How to Visit Cambanog Falls in Cebu

Cambanog Falls is a mostly unknown waterfall in the highlands of Ronda, Cebu that can easily be visited in conjunction with nearby Lusno Falls.

Cebu is known for a dozen or so incredible waterfalls that have become popular tourist spots, complete with lots of signage, concrete steps, and mandatory life jackets and helmets, there’s also an indefinable number of hidden and off-the-beaten-track waterfalls waiting to be discovered. Cambanog Falls north of Moalboal is one of these ones.

Existing directions to Cambanog Falls were limited, so it took some bumbling around and going the wrong way a few times to figure out this route to the falls, which starts from very near the trailhead for Lusno Falls, making the two waterfalls an ideal double-header.

Continue reading this blog post for all the necessary information to visit Cambanog Falls for yourself. I’ve shared where to find it, how to get there, the entrance fee, and more.

What You’ll Find In This Post:

About Cambanog Falls
Cambanog Falls Entrance + Guide Fees
How to Get to Cambanog Falls
Tips for Visiting Cambanog Falls
When to Visit Cambanog Falls
Where to Stay
My Experience at Cambanog Falls
Other Places to Visit Nearby

About Cambanog Falls

Cambanog Falls is a wide blocky waterfall that features a very shallow base, meaning it’s possible to directly approach the falls and walk all around, which is pretty unique. Most of the rocks aren’t very slippery, but a couple specific areas are so be careful,

The walk to the falls (at least the route I pieced together) is very pastoral, and features some lovely views from an open high point that looks out on the surrounding highlands of Cebu. There isn’t too much shade though.

If you’re heading to Cambanog Falls from Moalboal, the drive is incredibly scenic and the views of Cebu’s highland countryside are breathtaking. Depending on at what point along the road you choose to hop off your bike and begin walking, the hike to Cambanog Falls is not very long, and took us about 30 minutes each way. There isn’t really a swimming hole directly at the base of the falls, but downstream a tiny bit there are quite a few spots you could get wet.

Cambanog Falls Entrance + Guide Fees

Cambanog Falls technically has no entrance fee, though since we’re using the same starting point as Lusno Falls, you will have to pay the 50 PHP entrance fee for that. Just another reason to hit up both waterfalls on the same trip. There is no parking fee, at least not where we parked.

Cambanog Falls is completely undeveloped and uncommercialized, and there isn’t any signage anywhere for this hidden local waterfall. As such there are no official guide operations. That said, I know there is at least one local guiding people to the falls, because he approached us after we had already visited. How to find him or contact him? No idea, but if you’re interested probably your best bet would be to ask the man taking the entrance fees.

How to Get to Cambanog Falls

Cambanog Falls is located in the highlands of Cebu, northeast of Moalboal. Unlike the more famous waterfalls south of Moalboal, which are closer to the coast, Cambanog (and Lusno) feel a little more in-the-middle-of-nowhere. For this reason they both see far fewer visitors.

If you’re staying on Cebu and planning on exploring all the waterfalls and beaches located in the south half of the island, Moalboal is the best place to base yourself. It’s easy to get there from Cebu City by bus or private transfer, and the town has plenty of restaurants, hotels, and activities.

Cambanog Falls is located an 20 km from Moalboal, and while Google Maps suggests it should take about forty minutes, it was more like an hour for us. The mountain road was windy and unfamiliar (though incredibly scenic) and I probably drove slower than the locals do.

From Moalboal, follow the Santander – Barili – Toledo Road north. After about 7.5 km you’ll reach Ronda, where the highway turns to the left. At this crossroads you’ll continue straight onto Ylala Road. From here you go straight for 15 km, following the windy road up into the highlands. It’s obvious that the waterfall isn’t a super popular destination among foreign tourists, because plenty of locals along the road will wave and greet you. Immediately after passing the Anajao Barangay Hall, you’ll see the sign for the turnoff for Lusno Falls, and likely the man collecting entrance fees. Continue straight down this road until nearly the end, or as far as you’re comfortable driving, before pulling off to the side.

Up until you turn off after the Barangay Hall, the road is concrete and easy to ride on, though there are lots of quick turns as it ascends up into the mountains. You’ll want to drive slowly anyway though, because the pastoral views from up here are fantastic. Once you turn off onto the final road for the waterfalls, you’ll quickly wind up riding on rocks and then dirt, potentially mud. Fortunately at this point you can pull off and begin your walk at any time.

Click here to open the exact location in Google Maps.

Tips for Visiting Cambanog Falls

Practice Leave No Trace principles by carrying out all your garbage and avoiding any actions that could harm the environment like leaving graffiti. That’s just trashy and gross.

As a visitor, you are responsible for helping to protect Cambanog Falls. Showing care for preserving natural attractions helps keep these sites pristine and also encourages locals to prioritize sustainable practices. Always pay entrance and guide fees—these often fund local conservation and create jobs for the local community. Go a step further by giving an additional donation, explicitly stating that it’s for conservation. Even a small amount that might not be significant to you can mean a lot to the locals. Asking how fees or donations are used for preservation shows locals that tourists value these efforts and motivates them to continue protecting the area.

Locals try to give you what they think you want in order to earn a living from tourism, and they will happily cut down trees, exterminate wildlife, pour concrete, and build trashy overpriced restaurants when they think that’s what tourists want most. You can reshape this perception—show through your words and spending that you value the natural beauty and authenticity of the area over commercialization.

Interested in doing even more? Consider funding Filipino reforestation, marine conservation, and community-based sustainability programs via the Haribon Foundation.

When to Visit Cambanog Falls

The best time to visit Cambanog Falls is during the dry season, which lasts from December to May. This period offers warm, sunny weather with fewer rainy days, making it ideal for outdoor activities and exploring the island. If you want to see the waterfall at its peak though, it’s best to visit at the start of the dry season, when it’s still benefitting from the past six months’ worth of rain.

Year-round, temperatures in the area stay consistently warm, typically around 25°C to 32°C, so you can expect a tropical climate no matter when you visit. If you plan to travel outside the dry season, be ready for moderate but steady rainfall and pack some rain gear to stay comfortable during your trip.

Cambanog Falls is so off-the-beaten-track that I would eschew my normal advice to visit in the morning in order to avoid people. Chances are no matter what time of day you visit you’re likely to have it all to yourself.

Where to Stay

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My Experience at Cambanog Falls

To be clear, this a way to Cambanog Falls, if not the way. In my research I found reference to two routes to Cambanog Falls – one starting from upstream and one from downstream. The route from downstream does seem like the more popular of the two but I chose to figure out the route from upstream so I could conveniently combine it with Lusno Falls. With no directions to go off of, only a starting point, I used satellite maps to figure out what seemed like the most direct route to the falls. Is this the route most locals take? Is it really the best route? No idea. Given the number of criss-crossing trails it’s practically a certainty that if you took the guide you’d end up going a slightly different way.

The turnoff for Lusno Falls from the road. The man collecting entrance fees was across the road and ran over when we approached. If you want to hire a local to guide you to either of the falls, your best shot might be to ask him.

Following the road nearly to its end. It got a bit muddier than I felt comfortable driving through (though the locals zoomed through no problem) so at a certain point I parked the bike off the side of the road and we began to walk.

This is pretty much the last of the road, with the house ahead being the endpoint. As you can see it doesn’t look much like a road at this point. Just before the property ahead, there is a path that turns off to the left, just before that tall palm tree at left, and heads down into the trees.

Heading down. There was a friendly pig just off of the path here.

The trail widens as it heads down to the right, making it look like the obvious and correct path. Nope, make a sharp left turn here just before these trees.

Continue along the path, keeping the wooded area on your right and the open field on your left.

Through the trees a creek flows, with a number of water buffalo cooling off in it. The path curves alongside the wooded creek for a while.

Turn right into the trees, and cross the creek. From here the trail curves up to the right as seen here.

Keep right on the main trail.

This section was incredibly beautiful, and the open views from this field would be well worth the walk all by themselves. The path is clear and straightforward for a while.

You can probably hear the waterfall at this point. The trail to the right seems to head down to the top of Cambanog Falls. Actually when the water is low it’s possible to climb down the falls from the top via a little steep path along the side, so this may be a viable way down. Otherwise, keep left here.

Much of the path was churned up by water buffalo walking through the mud. Fortunately the ground was dry as we walked, but it wasn’t the world’s easiest walking surface.

The path curves down to the left. It actually does a bit of a wide arc, eventually coming back towards the falls. This is the way we went initially and it was kind of confusing. There’s a much smaller less obvious path that branches off to the right here that heads straight to the falls, bypassing the pointless arc.

Heading down. Cambanog Falls is just barely visible through the trees here.

At the river. There are actually a couple small waterfalls downstream if you want to explore a little, otherwise follow the water upstream.

If you’re careful it’s even possible to keep your feet dry.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that everywhere along the trail millions of tiny frogs were jumping out of the way everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Finally at the falls their babies also were everywhere.

Cambanog Falls.

Other Places to Visit Nearby

Lusno Falls

If you’re visiting Cambanog Falls you should definitely also be visiting Lusno Galls upriver (given that’s the waterfall you paid the entrance fee for!) This waterfall features round and bulbous rock formations that grow every year.

Mantayupan Falls

Mantayupan Falls is one of the tallest on Cebu, and is definitely one of the easiest to access. A short two-minute walk across a scenic hanging bridge is all it takes to reach this impressive drop.

Dao Falls

Day Falls is my personal favourite waterfall to visit in Cebu. To get there requires a bit of a hike through a spectacular canyon, making Dao Falls just as much about the journey as the destination. The steps carved into the stone ensure the route is safe, while also not distracting from the natural beauty of the place like some other more overdeveloped tourist sites.

I hope you enjoyed this guide to Cambanog Falls in Cebu! Feel free to leave any questions in the comment section below or to contact me directly via social media.

Cambanog Falls