If you’re looking for things to do in Moalboal, you’ve come to the right place! Here we’re going to tell you everything you need to enjoy this destination in the south of Cebu Island.
Some say there’s not much to do on the island of Cebu. While it’s true that Cebu City isn’t the prettiest city in Southeast Asia, it does have a few attractions to spend a couple of hours exploring. However, today we want to tell you about another spot on the island with the same name that we love: Moalboal. This small coastal town is known for being a fantastic place to dive in the Philippines and, above all, to go snorkelling in the Philippines, and yet there’s much more to see and do in Moalboal and we’re going to share all its little secrets with you.
How many days do you need in Moalboal
Moalboal is a small destination that, to see the main sights, doesn’t require more than a couple of days. With 2 full days you’ll be able to enjoy some of the best dive and snorkel spots in the Philippines (how does swimming among literally THOUSANDS of sardines and the odd turtle sound?) and relax on the beach.
On the other hand, the super famous Kawasan Falls are close to Moalboal, so you can use one of those 2 days to visit them or, even better, go canyoneering.
So a good plan to make the most of everything you can see and do in Moalboal is:
- Diving and snorkelling around Pescador Island and the sardine run + White Beach or relax in Panagsama
- Kawasan Falls + Lambug Beach by motorbike
In addition, from Moalboal you can access plenty of waterfalls located in the south of Cebu Island. If you like this kind of adventure, don’t hesitate—give this corner of the Philippines more time because there’s a lot of this style to see in Moalboal.
Things to do in Moalboal
While it’s true that everyone comes to Moalboal to snorkel or dive, now we’re going to give you powerful reasons to include this destination in your trip through the Philippines. Keep reading and discover what to do in Moalboal:
1. Go diving at Pescador Island
Is diving one of your priorities on your trip to the Philippines? Then you’re in luck! One of the musts among things to do in Moalboal is diving at Pescador Island. This small islet lies about 15–20 minutes by bangka from the coast and offers at least a couple of fabulous dives.
These are coral wall dives where you can find both macro life and cool fish like frogfish, and even the odd shark or green turtle. It’s also relatively affordable compared to other dive destinations. You can take a look and, if you want, book here.
If you’re not a certified diver, there are companies that run an island hopping trip that lets you snorkel at Pescador Island. More on that below.
Of course, you can also get your dive certification right there, which is a perfect place because you’ll be seeing cool stuff from minute one. It takes 3/4 days, but you can shorten it a bit if you complete part of the theory online beforehand—this is known as e‑learning. There are Spanish‑speaking instructors in the area, which will help you feel more at ease for your first time. Here are several options to check out, with Open Water being the course that will later allow you to dive all over the world and the try dive a single introductory dive:
Open Water Diver course with e‑learning in Spanish
ADVANCED Open Water Diver course with e‑learning in Spanish
Open Water Diver course WITHOUT e‑learning in Spanish
Heads up: unfortunately, Pescador was badly damaged after a typhoon in December 2021 and parts of it don’t look as nice as before. Even so, we think it’s still well worth it.
2. Be blown away by Moalboal’s sardine run and other snorkel spots
Believe us: Moalboal is your destination in the Philippines if you love marine life, and we tell you all about it in Where to snorkel in Moalboal.
You don’t have to go far—right off the very coast where all the restaurants and hotels are (near Saavedra Dive Centre), just a couple of metres out, you can see the huge mass of the sardine run of Moalboal. Thousands upon thousands of these fish move like one homogeneous mass almost at the surface, so it’s very easy to see them with your own mask and snorkel and be amazed.
Our advice is to go first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the big tours have gone. If it coincides with high tide, even better. Although there’s usually always people around, every time we’ve gone in the afternoon we saw at least a couple of turtles calmly munching on the algae just a few metres from the shore.
If you can, wear a T‑shirt for snorkelling. Besides avoiding sunburn and not harming marine life and corals with sunscreen, you won’t feel the small rubs (they’re usually not big stings) from the little jellyfish that are common in the area. Please, don’t touch or harass the turtles. Unfortunately, we’ve seen many people in Moalboal doing this. If you can, kindly tell them that’s not the way.
In almost any little shop or dive centre on the street next to Moalboal they’ll rent you a mask and snorkel for about 100 pesos. They also rent fins, although since you won’t have to swim too much, they’re not essential. If you don’t have a GoPro and you feel like shooting videos or photos, you can also rent them for about 500 pesos per day.
On the other hand, if you feel like it and you have a diving certification, you can do a dive at the House Reef, which is the dive site where this natural phenomenon to see in Moalboal takes place. Although you’ll be following the reef parallel to the coast, if you look up you’ll surely enjoy that immense cloud of sardines that doesn’t even let the sunlight through. Without a doubt, one of the best dives in the Philippines. It’s wonderful!
If I can see them while snorkelling, should I still dive with the sardines or not? Considering that dive prices are really affordable, we wouldn’t hesitate and would include it in our list of things to do in Moalboal. Honestly, the feeling is beautiful. You can book a full‑day trip with 3 dives with one of the area’s reference centres from this link. If you’ve never dived before, you can also do a try dive or even get your Open Water Diver certification to dive wherever you want in the world from now on.
3. Relax on Panagsama Beach
Panagsama Beach is the area of Moalboal where most hotels and restaurants are located. While you can’t really call it a pretty town and most of the coastline is rocky, with restaurants literally on the sea, if you walk north of town there are a few beach stretches where you’ll find sand, clear water and, above all, peace and quiet.
The area around Chili Bar has a few little patches of sand like in the next photo. You can leave your things there without worry and jump in to swim with the thousands of sardines and turtles right in front of you.
4. Discover White Beach
Although one activity that appears on every list of things to do in Moalboal is visiting White Beach, we recommend you don’t set your expectations too high.
At White Beach you’ll find clear waters, coral sand and the odd palm tree, but it’s not one of the best beaches in the Philippines. On weekends it fills to the brim with families who even camp on the beach. But if you’re visiting Moalboal Monday to Thursday, the vibe is much more relaxed.
White Beach is located 7 kilometres from Panagsama, so you’ll need to go by tricycle or rent a motorbike. Tricycles usually charge around 100–120 pesos per ride. Once there, you’ll have to leave the motorbike in the parking lot (20 pesos) and pay a fee of 10 pesos per person.
Don’t forget your mask and snorkel! At White Beach there are great spots to explore with your mask and snorkel. Walk towards Belgian Resort Divers, where turtles are often seen swimming along the shore.
5. Toast the sunset at Chili Bar and get to know Moalboal’s nightlife
After a day of beach time and snorkel, the best thing you can do in Moalboal is relax and enjoy the sunset. The bar that tends to have the most vibe is Chili Bar, which has incredible sea views. Order a mango shake or an ice‑cold San Miguel Pilsen and enjoy the show!
The atmosphere in Moalboal is quite laid‑back, but even so, as the night goes on the music turns up a little. Plus, more and more backpackers are visiting this part of the Philippines, so it’s usually a pretty youthful scene.
6. Get your adrenaline pumping with canyoneering at Kawasan Falls
We’re sure that while researching things to do in the Philippines you stumbled upon a photo of an epic waterfall. A pool of turquoise waters fed by a huge curtain surrounded by dense vegetation… Those are the Kawasan waterfalls or Kawasan Falls!
The image is idyllic; even so, we need to warn you: Kawasan Falls is one of the most touristy places in the Philippines and it usually gets quite crowded. They’ve also built a hideous restaurant that really spoils the setting. Even so, here are two tips to enjoy them to the fullest:
- Try to go early (before 10:00; they open at 8:00) and avoid weekends and holidays.
- Don’t stay only at the first level—there are several more levels you can reach on foot that are much quieter.
On the other hand, for many travellers, one of the highlights of their trip to the Philippines is canyoneering (canyoning) at Kawasan Falls. The excursion, which usually lasts about 3 hours, takes you through several pools from Alegria to Kawasan Falls as you jump (some of them up to 15 metres). It’s a regulated activity and must be done with a helmet and life jacket. Prices are around 2.100 (including transfers and lunch) and you can easily book it from this link, at almost any hotel or on the road leading to the falls.
Read all about our experience doing this activity in Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls, Cebu: Complete guide.
How to get to Kawasan Falls? If you don’t want to go canyoneering, you can easily reach Kawasan Falls from Moalboal by taking a bus towards Bato. The ticket costs just 22 pesos (30 with air‑conditioning) and the ride takes about 30 minutes. Of course, you can also go by motorbike (350–400 pesos per day) or by tricycle (900 pesos round trip with waiting time, or 150 pesos per ride if they don’t wait for you).
Entrance to Kawasan Falls costs 200 pesos. Parking is 45 pesos per motorbike. It’s not necessary to hire a guide, but keep in mind that you can only visit the first level. You used to be able to keep walking, but recently you can only see a part this way. If you want to get to know them in more depth, you’ll have to do the canyoneering activity.
7. Explore other beaches like Lambug Beach
You’ve probably realised that one of Moalboal’s weak points isn’t its beaches; however, your impression may change if you visit Lambug Beach.
Although we include it among the things to do in Moalboal, Lambug Beach is in the municipality of Badian, that is, near Kawasan Falls, so it’s possible to combine both destinations.
What they call the Boracay of Cebu is a much prettier beach than some of the others we’ve mentioned in Moalboal. On weekends it usually fills up with Filipinos spending the day, but if you visit Monday to Thursday it’s very likely you’ll have it almost to yourself. Since 2020, foreigners are charged 65 pesos (45 for Filipinos) to enter.
Travel Around the Philippines tip: although the beach is public, you’ll see that the only way to park the motorbike is inside a resort, so you’ll have to pay. Out of curiosity, we rode the motorbike down to this spot. There we found two things: 1) an amazing marine sanctuary where there was no one—bring your mask and snorkel!; and 2) a free walking access to Lambug Beach. So now you know!
8. Island hopping in Moalboal
Travellers who don’t dive might be interested in doing an island hopping tour in Moalboal that includes some of the area’s most famous snorkel spots. These excursions usually include some time swimming around Pescador Island, the sardine run area and Turtle Point.
As you’ve seen, you can visit the last two places on your own. So if you fancy it, you can also negotiate a boat just to go to Pescador.
9. Waterfalls to visit from Moalboal
In the southern area of Moalboal there are lots of waterfalls that hardly anyone visits. We’ll soon publish a detailed article about each of them, but jot down these names: Cambais Falls, Kabutongan Waterfalls, Inambakan Waterfalls, Dao Waterfalls, Binalayan Hidden Waterfalls and Aguinid Falls.
If you don’t want to put too many kilometres on the motorbike, we recommend you visit the two closest ones (after Kawasan Falls): Cambais Falls (the one in the photo) and Cangkalanog Falls. If you get up early, you can also go to Montpellier Falls. By the way, to get to the first two, don’t pay any attention to Google Maps because it’ll send you on the roughest route (speaking from experience). Go via a road called Alegria Barangay Rd and not Brgy Valencia Road, which is terrible.
Useful information for Moalboal
After telling you the best things to do in Moalboal, here’s all the practical information you need to plan your visit.
1. Where to stay in Moalboal
Our advice is to look for accommodation in Moalboal in the Panagsama area. Here are some options we’re in love with:
- Maayong Hostel: the best hostel in Moalboal! Very cool facilities, comfy beds, clean, friendly staff, secure lockers… If you’re looking for backpacker vibes, this is your spot! Dorm beds start at €13.
- Home Sweetie Homestay and Bunkbeds: travelling solo or after something budget? This super cute hostel is very cosy for a couple of nights. Dorm beds cost €7.
- Beyond Island: this is where we stayed during our last visit to Moalboal and we highly recommend it. Modern rooms, nice staff, motorbikes for rent and a convenient location. For about €20–25 per night you can’t ask for much more.
- Quo Vadis Dive Resort: if you’ve come to Moalboal to dive, this is a great option, as the resort’s dive shop is one of the most professional in the area. They have bungalows with garden or sea views. From €50.
Need more inspiration or looking for an epic bamboo hut? Check out these hotels where to stay in Moalboal.
2. How to get to Moalboal
Decided to visit Moalboal? In How to get to Moalboal we tell you how to reach this little corner of the Philippines from Cebu, Dumaguete, Bohol, Malapascua… Spoiler: if you’re coming from Cebu, you just have to take a bus from the South Bus Terminal, and it’ll take about 3.5 hours.
3. Where to eat
With the increase in tourism, Moalboal’s selection of restaurants is getting bigger and bigger. So you don’t miss the very best, we’ve written an article on the topic: Where to eat in Moalboal.
4. A few of our own tips to enjoy Moalboal
As you’ve probably noticed, we like Moalboal a lot and we’ve already been several times. Here are the tips we would have liked to know before our first visit:
- Try to visit the beaches and Kawasan Falls Monday to Friday, when there’s less people.
- The best time to go to Moalboal is from December to May, which is the dry season. Even so, the waterfalls will have more flow and therefore look prettier in the months of August-October.
- If you’re staying in Panagsama you can walk everywhere. If you can’t be bothered, you can always rely on tricycles. Within Panagsama you shouldn’t be charged more than 50 pesos. If you want to go to Moalboal town, it’s usually 100 pesos (which we think is more than fair).
- Motorbike rental in Moalboal is around 350 pesos for a small 125 cc motorbike. It’s normal for accommodation to offer it, and on the main road you’ll find several rental places. Always check the condition of the tyres and any scratches it may have.
- Although they’re putting ATMs from Euronet everywhere, be careful if you want to withdraw money there because they try to trick you and apply a horrible exchange rate. We recommend withdrawing from the ATM at the 7‑ELEVEN in Moalboal or from the PNB one next to Nelson’s Dive Center (you’ll see it on the map below) and avoid any issues.
- More and more travellers are working remotely in the Philippines, and since Moalboal is on a main island, it’s a destination we always recommend for having a pretty decent internet connection. Both hotel Wi‑Fi networks and Smart and Globe 4G work well enough even for video calls. You can read more on this topic in Internet in the Philippines.
- Remember that travelling in the Philippines without medical insurance is very risky due to the precarious medical facilities, and in Moalboal you only have a very basic rural hospital. If something serious happens, it’s better to go to Cebu, where we recommend the two Chong Hua hospitals. We’ve been travelling with IATI for 9 years and we recommend it 100%. Here’s a 5% discount for coming from us.
- When you want to return to Cebu or head down to Siquijor or Dumaguete, tell the tricycle drivers to drop you at the “bus stop”. It’s just a few chairs on the main road, but all the buses stop there.
Map of Moalboal
To help you get your bearings, we’ve created this map of Moalboal with the places we’ve mentioned:
Got anything to add to this list of things to do in Moalboal? Any questions? We’d be happy to answer you in the comments.
