Wakaw Falls in Barangay Toong Cebu

Hidden from the chaos and nice of Metro Cebu is another falls that's in Cebu City which is called Wakaw (or sometimes Kawa) Falls in Barangay Toong! Kawa is one of the most odd looking and shaped falls that I’ve seen so far. The name was derived from the bowl-shaped basin formed out of a sinkhole. Kawa is like a large wok of sorts. The water is semi-full and cold (I could imagine it will be overflowing during the rainy season).

The place can be accessible via trekking from Banawa-Buhisan route or just take an around 20 minute or so habal-habal (motorcycle taxi) ride from Labangon. It is in a sitio (I think) called Linao and is heading down from Toong Barangay Hall. The first person we encountered (with his child and a carabao) told us it would take just 10 minutes to walk (depending on how fast we walked he said) but after 30 minutes and 5 more locals we still haven't reached Wakaw Falls.

Right below the barangay hall is a forest patch with big rocks to have some of your first photo ops

The river is full of obstacles: Plants, Boulders, and Animals

After following some directions and the river, we reached a sign that we could be near the Wakaw Falls. It was big pond-pool (called Linaw) that was quite deep (We did not take a dip but used a bamboo to check instead).

Wakaw Falls is known by locals but for City dwellers it is almost unheard of. There is no tourism development, perhaps since during summer or El Niño, the waterfalls is drained (Hubas). Even if there is no development, unfortunately, vandalism covers or even carved in paint or scratch-imprinted in the natural rocks.

That's the Wakaw's sink hole mouth and it is huge. Certain parts of the bowl is I think around 6 feet deep at least!

Take it all in, the beauty, the wind, the heat, and cool off your feet in the pools of the Wakaw Falls! #Moment

It is a sad thought that these unprotected falls will be damaged or worse destroyed! But that's a different topic and debate all together. Not all commercialization or government intervention can be good. Case in point: Kawasan Falls and Tumalog Falls. There is a balance that needs to be done between maintenance of these falls against overcrowding.

Sa bukid walang papel oyy!! hahahaha

It isn't all nature in the area, we are after all still in Cebu City! You will pass by some sari-sari store (they sell some chips and snacks but no cold drinks -- you are in the mountains after all); you will pass by small/micro farms of fruits, vegetables and orchids as well.

Detailed Directions: NO, explore it yourself! Like what happened to Tumalog and other mainstream falls, people have become irresponsible, and seem to take no accountability when visiting these beautiful places. So I'll leave you some tips when traveling to these places: Respect the Locals, Leave No Trace, and always BE SAFE!