Guide · Day trip

Oslob to Kawasan Falls: whale sharks at dawn, a canyon after lunch

The road from Oslob to Kawasan Falls turns a whale shark morning into a full adventure day. Here is how the combined tours divide the hours and what the canyoneering asks of you.

Check availabilityfrom $127 · free cancellation possible

Editorial team, oslobwhalesharkwatching.comUpdated October 22, 2026Reading time 6 min2 sources

This guide's tour Oslob Whale Sharks and Kawasan Canyoneering Day 4.7 (728 reviews) 16 hoursWhale sharks and Kawasan FallsHotel pickup and lunch from$127per person Check availabilityFree cancellation until 24 hrs before pickup

Quick answer

01The day: Whale sharks in the morning, canyoneering at Kawasan in the afternoon.
02Length: 16 hours on the booked tour, back around 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
03In the canyon: 3 hours with a certified guide, helmet, life vest and water shoes.
04Who can go: From age 4; every cliff jump is optional.
05Price: From $127, rated 4.70 from 728 reviews.

Two very different halves of one day

A combined Cebu whale shark and canyoneering day asks a lot of your body and gives a lot back. The morning is quiet and slow: a boat ride, a briefing and half an hour floating near the sharks at Tan-awan. The afternoon is the opposite, a scramble down a river canyon in a helmet and life vest, swimming through pools and jumping from ledges if you choose.

The tour this site books puts both into 16 hours, from $127, with 728 reviews averaging 4.70. After 30 minutes with the whale sharks, the group drives north to Badian for lunch and then spends 3 hours on a guided canyon tour at Kawasan Falls. Kawasan Falls is part of the Matutinao River canyon, on the west coast of the island.¹

Reviews of the booked tour return again and again to the canyon guides, who take photos and videos and help guests through the harder sections. Several reviewers say the canyon was the highlight of their day, ahead of the sharks. That is worth knowing if you are unsure whether the long day is for you. It also tells you something about the order of the day: the sharks come first, the water at Tan-awan closes to watchers at 1 pm, and the canyon fills the afternoon.²

The booked day

Sea in the morning, canyon in the afternoon

2:00 to 3:00 AM

Hotel pickup

Shared pickup in Cebu City, Mactan or Lapu-Lapu.
3.5 hrs

Drive to Oslob

Down the coast in the dark.
30 min

Whale sharks

Briefing, then snorkeling at Tan-awan.
30 min

Lunch in Badian

Included in the price.
3 hrs

Kawasan canyoneering

With a certified guide.
4 hrs

Drive back

Hotel around 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

From Oslob to Kawasan Falls: the drive and the timing

The day begins in the middle of the night, with hotel pickup between 2:00 and 3:00 AM and a 3.5-hour car ride south. Breakfast in Oslob takes 30 minutes and costs extra; then comes the marine briefing and the half hour in the water. In peak season, expect to wait 2 to 3 hours for your turn at the whale sharks.

From the whale shark beach the route crosses to the other coast. The rival canyon listing gives that transfer as 105 minutes by van. On the booked tour, lunch in Badian takes 30 minutes before you meet the canyon guides. Change into swimwear before you reach Badian and keep a dry set of clothes in the car.

The way home is the long part. The booked tour gives 4 hours by car and expects you back at your hotel around 6:00 to 8:00 PM, depending on traffic. Plan nothing for the evening, and keep a snack for the drive.

Where the hours go

Road and canyon time, in hours

hours

From the two itineraries: the booked tour gives 3.5 hours out, 3 in the canyon and 4 back; the rival with breakfast 2.75 out, 3.5 in the canyon and 3 back. Waiting at the beach comes on top.

Three combined days

Whale sharks plus Kawasan, compared

Tour	Canyon time	Meals	Rating	From
Booked tour	3 hrs	Lunch	4.70	from $127
With breakfast	3.5 hrs	Breakfast and lunch	4.53	from $118
Shared group	3.5 hrs	Lunch stop	4.74	from $118

Canyon time, meals and from-prices as each listing states them; the shared group tour is not guided outside the canyon.

Pick your combination

Three sharks-and-canyon days

Cebu: Oslob Whale Sharks Swimming & Kawasan Canyoneering

Most reviewed

Sharks + canyon

16 hours, lunch included

Canyon: 3 hrs
Rating: 4.70
Price: from $127

See this tour

Breakfast

With breakfast

Silog while you wait

Canyon: 3.5 hrs
Rating: 4.53
Price: from $118

See this tour

Top score

Shared group

Driver, canyon guides

Canyon: 3.5 hrs
Rating: 4.74
Price: from $118

See this tour

Decision helper

Is the combined day right for you?

Find your line

I want the most proven tour Breakfast matters to me I travel with a small child I am pregnant or have back trouble I want a guide all day

The booked tour

728 reviews averaging 4.70.

The rival with breakfast

Silog served while you wait for your number.

Check the age first

The canyon takes children from 4 years.

Choose a beach day

The booked tour is not suitable for you.

Avoid the shared group tour

Its guides only join for the canyon.

What the canyoneering involves

Canyoneering here means moving down a river through a gorge: walking on rocks, swimming through pools, sliding down smooth chutes and jumping from ledges into deep water. The booked tour supplies a certified canyoneering guide, a helmet, a life vest and water shoes, and the canyoneering fee is included. Its listing mentions optional cliff jumps from 1 to 30 feet, with safer paths for those who skip them.

Every jump is optional. If heights are not for you, tell your guide at the start; you will walk or climb down beside the jumps while the others go over. Ask your guide about the route before you set off; the minimum age for the canyon is 4 years.

The zipline is an add-on, not part of the price. The booked tour lists it as optional and paid per person, and the same goes for GoPro or photo and video rental. Guests in the reviews recommend both, but neither is needed to enjoy the canyon.

Checklist

Pack for sea and canyon

Provided on the booked tour

Helmet, life vest, water shoes
Mask and life jacket for the sharks
Lunch in Badian

Bring yourself

Comfortable shoes
A towel and dry clothes
Cash for breakfast and add-ons
Waterproof phone pouch

Cost calculator

The combined day for your group

Starting totals for the three whale shark and canyon tours.

Sharks + canyonBooked tourfrom $127 With breakfastRivalfrom $118 Shared groupRivalfrom $118

People 2

Total from$253

per guest from $127

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Each total is the cheapest per-person fare listed on GetYourGuide times your group size, shown in your currency at the euro reference rate; your date and option set the final sum.

Video

Insane Canyoneering and Whale Sharks in Cebu!

Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.

Who should skip the canyon

The booked tour is not suitable for children under 4 years, pregnant women, people with back problems or people with mobility impairments. The rival canyon listing adds guests with serious heart, back, neck or mobility conditions to its list of people it does not recommend. Take those warnings seriously: the canyon is rough and wet, and the footing changes with every bend of the river.

If someone in your group cannot do the canyon, a whale shark day with Tumalog Falls and Sumilon Island is the gentler alternative. Those tours spend the afternoon at a waterfall pool and on a sandbar instead, and you can read about both on our pages for the falls and the island.

Fitness is less about strength than about endurance. You will have been awake since the middle of the night, swum with the sharks and sat in a car for hours before you even start the canyon. Eat well at lunch, drink plenty of water and pace yourself in the first section. If anyone in your group feels unwell after the early start, say so before the canyon begins; skipping a section is far easier at the top than halfway down.

Three ways to book a whale shark and canyon day

Three listings combine the whale sharks with Kawasan, and they differ more than their titles suggest. The booked tour includes lunch and the canyon guide, charges extra for breakfast and runs 16 hours. The rival with breakfast lasts 14 hours to a full day, serves a silog breakfast while you wait and gives 3.5 hours in the canyon.

The third is a shared group tour rated 4.74 from 25 reviews, from $118. Its itinerary gives 3.5 hours at Kawasan Falls with a zipline listed, but it states plainly that it is not a guided tour: the driver assists you through the day, and certified local guides are provided only for the canyoneering.

Both rivals require at least 3 participants for a shared departure. All three offer free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead and reserve now, pay later. Use the table and calculator below to compare them for your group, and read the newest reviews of each before you decide; a canyon day depends heavily on the guides you get.

Making the long day work

Pack for two environments. For the sea you want swimwear, a rash guard and nothing loose; for the canyon you want shoes that grip on wet rock, which the booked tour provides, and a change of clothes and a towel for afterwards. Put your phone in a waterproof pouch if you want to film; otherwise leave it with the guide or in the car. A small dry bag that clips to your life vest is the most useful thing you can bring.

Eat when you can. Breakfast in Oslob is the first chance after a night-time pickup, and on the booked tour it is an extra cost. Lunch in Badian is included and comes before the canyon, so you start the physical part with energy rather than straight from the car.

Expect long waits and do not fight them. Peak-season queues at the whale shark beach are the main reason the day runs late. Bring something to read, keep sunscreen for the canyon afternoon rather than the shark morning, and leave room in your plans for a late return.

Pick your date