Dau Falls, Samboan, Cebu

Chasing waterfalls seems to be the most sought-after jaunt this summer. If you are in the Philippines,  you surely would not want to miss visiting a waterfall or two out of the overwhelming number of choices you have. Apart from the bewitching white-sand beaches in the country, it is also home to hundreds of adventuresome destinations for mountaineering, spelunking, or waterfall trekking to name a few. More and more sites are continually discovered and further developed or maintained for others to explore and enjoy without taking so much risk.




Unknown to many, Cebu sheaths several waterfall wonderland awaiting to be uncovered. Kawasan Falls in Badian is probably one of the first destinations exposed which made it the most famous among local and foreign tourists. It has a pretty friendly trail and has been commercialized with all sorts of food and accommodation businesses. An overnight stay there has been made comfortable and easy with all the amenities offered there. On the other hand, there are still some waterfalls you can find on an adventurer's bucket list that did not receive so much advertising and attention yet. Making it to the top 3 most visited and talked about next to Kawasan Falls, may be Mantayupan in Barili, Tumalog in Oslob, and Aguinid in Samboan.

Thank you Google Maps :-P

There are probably a hundred of waterfalls in Cebu which might not be on the bucket list but here's one that you should not miss. Dau Falls in Samboan. The town has been known to have the most number of falls (not counting the undiscovered ones yet) in Southern Cebu. It is three to five hours drive from Cebu City depending on which route you take. In Carcar City, a rotunda landmark separates the two roads to Samboan. You could pass by the towns Barili - Malabuyoc or the traverse the other side, i.e. Sibonga making a turn upon reaching the tip of Southern Cebu - Santander.


Indeed, it's quite a long ride if you're taking the bus from South Bus Terminal. Long enough for your butts to get numb given that there are no stopovers unlike traveling to the North. Better get your playlist ready for snoozing. LOL.

Siempre Samboan!

Reaching the heart of Samboan, you would get pass a conspicuous landmark of "Siempre Samboan", the town's tourism tagline. You would see several road signs of the waterfalls you could explore in this town just a few kilometers away from the landmark. For those who are taking public transpo, you can get off the bus here or near the tarpaulin signage of Dau Falls and take a tricycle ride for P30/head. The journey may be a little bumpy. Cars or motorcycles on the other hand have a wide parking space at the entrance.

The signage to Dau Falls

Red's trying out the driver's seat

Registration here!

As an SOP, guests would have to register right at the entrance for P20. A guide will walk you through the journey until you reach the highest level of the waterfalls. It's a 30 - minute walk or crawl *LOL* to the top. While trekking, there are little springs that ooze safe water for drinking. It's thirst-quenching as if it was chilled in the fridge. You may not see it at once so ask your guide about it.


The trail is not so easy as there are slippery rocks, steep and narrow steps, watercourses, wobbly bamboo bridge, and wet ground or maybe rocks overhanging the lower levels of the falls. It's wiser to have a little stretching!

The hanging bridge

a little slippery bridge

I was too scared to fall, I didn't manage to take a selfie.

Will this lead to 'FOREVER'? LOL.

like a blind alley

**It wasn't easy without shoes on. Sadly, for me since the trip was unexpected I only had my high platform flip flops. I had to go barefooted at times.



The best part is the hanging bamboo bridge that teeters every time you take a step.

Let's cross the bridge when we get there. Yeah, we're here!

 **Then, a part of it broke when a man stepped on its weaker vertical ridges and everybody went WOAH! Better step on its horizontal crosspiece. After all these, it was still exciting moving forward.



A few meters down the major attraction, you would be able to view the grandiose masterpiece you would thought as home of the gods or fairies. Looks like Rivendell (home of the elves in Lord of the Rings) comes to life. The not-so-easy trek seems nothing upon reaching the peak where you could bathe in its bone-chilling waters. The waters is not so clear but it constantly overflows.

Just a few more steps!

Just breathtaking! Oh my!

Here we go. Checking how cold the water is.

There are no food stalls whatsoever in the area so better be ready if you started hiking a little famished.  Though, there are food sold at the entrance, their goods often run out during lunch time.

 

Fun is an understatement. lol.

The deepest part of the pool is 6 feet towards the edge of the waterfall and about 3 feet for the shallower part. It is not as wide as Kawasan Falls as it only spreads at least 3 meters.


 Neither words nor pictures could give justice to how magnificent the site is! You would get that inexplicable magical feeling upon gazing at the towering Dau Falls. Enchanting!