Oslob Historical Sites

Aside from Oslob: Whale Shark Watching and Sumilon Island and Oslob Tumalog Falls and Samboan Aguinid Falls, here are the other places that you can explore in Oslob especially for those who love historical sites.

 

Baluarte

baluarte

It was one of the seven watchtowers built along the coastline of Oslob and was part of the defense system to protect the town. The Baluarte or Lantawan or Watchtower was built in 1788. One of the ruins is near the cuartel.

Cuartel

cuartel

At the intersection of Calle Aeternidad and Calle Aragones is an unfinished building made of coral blocks is known as Cuartel. It was a barracks for Spanish soldiers built in 1860 and remained unfinished until the end of the Spanish era.

Immaculate Conception Church

Immaculate Concepcion

It was built in 1848 with the Immaculate Conception as the patroness. The current church was made of cut coral stone and the adjacent tower was added 10 years. It is also connected to a parish house.

Mortuary Chapel

old mortuary chapel

Across the church is the old mortuary chapel.

Statue of Fr. Julian Bermejo

He was responsible in the effective coastal defense by building baluartes made of coral stone and limestone. There are forty baluartes that was made from the shoreline of Carcar to Santander, in which twelve was built in Oslob. Fr. Bermejo was also known as “El Parroco Capitan.”

You can also enjoy the view of the shoreline from here and the road. For other posts about Cebu, please check  Other Places in Cebu City Tour Historical Tour in Cebu City Churches in Cebu City Malapascua Island Diving Sites Malapascua Island Camotes Islands Bantayan Island in 2009 Revisiting Bantayan Island Why Cebu?

Oslob Tumalog Falls and Samboan Aguinid Falls

Cebu is blessed with stunning waterfalls from North to South.

Tumalog Falls

Tumalog Falls is located at barangay Luka, in Oslob, Cebu. It is also known as “Toslob” or Mag-ambak” falls by the locals.


From Aaron Beach resort it was a twenty minutes motorbike or habal-habal ride heading to the Bacalso National Highway before turning left to Tumalog Falls Road before we reached the registration area. We can either walk going to the falls or hire another motorbike going down. We opted to hire another habal-habal as they told us the road was steep going down. Going down the slope you can also see the top of the Tumalog Falls from the road. As we reached the rocky road, we were near the falls. We could see the small river where the water flows from the falls.


And we reached Tumalog Falls. It was still early and we were the only persons in the falls. Tumalog falls is taller and grander and there are lots of trickling water from different sides. The water that is flowing is also cold. There is a pool that everybody can swim in.

Aguinid Falls

Aguinid is located at Samboan, Cebu, two towns from Oslob.


From Aaron Beach Resort, it’s 25 to 30 minutes ride along the Natalio Bacalso National Highway and becoming Santander – Barile – Toledo Road. The resort offers a motorbike ride that you can hire.
There are 8 levels of Aguinid falls that is according to the locals. But only 5 of them are open to the public. The eight levels are a system of waterfalls that runs for a couple of kilometers along Tangbo River.


The best thing about Aguinid Falls is you need to trek through the cascading waters for you to reach the different level. There are two guides that will help you.
You will definitely get wet during the trek because of the flowing water from the top. Some of the treks get harder because of the raging waters. Make sure that you also have a dry bag or waterproof case for your phone.


Reaching level 5 is really worth it. You will see the majestic waterfalls where you can also swim or hide on the rocks and be mystified with the water falling.

Oslob: Whale Shark Watching and Sumilon Island

Famous for the whale shark watching, Oslob has been a fast-growing tourist destination for years now. It is located at the south of Cebu and near Negros Oriental.

Tan-awan

There are many resorts on the beach side of Tan-awan. The beach resort where we stayed was Aaron Beach Resort in Baranggay Tan-awan. It has a fascinating view of the sunrise, Sumilon Island and a beachfront. The resort also offered the whale shark watching the tour.

Butanding or Whale Shark Watching

Tourists from all over the country and all over the world flocked thru this site to witness every morning the whale sharks. Before we get to see the whale sharks, there were briefing areas where the tour guides explained the necessary precautions and guidelines for tourist. The local government also protects the butandings welfare.
The tour guides and boatman have their ID’s so we felt secure about the tour.


After which, we rode a boat and lined up with other boats at the viewing area. And alas, we were seeing the gentle giants near us.
We were near the boat that was giving them food. There were so many whale sharks who came, there were 6 of them circling around the boats and swimming people.


If you want to swim with the whale sharks, do not put any lotion and do not to touch them.

Sumilon Island

After which, we went to Sumilon Island. Sumilon Island is privately owned by Bluewaters Sumilon Island. They offered an overnight stay and a day tour with lunch. The resort owner allowed non-guest to experience the sand bar which is the highlight of the island. We opted to just stay at the sand bar for a minimal fee.


We enjoyed the sand, sea and sun. During high tide, the sand bar is covered with water, so it’s best to see Sumilon Island during low tide.


There were no shades and no facilities in the sand bar. Tourist bought with food and water because there were no shops. As a reminder, we should always take our trash with us.

How to get there

It is a three to four-hour drive from Cebu City from the South Terminal. Or a 30-minute boat ride from Dumaguete City to Liloan, then a tricycle ride from Liloan to Oslob.

Why Cebu?

This is my favorite province. If you read my blog, I’d been featuring different locations here, and still, there’s a lot to explore.

Why Cebu?

Sugar Beach, Bantayan Island

I’d been to the different cities and towns in Cebu like Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay, Bantayan Island, Danao, Camotes Island, Malapascua Island, San Remigio, Daanbantayan, Carmen, Oslob and Samboan and the most recent is Moalboal.

Dako Island, Moalboal

Where to go in Cebu

For starters, tour the city first, from the famous Sinulog Festival every January, a visit to the oldest church of Basilica Minore del Sto Nino, Magellan’s Cross, Fort San Pedro and Taoist Temple.

Malapascua Island

The different islands and towns promote numerous activities. But it depends on what you want, like diving, island tours, trekking and canyoneering falls, mountain climbing, watching whale sharks, viewing the heritage sites.

San Remigio

Name it Cebu has it. It just depends on what you want to see and what to do. It is the best place for Lechon, seafood, the famous Larsian food stall and the Lantaw restaurant with a view of the city.

Camotes Island

My favorite destination is Bantayan Island, my first love, but overall Cebu is worth your time, money and memories.

For the next posts, I will concentrate on the Visayas area, most especially about Cebu. It is my favorite province, a province with all my favorite destinations. Cebu will never get old to travel, I’d been here for the nth time, either for work or vacation.

You can also check my post about Bantayan Island

For Cebu tours click here.