Oslob
Oslob is a small village south of Cebu City, near the southern tip of Cebu Island. It has started blossoming into a tourist stop due to whale sharks that swim close to the coast. This tourist attraction is controversial because fisherman lure them into the coast by feeding them. It is left to the reader to decide if they want to support this.
Understand
Get in
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It is common to come on a day tour from either Cebu City or Dumaguete, but it is also possible to get there independently. Tour price range is ₱2500-3500 and depends on the number of people in a group, usually minimum of four people is required (2016).
By bus from Cebu City (3 hr), Bato (20 min), Moalboal (first 1½-hr bus ride to Bato, from there another 20-min ride to Oslob).
It's a bit trickier to get from Dumaguete: first take a short jeepney (₱10) or tricycle (₱150) ride to Sibulan port (3 km north of Dumaguete center), get on a jetty to Cebu island (it runs every hour, journey time 30 min, ₱60), from there it's a 20-minute tricycle (₱200) or jeepney (₱15) ride to Oslob. In general, jetties and buses are synchronised so that bus waits and leaves right after jetty arrives. It is also possible to get a bus all the way to Oslob from Ceres bus station in Dumaguete, though you pay separately for the ferry.
Get around
See
- 1 Tumalog falls (“Toslob falls” or “Mag-ambak falls”) (15 minutes drive away). A cascading waterfall. Ask someone in the village to take you there, cost for a ride about ₱120. Entrance fee ₱20.
- 2 Sumilon Island. Can be visited on organised boat trip which starts regularly at the whale shark-watching point.
Do
- 1 Whale shark watching (10 km south of town). 6:30AM-noon. ₱1500 to dive, ₱1000 for a snorkel and swim, and ₱500 to stay on the boat. Price includes gears, instructor and a boat. Session time is limited to 30 minutes.
Buy
- DPB Bank atm, Tourism Office. 24 hour atm.
Eat
- 7-Eleven, N Bacalso Avenue. 24 hours.
- Julie's Bakeshop, N Bacalso Avenue. 7am-10pm.
- Cocina En Acantilado, a Filipino restaurant which is 300 meters away from the briefing center of whale shark watching.
Drink
- Aaron's Resort have food and drinks. Their tuna steak is good and the beer is cold.
Sleep
About a dozen hotels exist in Oslob.
- Friendly's Resort, Barangay Tan-awan. Check-in: noon, check-out: noon. Fan room overlooking the sea. ₱400 per person.
- Casa Bonita Inn Backpackers Hostel, Tan-awan (along the highway), ☏ +63 933-200-0000. Check-in: noon, check-out: noon. Hot showers and free Wi-Fi. Dorm bed ₱350 per person.
- Sharky Hostel, Brgy Tan-awan, ☏ +63 915-411-6424. Check-in: noon, check-out: noon. Has 8 or 10 bed dorms. Free Wi-Fi. dorm bed ₱400 per person.
- Island View Pension house, Lagunde Oslob, ☏ +63 9751563939. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: noon. A bed is a 12-bed fan dorm. Free Wi-Fi. Breakfast ₱75. From ₱300.
- Guilly's Place, N Bacalso Avenue. fan single room, free wifi. 300.
Sumilon Island
- Bluewater Sumilon Beach Resort, Sumilon Island, ☏ +63 32 3183129. From ₱8200.