Moalboal is located on Cebu Island, a few hours drive from Cebu City, the capital of Cebu Island. Moalboal is famous for its beautiful coral reef with thousands of different fish and sea creatures. Moalboal is also home to the famous sardine run. So the main activities here are snorkelling, scuba diving and free diving and on land activities like canyoneering.

Stay here for at least 5 days to have enough time to do all the activities at a relaxed pace.

What to do in Moal Boal

1. Scuba Diving

There are mare schools to learn scuba diving in Moalboal. Here you can choose PADI certified school https://www.padi.com/diving-in/philippines/moalboal/ Scuba diving beginner course will take 4 days. And after the course you should rest 1 day before flying to your next spot.

2. Free diving

If you are not into scuba diving but would like to dive a bit deeper to see the coral reef, I would recommend taking a free diving course. Scuba skills will come in very handy throughout your trip in the Philippines as there are many coral reefs and ship wrecks around.

Start your stay here with a free diving or scuba diving course. If you choose to do scuba diving, you can do an AIDA certified introductory course (1 full day), beginner level (2.5 – 3 days) or combined introductory and beginner level (3-3.5 days).  

I would recommend the combined introductory and beginner level as this will give you enough time to learn all the techniques and practice.

You can make the free diving course here at https://www.freediving-planet.com/ 

3. Snorkelling

If swimming underwater is not your thing, you can always go snorkelling. It is very easy, you just have to put on your mask and fins at your hotel or at the beach and go into the sea. A few metres from the beach the coral reef begins and you can start exploring.

4. Sardine run

Sardine Run is also very easy to find. Approximately 10m from the beach, as soon as the coral reef ends, you will see the famous sardine run. The sardines are a bit deeper, about 5-6 metres, so if you want to see them closer you will have to free dive. This is where your free diving skills will come in handy. 

5. Day trip: Whale sharks in Oslob

Should I stay in Oslob?

It is not necessary to stay in Oslob if you are staying in Moalboal. There are half day tours from Moalboal. The tour will pick you up very early in the morning so that you are in Oslob for the opening of the whale shark swim.

In Oslob there are not many activities other than whale shark swimming. The place is not touristically developed, there are not many restaurants or hotels.  So I would not recommend staying there if you just want to see the whale sharks.

How to get to Oslob

You can take a tour to see whale sharks in Oslob. The tour can be easily booked at your hotel or at the tour spots near the beach of Moalboal. The whale sharks are there all year round, from morning to midday. The whale sharks are fed at this time, so it is not ethical as they do not find food on their own. So it is up to you to decide if you want to participate in this activity. 

What to expect during the trip to Oslob

The tour starts very early in the morning. You will be picked up at 5 or 6 a.m. and driven for about 2.5 – 3 hours to Oslob. Once you arrive, you will be given your number in the queue. Expect a long wait. In the meantime you will listen to the rules of what to do and what not to do when swimming with whale sharks. (You cannot touch them as they are very sensitive and you cannot use sunscreen).

If the wait is long, your tour may have an option to go to the nearby waterfall.

When it is time to swim with the whale sharks, you will be taken on a small boat for a short trip of about 50-100m. You will be advised to stay within the area of your boat and the whale sharks will swim from boat to boat as they follow the boat with the food. 

This was an incredible experience to see the whale sharks in real life. They are majestic, huge creatures. Very peaceful.  However, the amount of people who have come to see them is huge. So it is quite a challenge to swim with them without getting hit by a fin. But it is still an incredible experience.   

6. Canyoneering in Kawasan falls

After exploring the underwater life of Moalboal, you can take part in another popular activity next to Moalboal, which is canyoneering at Kawasan Falls. This is a fun and adventurous activity. Here you will be hiking, climbing the rocks, jumping into the water while exploring the waterfalls.

The canyoneering can be booked as a tour at your hotel or other tour spots. The tour takes about 5-6 hours. All the necessary equipment like helmet, life jacket, water shoes will be provided by the tour.

7. Moalboal´s white beach

If you still have time and want to relax on the picturesque white beach, you can take a tricycle and in 20 minutes you will be at Moalboal’s white beach.

Getting around Moalboal

Most of your time in Moalboal will be spent on foot. Everything is within walking distance. If you do not feel like walking there are many tricycles that will take you to your destination.

Tricycles will also drive you to the Moalboal bus station or supermarkets, f.ex. Seven-Eleven.

Where to eat in Moalboal

There are many restaurants on the main street of Moalboal leading to the beach.

These are some restaurants where we have been and definitely recommend trying:

The post 7 Best activities to do in Moalboal appeared first on Where are you Andres?.

The Philippines has a lot to offer, from white sand beaches and rich marine life to mysterious landscapes and beautiful mountains. With so many destinations to choose from it can be overwhelming and difficult to create a route that suits you perfectly, especially if you only have 2 weeks to travel. Here I will describe the route we took and give some recommendations on how to make it even better, based on our experience.  

This route is for you if you want to see the main highlights of the Philippines without too many transfers.

Moalboal 

Make your first stop in Moalboal to discover the underwater world of the Philippines. Here you will see the unique coral reef sardine run, whale sharks.

Duration: 5 Days

How to get to Moalboal

Maolboal is a small coastal village on the island of Cebu. Cebu Island has an international airport in the city of Cebu. To get to Moalboal from Cebu airport you have two options: take a private transfer or take a public bus. The public bus option is a bit longer and more complicated but much cheaper then the private transfer.

Private transfer

If you want to take a private transfer, you should arrange it with your hotel in advance or at the airport you will find many drivers who can take you there. Make sure you check the current prices beforehand so you don’t overpay.  It should take about 3 hours, depending on traffic.

Bus

To catch a public bus to Moalboal, take a taxi to the South Bus Terminal. It takes about. You can also use the Grab app. 

From the south bus station, take a bus to Moalboal. Look for the bus that goes via Barili to Moalboal, Badian or Bato.  Tickets can be bought at the bus station.

From the Moalboal bus stop you will need to take a tricycle to get to your hotel.

Where to stay in Moalboal

You can stay anywhere near Panagsama Beach. There are many hotels to suit all budgets and many restaurants.

We stayed at the Maayong Hostel in the private bungalow. The hostel is about 10 minutes walk from the beach.

Book the Maayong Hostel

What to do in Moalboal

The main reason people come here is because of the Moalboal coral reef. The Moalboal coral reef is home to thousands of different fish and marine life. So the main activities here are snorkelling, scuba diving, free diving and on land activities like canyoneering.

• Scuba Diving/ Free diving – 3-4 Days
• Snorkelling/ Sardine run – half Day
• Tour: Whale sharks in Oslob – half Day. Start early Morning
• Tour: Canyoneering in Kawasan falls – half Day. Start any time
• Moalboal´s white beach – half Day
• You can combine half day activities as you wish

El Nido

Duration: 3-4 Days

El Nido is a small town in the north of Palawan Island. El Nido is the place to discover the unique nature of the Philippines: turquoise lagoons surrounded by limestone cliffs. This type of rock formation is unique to the Philippines and definitely a must see!

How to get to El Nido 

If you are travelling from Moalboal, Cebu airport to El Nido, you have 2 options:

Option 1

This option is cheaper but takes longer. You will fly to Puerto Princesa and then take a bus transfer to El Nido. The bus transfer is quite tiring as the road is bumpy.

Option 2

This option is more convenient and faster. A few times a week there is a direct flight from Cebu to El Nido. This option is more expensive. To get from the airport to the hotel in El Nido, you will need to take a tricycle (tricycle are waiting directly at the El Nido airport) which will take about 20 minutes to get to your hotel.

Where to stay in El Nido

I recommend to stay not far from El Nido. This way you will be close to walk everywhere in El Nido.

• Frendz Hostel El Nido
• South Anchorage Inn

What to do in El Nido

El Nido is famous for its island hopping tours to see the incredible nature and unique Avatar like landscapes. There are 4 tours available, Tour A, B, C, D. The most popular are Tour A and C. Each tour takes a full day. If you take Tour A and C you will see the most picturesque places of El Nido.

Other activities on land:

El Nido Via Ferrata Canopy Walk  – half day

Las Cabañas Beach – Perfect spot for a sunset – half day

Coron

Duration: 4-5 Days

Continue your exploration of Palawan Island in Coron. Coron offers more unique landscapes, lagoons, lakes, white sand beaches and underwater shipwrecks.

How to get to Coron

If you are travelling from El Nido, you have several options to get to Coron.

Option 1: By plane.

This is the fastest option.  Flights are operated by airSWIFT. You will need to book your ticket in advance as they only fly a few times a week. When you arrive at Coron airport, transfers will be waiting to take you to your hotel. They group people by the nearest hotels and take you there.

 Option 2: By speed boat.

The route between these two towns is very beautiful. It gives you the opportunity to see the different islands and the sea scenery all the way to Coron. However, this route will take some time.

Where to stay in Coron

We recommend that you stay in the town of Coron, this will make it easier to join the tours as you will be transferred to the starting point of the tour.

• Outpost Hostel – Coron

Or, if you prefer a quieter place, you can stay at this hotel, which has stunning views. Bear in mind, that it will take some time to get to the Coron itself from there:

• AL FARO Cosmio Hotel Palawan

What to do in Coron

As in El Nido, the main activity in Coron is island hopping tours. The tours are Ultimate Tour, Super Ultimate Tour, Tour A, B, Island Escapade Tour (white sand beaches).

Ultimate Tour and Super Ultimate Tour combine the main spots of Tour A and B and are therefore quite intense. Take Tour A and B if you want to see everything at a slower pace. Each tour takes a full day.

Other activities on land:

• Maquinit Hot Spring – half day
• Hiking Coron Hill (Mt. Tapyas) – Half day

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