob, Cebu, Philippines.
OSLOB
This small coastal town is a three-hour bus ride from Cebu City.
OSLOB CHURCH
Church of the Immaculate Conception
The location of this church couldn’t be more perfect. It’s facing the beautiful blue sea. It was built in 1830 but was never finished until 18 years later in 1848. It was burned down in 1945 and was restored 10 years later in 1955. Recently in 1988, a fire destroyed its interior and it is now slowly being restored.
CUARTEL
Next to the church is an old barracks made of coral stones also facing the sea. It is not a ruin but an unfinished cuartel (quarter) during the 1800s.
BALUARTE
One of the six watchtowers in Oslob along the coastline. It is located further down to the front-left side of the church.
Camposanto ng Oslob is an 18th century old cemetery. Its original historic arch, perimeter fence, and mortuary chapel are still intact to this day. Built in 1870. Like the church of Oslob, this cemetery is also facing the sea. Visiting this cemetery is an adventure in itself. A mixed of stone graves, wooden crosses sticking out the ground, and arrays of statues of angels. An otherworldly place that will give you tranquility and at the same time, the creep.
Kids who live by the cemetery.
WHALE SHARKS ADVENTURE
Eight Butandings. These super gentle giants can be found swimming near the shore in Brgy Tanawan, Oslob.
How to go there.
Take the earliest bus to Oslob. A 3 1/2-hour ride from Cebu City. The viewing schedules are only from sunrise to 2pm daily.
The bus always stops at Barangay Tanawan to where the whale watching is, so you won't miss it. There’s a big signage by the road that says, Whale Watching.
There are plenty of local guides ready to assist as one enter the parking area. There’s a 5 minute briefing on rules to follow. After the briefing, two boatmen take you to where the Butandings are, not far out.
You are given 30 minutes for the entire encounter, plenty of time to enjoy. Staying a minute longer will most likely burn you from the searing heat of the sun.
There are feeders in the area. They constantly feed the whales with white cooked baby shrimps to make the whales stay at bay at all times. They are so gentle, they swim like they are in a slow-motion pace.
Looking at these giant wales in such close proximity give me so much amazement and child-like excitement. I was fixated at their humongous size, bigger than the boat even. Very gently, they swim around you waiting patiently for the shrimps being fed to them.
There was an outcry from on-line community about an incident where someone had taken a picture of a woman standing on a whale. That person involved had since apologized. That incident happened in another town, not in Oslob, but it was in a nearby town, nonetheless.
Expenses:
Taxi – P40 to South Bus Terminal
Bus Fare - P155 to Tanawan, Oslob
Butanding Encounter - P500
Boat watch - P300
TUMALOG FALLS
Tumalog Falls was only made known to tourists just about the same time as the Butanding adventure, around 2007. This falls is shaded by towering bamboos. Green moss covers the back walls where the water cascade to a milky aquamarine pool below.
We hired a habal-habal. It's a 10-minute motorcycle ride from the whale sharks to an entrance shack.
From the entrance shack, is another good hike to the falls. Paved road but very steep. You have the option to take another habal-habal ride from that starting point or go by foot. But why take another ride when the trek will offer you a spectacular view of the sea over the horizon. It can be totally exhausting to reach the falls, though.
Expenses:
Habal-habal ride - P50
Environmental Fee - P20
SUMILON ISLAND (PENDING)