Highway to Happy

Just in time before you finalize your plans for the summer, I am presenting to you an option you should seriously consider.

OSLOB, CEBU

If you are visiting Dumaguete, Cebu or even Bohol, you can devote a day and do a side trip to Oslob. It would only take a boat ride and a few minutes of land travel. I am tempted to include directions here but I’m not exactly the person you can trust for that. During our visit, we relied on local travel blogs. They are all accurate and helpful, so I suggest you do the same.

We arrived at Liloan Port before the break of dawn. There was a bus waiting that would pass by Oslob, but we opted to take the tricycle. It took another 15 minutes and a lot of shaking due to the cold breeze, before we reach the shore.

After signing up, a local guide discussed the packages available. We could either WATCH or SWIM with the whalesharks. Of course we opted to SWIM WITH THE WHALE SHARKS! I know it’s not exactly ideal to connect the words swim and whalesharks by the word ‘with” but take the risk! These whale sharks wouldn’t be called “gentle” giants if they had a tendency to bite a limb off your body!

Aside from ensuring our safety, the boatmen also guaranteed that we will see a whale shark. These gentle giants are always there, regardless of the season, so you need not worry about your efforts going to waste.

The entire experience, with transportation, cost us around 700 pesos per person. Definitely not bad for a once in a lifetime adventure. On top of the whaleshark experience, the people of Oslob are very accommodating. We were tempted to stay longer just to talk to our boatmen but our ride back to the port was waiting. Plus, we were scheduled to travel to Siquijor (a must-visit, too!) that afternoon.

So if you still have a free slot in your summer plans, Oslob is a well-deserving place to visit. Go swim with the whalesharks!