Thanks for taking the time to read my blog! In this post, I will tell you what to expect when you go canyoneering in Alegria. It is located in Cebu in The Philippines. I combined this half day excursion with another tour in Oslob. You can read more about here if you are interested in finding out more about swimming with whale sharks.
Booking Tickets
I booked my trip for 1500PHP through a guy George as I was walking along Panagsama Beach. There are loads of people selling these tours. If you don’t feel comfortable booking from someone outside, just go to a dive shop or ask at your accommodation. You can through George you can contact him by scanning the QR code below.
The Experience
I arrived in Alegria to start canyoneering just before 11am. I was quickly put into a group with others and told to wait for a few minutes. After that, there was a briefing where you will have to listen to instructions for about five minutes.
Our group was then led up a hill where we were greeted by a group of locals on motorbikes. Everyone hopped on in twos. There will be another person on the back or front with you. Then, we were brought up to the very top of the hill. Once we got off the bikes, the guides us led down down a path where the canyoneering really began.
The first main point you will be brought to is at an edge with about five metres in height with you can jump from. There is another on the other side which is about three metres. I was very eager to get in but I completely forgot about the feeling of my legs going from underneath me.
It almost felt like paralysis! It doesn’t sound like a lot but when you’re not used to it after a while, it feels a lot higher. I had jumped from a few heights before (in particular some places at Cinque Terre in Italy) but I definitely felt my age and ability here.
I got my first fright just after my first landing into the water where I banged my backside off of the surface. The same thing happened to almost everyone! Our guide recommended us to make sure we kept our knees bent as we continued along.
Overall the experience was very nice overall but make sure to be prepared to get a few small bumps and scratches. If you don’t feel comfortable jumping into the water, make sure to mention it to a guide. They will do their best to lead you to a less intimidating route.
There are plenty of parts where you will get to walk and to swim with photo opportunities. While it was busy, the scenery was beautiful as well. There were plenty of moments where you felt like you had the place to yourself.
One tip I would suggest is that even if a guide takes photos, try and get some with your own device. Our group found out at the very end of the excursion that a French girl’s phone had been used to take photographs of everybody on the trip. She said that she would e-mail them all to us. There has been no word one month on so it’s likely I’ll never see them!
For the most part, the jumping in is fun. I got a few frights at one or two bits. There is one jump where they suggest to run and then jump but the ground was wet. After the first jump, I didn’t take the risk. I still jumped in from the edge and it was no big deal.
On another occasion there was a jump about ten metres high which I had fully intended on doing but a girl below came into the water and was looking around aimlessly. The adrenaline was replaced with a quick moment of panic and I backed out. I regret nothing.
If you can, apply sunscreen at several points during the day. While I was there, it was cloudy but the sun would pop in and out. It’s better to be safe than sorry. When we made it to the end, we had lunch. It consisted of rice, chicken, noodles and water. It was pretty good, too! We left site at 3pm and I made it back to my hostel within an hour.
Final Thoughts
Originally, I had intended to go canyoneering at Kawasan Falls as this is the well-known one but I was very happy with Alegria. I would recommend it to a friend as this is something which the area is known for.
It’s also a great way to spend a half day and it isn’t too strenuous. That said, I don’t know if I would be too keen on this if I was a bit older and worried about having a fall. The bumps and scratches didn’t bother me but I think it would be a different story in time to come.
Thanks for reading!
