After spending the early morning swimming with whale sharks, I then decided to visit Tumalog Falls, Oslob’s other big attraction.
There were plenty of bike taxis at the entrance of the Whale shark briefing center and this guy approached me asking me if I wanted to go to Tumalog Falls. He said it would cost ₱120 to take me there and back.Tumalog Falls isn’t too far away from the whale shark briefing centerBasically the road to Tumalog Falls is just off the main highway, heading back from the whale shark briefing centerThe driver dropped me off at a parking area at the top. From here, I had to climb down a steep slope.You can pay again to have a bike drop you at the waterfalls and back, but I just chose to walk not knowing how far it was (it wasn’t)Once at the bottom, the beauty begins right awayHow is the water so blue?!I really wasn’t expecting much from Tumalog Falls and planned to spend only a few minutes hereBut even from here I could sense the beauty. You have to climb from the left to get inside the falls areaTumalog Falls is really beautiful!It was so nice and cool to stand here… even though water droplets were hitting my lensThe water was so blue, but it was hard to get the entire falls top to bottom in one frameThere was so much mist in the air from the waterfalls!I pictured Tumalog Falls to be one big stream — it isn’tIf you wanted to set up a BBQ or picnic, you could do it here. But mind you, it’s very muddy.I decided to pack up my DSLR as I didn’t want it getting too wet. It was time for the GoPro to come out.I held the GoPro sideways to take this shotI took my shirt off and carefully stepped to the left of the waterfallsIt was slippery and the water felt cold, but I felt like taking a shower after a swim in the sea 😛The water sure was chilly — but it felt good!I tried to get closer to the falls from the left
I decided to go to the other sideI figured I would take some photos of the waterfalls from another angleSeemed to be less splashier on this sideYou could get a full shot from this side, with no tree obstructingFortunately the skies were clearing up too. I got in the water to try and see if I could stay under the water splashing down.IT. WAS. COLD! And heavy!Then for some reason, this woman asked for a photo with me. After that, her group asked me to take a photo of all of them.Finally I thought, why not, handed one of them to take a group shot on my GoPro camera. Clearly not the best camera for such situations. I didn’t know any of them but that’s how it works in the Philippines 🙂I took a parting shotIt was now time to leaveI enjoyed Tumalog falls more than I thought I would. It was really beautiful and you have to be here to experience its beauty! I ended up spending close to an hour instead of just a “few minutes”.I walked back to the top where my bike taxi guy was waiting.I took these photos using the GoProYou can get a nice view of the sea from up hereI asked the bike taxi driver how to get to a bus stop in town from where I can catch a ride back to Cebu. He dropped me here and told me I can take a jeepney going to the market area. (This photo and the next few are taken on my phone)I hopped on a jeepney and this was the last stop. This was the main market area.Since I was in town, I decided to check out some of the attractions near byThis is where the municipal offices and government offices wereThere were a few houses aroundPulis = PoliceA covered basketball courtChurch of the Immaculate Conception — Oslob’s oldest churchI couldn’t go in, the doors were closedI wasn’t sad or anything. I had seen enough churches in Philippines.Next to the church was Cuartel, an unfinished structure by the Spanish colonials that was meant for soldiersThe stones used came from the church when its floor had collapsed in 1899It is still well-maintainedI decided to shoot some photos using my 70-200mm lens
Behind Cuartel and facing the sea is a public parkThere used to be an old lighthouse hereI sat under the tree shade for a while as it was scorching hot
I just love how clear and blue the water appears hereOh so blueI decided to walk on the edge tooAhh, felt like swimming in these waters
I walked back and decided to leave Oslob
Once back at the main highway, I asked the townsfolk from where I could board a bus to Cebu and they said, “Right here”. I figured I would eat an early lunch (it was just past 11am) as by the time I would reach Cebu, it would be past 3pm.
I had (garlic) fried chicken and rice (₱60)Soon after lunch I boarded a bus going to CebuI passed by so many houses by the sea. Imagine waking up to such blue seas every morning.
I really enjoyed Oslob more than I thought I would. Definitely a place to visit and worth spending a day at! I’m glad I woke up early. A visit to Oslob is highly-recommended if you are in Cebu. I’m glad I didn’t do this trip via some travel agency. It can by done by yourself and for a lot less. As a foreigner, I spent around ₱1500 today (to & fro bus journeys + whale shark experience + bike taxi + Tumalog Falls + lunch), half of what was quoted to me by some of the travel agencies back in Cebu yesterday. I could make up for sleep on the bus journey back. I was going to take it easy tomorrow anyway.
