Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls Cebu – In-depth Guide 2025

In this article, we’re going to give you all of the most up-to-date relevant and important information about Canyoneering in Kawasan Falls, Cebu. If you’re looking for a unique and intrepid adventure immersed in the breathtaking wild landscape of Cebu – then you’re going to love Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls. Get ready to leap, trek, slide and swim through the Kawasan valley with an experienced local guide and take in the natural beauty of this stunning valley. 

If you are hoping to try canyoneering at Kawasan Falls, it is important to be aware that a lot of things have changed in recent years. There is a lot of old and out-of-date information online. In this article, we’re going to share the latest information, including prices, how to arrange your trip, and what to expect if you go pioneering at Kawasan Falls. We will also discuss some of the changes in rules and requirements.

We have written this article based on my own personal first-hand experience, and we hope that it helps you plan your own Kawasan Falls Adventure. Canyoneering may be fun – but it is also challenging and requires some preparation and planning. So please do read this article carefully. 

In this article, we will also give you plenty of practical information to help you prepare for your trip and keep yourself and your belongings safe. We will share the best ways to book, how to pack and what to bring. We will also share some important safety tips and help you get to grips with the challenges and the route. 

TAKE A TRIP FROM CEBU – How to Arrange a Canyoneering Trip From Cebu City

STAY IN MOALBOAL OR KAWASAN – How to stay near Kawasan Fall in Cebu

NOT INTERESTED IN CANYONEERING? – Check out our full Kawasan Falls visitor’s guide

What is canoneering?

Canoneering (sometimes referred to as “canyoning”) is an intrepid and adventurous activity in which you journey through a deep canyon, normally with a river at the base. Canyoneering generally involves swimming, trekking, and it may also involve climbing, rope swings, natural water slides, and cliff jumping. Canyoneering is an inherently risky activity; therefore, we strongly encourage you to read this article carefully. It is not possible to go canyoneering at Kawasan Falls without a local guide (and even if it were possible, we would not recommend this).

How fit do you need to be to go canyoning at Kawasan Falls?

The short answer is you do not need to be particularly fit or strong to go canyoning at Kawasan Falls. A wide range of people go canyoning at Kawasan Falls and find the experience enjoyable and fulfilling. We saw a wide range of ages and levels of physical fitness and competence so you do not need to be particularly fit to go canyoning at Kawasan Falls. It is possible to complete the entire canyoning route without doing cliff jumps, water slides, or rope swings.

There are always alternative routes where you can walk. However, there are a few sections where you will need to swim down the river. You do not even need to be a strong swimmer to do this activity because you will be wearing a life jacket throughout. You will also always have a local guide to assist you if you do have any medical problems. We recommend that you speak to your doctor before attempting to go at canyoning at Kawasan Falls. Never attempt any jumps unless you are strong, confident, and capable, and always listen to the instructions and advice of your tour guide.

How do you arrange a canyoneering trip at Kawasan Falls?

FIND OUT MORE – The best ways to get around in Cebu

1 Book through a local tour company in Moalboal

The best and cheapest way to arrange a canyoning trip to Kawasan Falls is to go to Moalboal and book a tour with a local travel agent or tour operator in town. There are plenty of small offices in the Panagsama Beach Area where you can book your trip. In general, the price is pretty standardized, and you will not be able to get a lower price by shopping around or bartering. We recommend booking your trip at least one or two days in advance.

Here is a lovely tour operator in the center of Moalboal. They can help you book your Canyoneering trip: 

Kuya dandy travel and tour, Whatsapp +63 930 089 6033, Email: israelbada@gmail.com

If you book your canyoning from a local operator in Moalboal, it is likely to cost around 1,900 pesos (£26 or $30), and this includes two-way transportation, safety equipment, entrance fees, food, and a guide. You can also opt to pay an additional 600 pesos to do the zipline (around £8 or $10). The zipline is called Zip Stream Areal Adventures. It is possible to do the zipline even if you are not canyoneering at Kawasan, and you do not need to do the zipline to do canyoneering.

In general, you will need to pay your tour operator when you book your trip. Once you have paid, you should be given a receipt and a pickup time, which is normally before 9 am (it is important to be punctual although some things are slow in the Philippines, these trips are relatively organized and punctual with pickup).

Find out more – How to Travel From Cebu City to Moalboal

2 Travel to Kawasan and find a guide in the area

It is also possible to go directly to Kawasan Falls and pay a guide; however, this is likely to be more expensive. If you try to get a guide when you get there, it is likely to cost around 2,100 pesos (and this price does not include transportation). This is around £30 or $35. It is cheaper to book your trip in Moalboal.

What is the best time to go canyoning at Kawasan Falls?

Canyoning at Kawasan Falls is a very popular activity, and it was surprisingly busy and crowded when we visited. Although this is a fun and intrepid activity, it does have a crowded and touristy feel. If you go to book a tour, you will generally be given a 9 am pickup; however, it is possible to request an early start. Some offer a 6 am pickup. At this time, the canyon is much quieter, and your experience will be faster and much more impressive. If possible, we recommend booking an early tour, especially if you want to experience a canyon at its best and not have to wait for a lot of people. Canyoneering is particularly busy during the weekend and the public holidays. It is a popular activity with locals in Cebu. If possible, we recommend arranging your trip during the midweek (Monday to Thursday are the quietest days).

It is possible to do Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls throughout the year; however, during the monsoon season, it could be canceled during very stormy weather. Monsoon season in Cebu generally runs from May until October, with the most rainfall between June and August. The best time of year to go canyoneering in Cebu is March and April. During these months, the weather is warm, dry, and sunny, with below-average rainfall.

How long does the canyoning trip take?

Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls is a full-day activity. If you get a 9 am pickup, don’t expect to return to town until mid or late afternoon (3 pm – 5 pm). 

The amount of time depends on your guide and also the number of people in the canyon. When you reach certain bottlenecks or jumps, you will need to wait; this generally slows the whole process down. If possible, we recommend taking an early trip as it is much faster.

TOP TIP: Don’t bring any valuable jewelry or any loose jewelry (long necklaces or earrings). 

Canyoning at Kawasan Falls step-by-step guide:

1 Prepare well before you start

We recommend that you make sure you have a good breakfast before the canyoning trip. Although you can get snacks and drinks along the way, the main meal is at the end of the trip and this can be quite late in the day. Therefore, we recommend starting off with a good breakfast and bringing a few snacks with you. We also recommend that you drink plenty of water before you start canyoning. Although it is possible to buy water bottles along the way, it is good to start hydrated.

2 Arrive at your pickup location early

It is important to get to your pickup location at least 15 or 20 minutes before your agreed pick-up time. Although things tend to be slow in the Philippines, the pickup for canyoneering is actually quite punctual. Therefore, we recommend arriving early. You should be picked up on a small bus and taken to an office close to Kawasan Falls.

3 Arrive at the office

When you arrive at the tour office, you should be given safety equipment including water shoes and a life jacket. It is likely that these will be fairly worn out, so we recommend checking your equipment carefully. Make sure that you get a good pair of shoes because there is a lot of walking along the canyoning route. We also recommend that you check the life jacket, particularly that all of the buckles and straps are working and not damaged. Also, make sure you get a life jacket and helmet that fits well.

5 Follow your guide along the canyoning route

Follow your guide along the canyoning route. The canyoning route follows the river along the bottom of the Kawasan Valley. There are plenty of different jumps along the way. Some of the highlights include a 10m jump, a 7m jump, a float through a water cave, sections where you can float down the river and take in the view.

Along the way, there are places where you can buy snacks and drinks. It is useful to have a little bit of cash with you; alternatively, your guide can buy the snacks and drinks on your behalf and you can pay for them later. It costs around 40 pesos for a small bottle of water and 30 pesos for a banana. Food is generally included in the canyoning trip but this is normally given at the end of the trip. 

TOP TIP: Near the end of the route there is a waterfall that you can walk behind (speak to your guide about this). If you are brave it is even possible to jump through the cascade into the deep plunge pool! 

6 Try the rope swing

At the end of the canyoning route, there is a final rope swing over the river which costs 10 pesos. This is not part of the official route but it is fun. The route finishes with a scenic walk (around 1 km) down to the bottom car park at the bottom of Kawasan Valley.

Do you have to do all of the cliff jumps at Kawasan Falls?

If you’re planning to go camping at Kawasan Falls, you may be wondering whether you have to do all of the cliff jumps. The quick answer is no. In fact, you can do the entire canyoning route without doing any cliff jumps at all. There are always alternative walking routes where you can walk around the cliff jumps. There are a couple of points where the route goes down small waterfalls (around 1m) and even at these points, there should be guides nearby to help you.

What is the tallest cliff jump at Kawasan Falls?

The tallest cliff jump at Kawasan Falls is now the 10m cliff jump (which is towards the beginning of the canyoning route). A 10m jump is an impressively high jump and it is likely to give most people a good adrenaline rush. It is also enough to give you a painful impact with the water if the jump goes wrong. In the past, there was a 15m jump; however, this jump is no longer safe and it is no longer an option on the canyoning route at Kawasan Falls (unfortunately, the water levels changed during the 2021 monsoon and the 15m jump is no longer safe).

Safety tips for canyoneering at Kawasan Falls:

Here are a few important safety tips if you are canyoning at Kawasan Falls:

It is not possible to go canyoning at Kawasan Falls without a local guide. The guide should have a lot of knowledge and experience of the route and they will show you the safe places to jump. When you get to a jump, you will normally need to wait in a queue. Be careful because there are some steep drops without any safety railings or handrails. Never jump until your guide tells you that it is safe and always look carefully at your landing site. Remember that this is a popular activity and there are often many people in the water.

In some cases, the guides will give you specific instructions about jumping; they will normally indicate a safe landing spot. It is important to listen to your guide carefully and ask any questions if you are uncertain. Don’t get distracted by photography and filming; remember safety is more important than amazing shots and footage. We do not recommend attempting any jumps beyond your level of skill and competence. If you have any underlying medical problems, it is important to speak to your doctor before you attempt an activity like canyoning (especially if you’re planning to do the jumps).

What are the facilities like at Kawasan?

Along the route, there are several places where you can buy drinks, snacks, and barbecue food. We recommend that you bring a small amount of cash in a dry case; alternatively, you can ask your guide to buy food on your behalf and then settle up with them later (this is very normal and expected so don’t worry about bringing money if you don’t have a dry case). There are also several toilet stops along the route. Filipino wages are very low so please consider rounding up when you pay for drinks and snacks and tipping your guide at the end of the trip.

Do you stay with the same guide throughout the trip?

In most cases, you will be put into a group of 10 to 12 people and allocated a single guide throughout the whole trip. In some cases, if a group has a very wide range of abilities, they may split you into two groups so that you can go at a pace that you are comfortable with. The guides at Kawasan Falls generally have excellent English and they are very confident and used to working with visitors from around the world.

Can you bring a camera if you go canyoning?

Many people bring their mobile phone in a small waterproof phone case. Sadly, the quality of these phone cases is not sufficient (especially if you buy a cheap phone case locally). Many people lose or damage their phones when they are carrying them at Kawasan Falls. Therefore, we do not recommend bringing your phone with you. 

If you do wish to film the experience, we recommend using a compact action camera and (use a waterproof case if your camera is not already waterproof). Your life jacket should have a pocket which is big enough to fit a small action camera or a phone in a waterproof case (if you really do want to bring your phone). Your guides may also be willing to help you film jumps and interesting parts of the experience, so speak to your guide. 

If you have brought a camera with you, your guide may have a dry sack and they may be willing to carry stuff for you; however, we do not recommend relying on this. Furthermore, your guide will also need to go in the water with you, so if there are any problems with their dry sack, your belongings could end up getting wet and damaged. Our best advice is to go as light as possible and just enjoy the experience.