Cebu sights
Kawasan Falls & Canyoneering
Cebu's most famous waterfall — tiers of vivid turquoise pools in the jungle near Badian, and the finish line of the island's signature canyoneering adventure: a few hours of jumping, swimming, and sliding down the river canyon above.
About
Kawasan Falls, in the jungle near Badian on Cebu's southwest coast, is the island's most famous waterfall — a series of tiered cascades pouring into pools of an almost luminous turquoise, coloured by the dissolved limestone the river runs through. You can simply visit the lower falls to swim, ride a bamboo raft under the cascade, and picnic, but Kawasan is most famous as the spectacular finish to canyoneering, Cebu's signature adventure. Guided groups start upriver in the gorge above and spend two to three hours working downstream — leaping from rock ledges into deep pools (some jumps several metres high), swimming through narrow canyons, sliding down natural water chutes, and scrambling over boulders — before emerging at the falls themselves. Helmets and life jackets are provided and no experience is needed, though a basic ability to swim and a head for heights help. It's a roughly three-hour drive from Cebu City, so many combine it with Moalboal or an overnight in the south.
Good to know
Opening hours and entry fees vary by season — check before you visit.