Rock Climbing in Cantabaco, Cebu Itinerary: 1 day

Vertical crawl

Rock Climbing | Cantabaco, Cebu Rock Climbing Itinerary
Sitio Silangan, Cantabaco, Cebu
Hours from Cebu City: around 1 hour
Specs: Rock climbing on bolted limestone wall, 5.6 to 5.14 difficulty walls, rappelling, freshwater river, possibility of caving

Notes:
. Cantabaco is accessible by V-hire. The fare is P70 from Citilink terminal in Cebu City. Take a V-hire going to Lutopan township and ask the driver to drop you off at Silangan (Lutopan is the town after this).
. Going to Cantabaco, you will pass by the old highway which winds around mountain sides. Back in the day (colonial period), it only allows one way passage – going to Cebu City in the mornings, and back to Toledo in the evenings – hence it is narrow, but the view is awesome. Waterfalls along the roadside are not rare, but so as landslides during rainy season.
. Silangan is a small town, so locals know each other very well. Don’t be shy to ask around if you need a local guide to bring you to the wall.
. There is only a handful of local climbers from Silangan. Having minimal climbing equipment, it is advisable that you bring your own stuff if you plan to stay for days.
. First time climbers are welcome, your guide should be able to lend you necessary equipment such as a rope, rock shoes, harness, carabiners and others. You may have to take turns if there are other climbers that day.
. Cantabaco’s limestone wall is known in the international climbing scene, so there’s a regular stream of foreign visitors in the place.
. Local guides do not charge a fixed fee for their services. It’s up to you to give them a generous tip for their services.
. The trek to the wall face takes about 10 minutes, passing by water streams where you’d have to cross on bamboo bridges.
. A brief stopover to a small house is required for you to register your names and pay a fee of P10.
. Rock climbing is an exhausting sport, be sure not to over-exert yourself or else you’d have to endure sore muscles the next day.
. Bring your own food so you can have lunch on site. You may also have lunch at the small carinderias (eatery) or ihaw-ihaw (grilled street food) places.
. Put on insect repellant because ants and mosquitoes live abundantly in the area. You can also light up some Katol (anti-mosquito incense).
. After lunch, you may proceed to the top of the wall to fix the lines for rappelling. Otherwise, you may just check it out for sightseeing.
. On a normal day, Cebu-bound V-hires will be fully occupied when they pass Silangan. It’s best to take a habal-habal to Lutopan terminal to catch a ride back to the city, particularly if you’re traveling as a group.
. The last V-hire trip back to Cebu City is around 7:00PM

Options:
. Taking a private car to Cantabaco may be more comfortable, especially if you’re bringing plenty of climbing gear.
. There are rooms in the Spring Park Mountain Resort (P100/night per person) if you plan to stay overnight. It’s right along the road, so you can’t miss it. Home stay accommodations are better, though. Check out Manang Virgie’s place (P100/night per person) or the Priest’s place for cozy fan rooms.
. You don’t have to worry about food when you choose the homestay option, because the house cook can whip up your favorite ulam for a minimal fee.
. If you decide to pass on rappelling, you can pack up early and head down the river to freshen up. There’s also an option of dipping in the Spring Resort pool (P75 entrance fee).
. If you’re up for more adventure, you can try canyoning in Kawasan Falls in the town of Badian, Cebu.
. Caving is also something to explore as locals talk about cave entrances around the area.

Budget: around P435 per pax (excluding guide fees)
Budget estimate for 4 people:
280 V-hire to Silangan, Cantabaco
280 V-hire back to Cebu City
400 room
  80 habal habal
500 food share
 --- guide fee
200 misc (registration, etc.)

*V-hire – van for hire (commuter)
*Katol – spiral anti-mosuito incense
*ulam – food viand
*carinderia – eatery
*ihaw-ihaw - grilled street food

The wall was reportedly bolted by Power Up boys

Tim Rieder and Larry Honoridez

Carrie(?) rockin' the crag!

Our day camp. Those munchkins were attacked by ants in minutes.

Multiple anchors

First time on natural wall.

That's a katol!

 

Reached the top! 'Kiss the wall' moment right there.