The Majestic Waterfall in Badian, Cebu – Kawasan Falls

The Kawasan Falls is just 130 kilometers southwest of Cebu City and in order to get there, you can ride a bus for almost three (3) hours from the South Bus Terminal. It is located inside the mountains of Barangay Matutinao, Badian. The Kawasan Falls, a three-layered waterfall, is one of the popular tourist destinations in the province. Canyoning tours are offered upstream of the Kawasan Falls, where the Matutinao river flows through a secluded canyon.

Getting to Kawasan Falls

Getting to Kawasan Falls in Badian from Cebu City is very easy and you can do it just by taking a bus from South Bus Terminal in Cebu City. Look or ask someone where you can take the bus that goes to Bato via Barili. Make sure you are taking the bus that goes to Bato via Barili since the other bus going to Bato (via Oslob) won’t stop at Badian. Just ask someone and they will absolutely lead you to the right bus, people in there are very friendly, they will absolutely help you out. When you are already in the bus, you can remind or ask the conductor to notice you when you’re near in Kawasan Falls. There’s a certain bus company which is Ceres, and their buses are yellow. They have air-conditioned buses and the bus fare is 150 PHP ($3). The bus trip takes about 3 hours but can vary depending on how much traffic there is.

Travel Tips

If you are bringing a lot of things to the first waterfalls, you can hire one of the locals to help you carry them for around PHP100 ($2) (the price varies depending on the person) – Avoid paying them upfront and only pay them after you are settled in the main area.
The nature forest trail to the first main waterfalls is an uphill trek about 1.5 kilometers long. Be sure to pack lots of fluids to keep you hydrated.
During the evening, there are no lamp posts on the trail back to the Matutinao Church so it is advisable to also pack a flashlight when you visit.
Aside from the gift shop, there are several vendors and stalls that sells very affordable printed t-shirts, beaded necklaces, and other Kawasan Falls souvenirs in the area.

NOTE: You can rent a raft before but now it is not possible since there’s a lot of locals who takes advantage of this to the foreigners. There’s an issue that the locals are ripping off the foreign tourists for renting a raft way beyond the original price of renting. The local government decided to stop renting the rafts.