🇵🇭 Cebu: what to do, Kawasan and Moalboal trips, Bantayan and Malapascua

Cebu is the most complete island in the Philippines and, at the same time, the one it's easiest to get wrong. It has beaches, waterfalls, world-class diving, a bit of colonial history and the country's second city. But almost everything it offers you'll find elsewhere too, often better.

Its real value is something else: Cebu is the hub of the Visayas. From here you head off to Bohol, Siquijor, Camiguin, Siargao and Boracay. Passing through is almost unavoidable, and with two or three days you get the best of it without wasting too many.

🗺️ How to get to Cebu and how to get around

Mactan-Cebu airport (CEB) is the country's second busiest, with direct flights from Manila, from the main islands and from several Asian cities. Fast ferries to Bohol (about 2 hours, 800-1,000 PHP), Siquijor and Dumaguete leave from Cebu City port.

In the city use Grab: traffic is heavy and taxis don't always switch on the meter. For trips down south, buses leave from the South Bus Terminal and take 3-4 hours to Moalboal or Oslob.

📅 How many days to spend in Cebu

2-3 days, at most one of them in the city. If you add Bantayan or Malapascua, count on 4-5.

🏙️ Cebu City: what to see and where to stay

Cebu City is one hundred per cent urban Philippines: chaos, scooters, traffic, stray dogs, street food, noise and smells. It isn't a beautiful city and there isn't much to see, but if you want a taste of Filipino city life it's a stop that makes sense.

What to see in Cebu City

• Magellan's Cross, planted in 1521 when the Spanish arrived, inside a small pavilion downtown
• Basilica del Santo Niño, the country's oldest church and a pilgrimage site
• Fort San Pedro, the Spanish fort by the port
• Colon Market, for street food and real life
• Tops Lookout, the viewpoint on the hills above the city, for sunset

Where to stay in Cebu City

• Cebu Business Park: the most modern and safest area, malls and services, ideal if you want convenience
• IT Park (Lahug): lively, with nightlife, international restaurants and cafés. Perfect if you're young or working remotely
• Fuente Osmeña and Capitol Site: cheaper places to stay, well positioned for the historic sights
• Mactan: the airport island, with the seafront resorts. Handy if you have an early flight or want a night by the pool

🌊 Day trips from Cebu: waterfalls, sardines and trekking

Kawasan Falls and canyoning

Cebu's most famous waterfalls, in Badian, in the south of the island. The best way to experience them is canyoning: jumps, natural slides and swims through turquoise pools along the river, all the way to the falls. You need a bit of an adventurous streak, but no experience. It takes a full day, 2,800 PHP (40 €) with guide, gear and transport.

Sardine Run in Moalboal

At Panagsama Beach, in Moalboal, millions of sardines move as a single shoal 30 metres from shore. All you need is a mask and fins: you walk in from the beach, swim a few metres and you're in it. Agencies sell it together with the canyoning for a surcharge, but you can do it on your own by bus and tricycle for next to nothing.

Whale sharks in Oslob: why I'd think twice

It's one of the most famous attractions in the Philippines, and swimming next to the biggest fish in the world is a thrill. But in Oslob the sharks are fed every day by the boats to guarantee tourists an encounter: they're not in a natural environment and the practice is considered harmful to the animals. In Bohol the same activity was banned in 2025. There are places where you can meet them naturally, like Donsol (Luzon) or Leyte, where a sighting isn't guaranteed but it's ethical. The tour from Cebu costs 4,500 PHP (70 €).

Trekking and other waterfalls

If you like walking, Cebu has Osmeña Peak, the highest point on the island with a view over jagged hills, and nearby Casino Peak. Among the less crowded waterfalls: Inambakan, Tumalog and Aguinid, the last one involving a walk up the river.

🏝️ The islands around Cebu: Bantayan and Malapascua

Bantayan Island

At the far north of Cebu, they call it "the quiet Boracay". White beaches (Sugar Beach, Paradise Beach, Kota Beach), villages, small seafront restaurants and very little international tourism. The right way to do it is to rent a scooter and ride around without rushing. Virgin Island and Hilantagaan are reached by boat. You get there by bus to Hagnaya (3-4 hours) and a one-hour ferry.

Malapascua

Small, barely touristy, known all over the world for one specific reason: it's one of the few places where you can see thresher sharks all year round, on a dawn dive at Monad Shoal. If you're not a diver, the island still has lovely beaches, snorkelling and a local feel that has been lost elsewhere. You get there by bus to Maya (4 hours) and a 30-40 minute boat.

💡 Things to know before going to Cebu

• The Sinulog, on the third Sunday of January, is the biggest festival in the Philippines: streets closed, hotels full, prices through the roof. If you want to experience it, book months ahead; if you want to avoid it, pick other dates. 👉 When to go to the Philippines
• Cebu City is the right place to withdraw cash, buy a SIM and stock up before heading to the small islands. 👉 Withdrawing without fees and 👉 The best SIM
• Distances on the island are long: Cebu City and Moalboal are 3-4 hours apart by road. If you want to do the canyoning and the sardines, sleep in Moalboal instead of going back and forth.
• Prices: 👉 How much it costs to travel in the Philippines

✅ Cebu in short

• Days: 2-3, one in the city at most
• To do: canyoning at Kawasan and sardines at Moalboal, ideally sleeping in Moalboal
• To think about: Oslob, for the reasons above
• If you have time: Malapascua for divers, Bantayan if you're after quiet beaches
• From here you carry on to: 👉 Bohol and Panglao, 👉 Siquijor, 👉 Camiguin, 👉 Siargao, 👉 Boracay