Moalboal and the Sardine Run.

Moalboal town:

Moalboal town is a few hours away from Cebu City, it is packed with many sights, activities, and the very lively underwater world. This town is a beach heaven and an underwater paradise so most of the things to do in Moalboal involve some sand, sun, and a lot of water action. From diving to snorkeling to chasing waterfalls, Moalboal packs a lot of adventure despite its size.

Moalboal mainly consists of 3 parts. You have the city center where the bus station is. In addition, you have the area around White Beach in the North-West. And finally the tourist center around Panagsama beach. We stayed there because this is a wonderfully lively area with restaurants and bars. In addition, this is where the famous sardiness are currently housed, and the many sea turtles.

Underwater heaven:

Moalboal has become very famous for being home to the famous Moalboal sardine run. These are large groups of sardines up to a million per group, which together form a large round sphere, as birds in the air sometimes do. You can visit the sardine run by doing a snorkeling tour, diving, or snorkeling by yourself. If you do not have your own snorkel set, these can be rented throughout the village for about 100 PHP. (around 1,75 euro)

Snorkeling:

It is good to know that the visibility is very important to properly observe the sardine run. Unfortunately, the visibility was quite poor during our stay, so we couldn't see the sardines well. We were able to serve the group of sardines while snorkeling, but given the poor visability it was mainly a lot of shimmers. Nothing comes close to the many beautiful pictures on the internet.

So you will see them, but prepare yourself well that good visibility is necessary for the great experience. On the other hand, the experience will not be less beautiful, because the corals are healthy, and the many sea turtles are beautiful. And all this can be viewed with a simple snorkel set from the beach.

Diving:

Whether you see the sardines well or not, diving in this area is beautiful. The best place for diving is around the island of Pescador. Here you have beautiful coral walls and a rich marine life at your disposal. Later we also went diving for Panagsama beach, but unfortunately the sardines were only present in small groups. Still, I think diving is the best way to observe the sardine run. This is mainly because the light comes from above and the sardines are therefore exposed to the sun and stand out nicely in the background.

The waterfalls in Moalboal

All around Moalboal are a lot of beautiful waterfalls. The most famous one is the Kawasan waterfalls. We skipped this one as it was still closed due to Covid19 and was only accessible for canyoneering.

We rented a scooter from Moalboal and drove to the Inambakan waterfall. It was very quiet here but very beautiful. On arrival you have to pay for the entrance and a guide. The guide is needed for safety reasons because the waterfall consists of 5 levels one above the other. You pay about 250 PHP (€4) for the guide. The guides are very friendly and show you places where you can jump into the waterfall. It is beautiful and nice to swim in the beautifully colored waters.