Moalboal
Posted on 17. Sep, 2009 by Lakwatsero in Destinations, Visayas
What seems to be a sleepy town in western Cebu is booming with active coastal life. Moalboal, a three hours drive from Cebu City is a gateway to some of the best diving spots not only in Cebu but in the entire Philippines.
Home to around 28,00 inhabitants, this provincial town is a well known tourist and diving paradise due to its unspoiled fine white sand beaches and diverse marine life. Divers and snorkelers will enjoy the rich and colorful underwater life of its numerous dive sites, which includes Pescador Island, home to hammerhead sharks and school of sardines. Dive shops are located in Panagsama Beach in Basdiot. Beach bummers on the other hand can stroll in the White Beach of Basdako.
Whether you are an adventure lover or a laid back type, Moalboal promises a relaxing and fun getawat that will surely make your stay in this lovely town worthwhile.
How to Get There
Via Air
From Cebu City
From the capital of the province, Moalboal is just two and a half to three hours drive. Librando and Ceres buses located in the South Bus Terminal of the city capital going to Barili pass in Moalboal. Regular fare for non-aircon bus is at P75.00, while P115.00 for aircon bus. Occasionally, there are vans that ply Cebu city to Moalboal. These vans are parked also in the South Bus Terminal, fare is at P100.00. Buses drop passengers at the town plaza, to go to Panagsama Beach or White Beach, hire a trike to get you there, fare cost around P80.00 per trike.
Cebu City, being a prime Visayan city serves as hub of most airlines and shipping companies. There are direct flights to Cebu from Manila, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Puerto Princesa, Legaspi, General Santos, Surigao, Siargao, Clark, Dipolog, Ozamis, Butuan, Dipolog, Roxas, Caticlan, Dumaguete, Bacolod and Iloilo via Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines, PAL Express, Cebu Pacific Air and Zest Air.
Cebu City is also accessible from major Asian cities with direct flights from Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Incheon, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Taipei and Qatar.
From Dumaguete
It is also possible to reach Moalboal via Dumaguete within two-and-a-half to three hours. From the city, catch a minibus or multicab to Sibulan Port for a minimum fare. Ferries going to Santander and Bato in Southern Cebu dock in Sibulan Port. You have an option to ride the fast craft (~P60.00) or pumpboat (~P50.00), terminal fee included. It would be better to catch a boat to Bato, since it is nearer to Moalboal. Upon reaching the Port of Bato, take a trike (~P20.00) to the highway where buses to Moalboal pass. Bato to Moalboal is around 2 hours by bus, fare is approximately P60.00.
Dumaguete City, the capital of Negros Oriental is accesible from Manila via Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.
Via Land/Water
Cebu and Dumaguete being the two possible gateway to Moalboal are accessible via ferry ride from different ports of call in the country. Numerous shipping lines link the two cities to the others, these include SuperFerry, Negros Navigation, Sulpicio Lines, Cokaliong Shipping, Montenegro, SuperCat and OceanJet, among others.
By land from Mainland Luzon, Cebu can be reached by bus from Batangas via RORO passing Masbate or by traversing the Eastern Philippine Highway passing to Bicol, RORO to Samar and Leyte before crossing via RORO again to Cebu.
Where to Stay
The Panagsama Beach in Basdiot and White Beach in Basdako are where tourists usually stay in Moalboal. Panagsama Beach is home to a lot of hotels and dive shops, while the White Beach is for beach lover and laid back type tourists. For backpackers and budget travellers, Lakwatsero.com personally recommends Moalboal Backpackers Lodge, which just opened in May 2009. They have dormitory rooms for as low as P200.00/night/person and a family room that is good for four. For booking, reservation or more information, visit their site: www.moalboal-backpackerlodge.com, or contact them thru:
Moalboal Backpacker Lodge
Panagsama Beach, Basdiot
6032 Moalboal, Cebu
Landline (GLOBE): +63 (0)32 474 3053
Mobile (GLOBE): +63 (0)905 227 8096
Mobile (SMART): +63 (0)908 607 6240
E-mail: info@moalboal-backpackerlodge.com
Skype: moalboal-backpackerlodge
List of other hotels and dive shops in the area will be posted soon.
Activities
- Diving/snorkeling: The dive sites of Moalboal include Pescador Island, Sunken Island, Kasai, Plane Wreck, Tongo and Sampaguita among others, plus the marine sanctuaries in Basdiot and Saavedra.
- Beach bumming
- Beach sports: volleyball, frisbee
- Spelunking in Busay Cave
- Side trip to Kawasan Falls in Badian
- Visit the old churches of Boljoon, Oslob, Dalaguete, Carcar, Sibonga and Argao, all in Southern Cebu.
Tips
There are a lot of restaurants and kitchenettes in the area, but prepare to shell out at least P100.00 per meal, foods are quite expensive there. For divers, the most popular dive shop is the Savedra Dive Center in Panagsama. There are three scheduled dives per day, 7AM, 10AM and 2PM. They offer discounts for locals. Savedra Dive Center is a premier dive shop that puts safety above all.
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Tourist Friendly Cebu | Lakwatsero
Apr 11th, 2010
[...] The South Bus Terminal are of course for those traveling to the southern towns of Oslob, Dalaguete, Moalboal, Badian, Carcar, Boljoon, Sumilon, Liloan (yes, there are two towns named Liloan in the province) [...]
Featured Spot: Kawasan Falls | Lakwatsero
Jan 19th, 2010
[...] than an hour away from the diving paradise of Moalboal in Cebu is the town of Badian, home of Kawasan [...]
Janette Toral
Jan 3rd, 2010
Thanks for the feature about this place. Hope to check it out when I visit Cebu next time.
cba
Dec 8th, 2009
…hoping to be back in moalboal to explore more of pescador island and discover the airport.