3 Days in Cebu

Clear customs, grab a Grab or metered taxi to your hotel (5–20 minutes to Mactan resorts, 30–50 minutes to Cebu City). Check in, change, and orient yourself. If arriving early enough, the beach is waiting.

Spend your first afternoon at the beach. Mactan Island's resort beaches — Shangri-La, Crimson, Movenpick — have calm, reef-sheltered water ideal for first-time snorkellers. Rent gear at the resort or book a short guided snorkel session at the house reef. Sea turtles are common sightings at the better house reefs.

Walk along Punta Engaño Road or ask your hotel concierge for a waterfront seafood restaurant recommendation. Fresh tiger prawns, blue crab, and whole grilled fish priced by weight are the Mactan standard — excellent value by any benchmark.

Most organised tours pick up from Mactan hotels at 4:00–4:30am, arriving Oslob around 7:30–8am before quotas fill. Swimmers enter the water from bangkas (outrigger boats) alongside whale sharks fed by fishermen. The sharks are 5–10 metres long and entirely docile. Bring reef-safe sunscreen and a waterproof camera. The ethical note: the Oslob sharks are conditioned by daily feeding — this is a point of debate some visitors consider before booking.

From Oslob, organised tour coaches continue north to Badian for the Kawasan Falls canyoneering tour (approximately 1.5 hours' drive). The canyon route takes 3–4 hours: cliff jumps, water slides, body floats through turquoise gorges, and the thundering 40-metre main falls at the end. The water is a vivid cold blue-green — extraordinary by any standard. Finish by 4–5pm.

The return drive to Mactan takes 2.5–3 hours, arriving around 7–8pm. You'll be tired but exhilarated. Dinner at a simple restaurant near the resort or room service — Day 2 is the most physically demanding day of the trip.

Take a Grab to Cebu City (30–50 minutes from Mactan). Start at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño — the Philippines' oldest church, housing a 16th-century image of the infant Jesus brought by Magellan's expedition in 1521. A 2-minute walk leads to Magellan's Cross in its small chapel. Continue to Fort San Pedro, the oldest Spanish triangular fort in the Philippines, overlooking the harbour.

No Cebu trip is complete without lechon. CNT Lechon (multiple branches, including near Mango Avenue) and Zubuchon (Escario Street and malls) are the city's most famous houses. Arrive before 1pm for the best cuts — the crispy skin and herb-seasoned meat are unlike any roast pork elsewhere. A generous serve costs ₱350–₱500.

If time allows, walk through Carbon Market — chaotic, colourful, and full of dried fish, tropical fruit, and local goods. Pick up vacuum-packed danggit (dried rabbitfish) or chorizo de Cebu as souvenirs from Taboan Market nearby. Head to Mactan-Cebu Airport — allow 1.5–2 hours from Cebu City.