Rappelling in Maolbal, Cebu
Visiting the Cebu island would not be complete without experiencing and seeing its nature’s wonder. The Southern part of Cebu boasts of its pristine clear waters, white sandy beaches, captivating falls and lush greenery.
A two hour travel from Osmena, Cebu led us in Moalboal just before the sunrise to avoid the traffic in the city and to meet our tour guides at Tipo beach, Moalboal. We were one hour early for our meetup time at 9:00 a.m. and while waiting we had our heavy breakfast at one of the open restaurants that serve breakfast from lodges and cottages in the area. The beach is just walking distance from the cottages and we didn’t pass the chance to take a glimpse at the beach.
Meeting place
Tipo beach
The tour guides came with their 4’ x 4’ big jeep which should be our ride to our destination, but decided to use the van we hired and just convoyed with them. We stopped over a market where the tour guides bought food for our lunch.
We stopped when we were inside the foot of the forest where there were few residential cottages could be seen. We left the vehicles near a clear stream of fresh water, while one of the assistant tour guide remained there to prepare and cook our food.
4 x 4 jeep
Nearing the foot of the mountain
The adventure started with two hours trekking wherein strength and endurance is challenged in this kind of activity. It was tiring but the beautiful scenery of the mountain could perish the uncomfortable feeling inside, which forces you to move further and discover the hidden beauty that lies ahead.
The most thrilling part of the adventure was rappelling at the three falls. The first falls encounter was seemed like a drill for beginners, the tourist guides gave lectures first on the proper way to rappel down the falls. The first guide was always the one who took the lead and the other one was the last one when all the tourists have gotten down the rope. The gadgets such as head gears, harness, and shoes will be provided by them.
The second falls is shorter than the first falls, the opening was narrow, with big boulders on each side and has an uneven surface to land your feet onto.
The third falls was by far the most challenging of the three falls in terms of height, amount of water flowing down the rocky surface and strength you will put into a holding and gripping the rope because the lower part will keep you suspended in the air. By this time you should have learned the technique in releasing the grip of the harness to lower yourself down onto the ground.
It was exhausting and yet fulfilling. Once you started it you should instill in your mind that there was no turning back, but once you overcome it, the feeling of relief, satisfaction and power would conquer you as you are ready to take another level of challenge.