Adventure awaits!Our Oslob adventure was one of the highlights of our trip. Initially, our Cebu trip was actually meant for the Sinulog weekend but since we got promo airfare for an earlier date, we decided to go on a day trip to Oslob. I have been to Cebu a couple of times and I was able to explore the city and Bantayan Island, so we decided to take an adventure at the popular town of Oslob. During our planning, we read a lot of travel blogs and it really helped us, I’m paying it forward by doing this entry :) Swimming with the whale sharksWe took the 4:30 AM bus at South Bus Terminal (since it was just near our hotel, we walked going there), take the bus that will pass by Oslob, make sure to tell the conductor that you get off at Brgy. Tan-awan. One-way fare costs Php 180 per person. We asked the conductor to drop us off at the whale shark watching area. Hahaha. We got a bit paranoid since we really don’t know the area but the conductors are already used to tourists going there so no need to panic! Hehe. It is advisable to be early since it’s a 5-6 hour trip, better if you bring breakfast or snacks since there’s no stopover. The whale-watching is until around 1 pm (it could be earlier, depending the presence of the whale sharks) expect a lot of tourists on a later time so the earlier the better. We got off exactly in front of MB Sunrise View Resort at past 8 am; all thanks to the travel blogs we’ve read, we’re already familiar with the resort. We paid Php 100 for the resort entrance which includes a locker and shower privileges, Php 500 for the whale shark snorkeling inclusive of the snorkel set and since we didn’t bring any underwater camera and/or Go Pro, we paid Php 550 (as a group) for the underwater camera. As per the staff in the resort, the 500 is a standard rate for snorkeling and 300 for whale watching only. This also includes all the environmental and other gov’t fees. A staff from MB Sunrise will lead you to the Briefing Center, if you don’t want to pay for the resort you can go directly there, it’s a 5-min walk from MB Sunrise View Resort. Upon reaching the standby area, you will be asked to register and listen to the short briefing. Here are some of the reminders I remember:
So upon reaching the assigned interaction area which is just near the shore (If you’re paranoid like I am, don’t ask how deep the water is. Hahaha) we notice how the boats formed a semi-circle and then an assigned boat was feeding the whale sharks to keep them in the area. I went down first and I insisted on wearing my vest which was a wrong move since it was hard to be submerged in the water and it takes so much effort. So after a while, to have the full experience I took of my vest but I didn’t stray away from our boat. When I first saw the whale shark's mouth from the boat, I said “Oh, it’s just small” but when I went down and saw the whole thing, I feared for my life. Haha. Okay, I know they don’t feed on humans but if they accidentally swallowed you, they will just vomit you. (It’s a joke, there’s no chance since they really don’t eat humans. Haha!!) We got to see different sizes from baby whale sharks to the largest one which is around 25ft which we had a close encounter with.When we saw that it was close to us, we went down to take photos and ta-da! It was literally an inch close to us! My friend’s feet were almost touching its body. So guess what, we panicked and didn’t get a good photo with the gently giant. HUHUHU. If you rent underwater camera from the resort, one of the guides will be your photographer. I realized that the perfect photos we see online take a lot, as in a lot of effort and patience //Whew// When we were about to leave the area, I realized how blessed I am to be able to meet the whale sharks and have this experience. I sincerely pray and hope that the people of Oslob would care and not abuse this gift that they have. Fun under the Tumalog FallsWe still have our swim clothes on so we decided to go to Tumalog falls; we paid Php 140 each for the habal-habal fare and entrance fee. The habal-habal driver will drop you off at the entrance and will wait for you, usually they give the tourist an hour to enjoy it. The road going to the falls was really steep! By the time we got to the falls we were beat but when we saw it, ahhhhhh so worth it! The falls looks so majestic; it looks like it was falling crystals from above. Again, since we didn’t have underwater camera or GoPro, we used our iPhones sealed in a tight plastic small container to take photos. Since the lighting is not on our side, instead, we took really artsy silhouette photos. Here are our fail attempts: Nonetheless we had fun even though the water was really cold. By the time we got back from the standby area of the habal-habal drivers, we were already dry because the struggle is real. Hahaha. The HeritageWe went back to MB Sunrise View to take a shower and dress up. Our next destination was Poblacion area which includes Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion church, Baluarte, Cuartel and Estaca. We paid 100 each for the habal-habal. The lighting on this area was really good! From the Heritage area, we rode a tricycle going to the bus stop. We arrived in Cebu city past 7 PM. DIY trip in Oslob is cheaper than the packaged ones and it's so much fun! I hope this will help you on your future trip to Oslob :) Until our next adventure, cheers! xoxo, M
2 Comments
buding nacion
7/6/2018 10:26:46 pm
yung sa whaleshark watching fee na 500 kasama na po ba yung boat dun?
Reply
Monica
7/18/2018 12:39:45 pm
yes, included na,
Reply
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She wonders and wandersMonica writes about her life, what she eats, what she reads and where she goes. This space is where her thoughts, experiences, memories and feelings turn into words. She's glad that she can share with you. Archives
August 2021
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