Hello everyone! This is my first travel blog so please bear with me :D
Okay so we went to Lake Sebu, South Cotabato just this year (2014) with my classmates for our Community Exposure Trip. It was simple but very satisfying experience.
Brief Background
Lake Sebu is a first municipality of South Cotabato. It is rich with natural resources including their fresh tilapia being cultured in their very wide lake (of course), the famous Seven Falls (with the HIGHEST ZIPLINE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA) and green surroundings. It is also famous for its craft and art of making T'nalak or their cloth weaved from a T'boli (a tribe from Mindanao region) women's dream. The most well-known of the dreamweavers is Lang Dulay, crowned as a Philippine National Treasure.
How to Get There
There are two ways in which you can reach the area:
1.) You can travel by land.
a. DAVAO CITY PROPER-BANSALAN-GENERAL SANTOS CITY-KORONADAL, SOUTH COTABATO to LAKE SEBU, SOUTH COTABATO. It would take you 5 hours before you reach the destination. (This is the route our bus took because the driver said this is safer.)
b. DAVAO CITY PROPER-DIGOS CITY-TACURONG CITY-ISULAN-SURALLAH to LAKE SEBU, SOUTH COTABATO. This will only tae you about 3 hours and a half.
2.) You can travel by air.
If you are from Manila or outside Mindanao, I suggest that you get a plane ticket to General Santos City. Then you ride a bus (or rent a van) going to Lake Sebu. This will only take about an hour (or less).
Lake Sebu in One Day
My classmates and I had not given the chance to stay overnight in Lake Sebu so we only visited and experienced the following:
1.) Fresh tilapia. - Hindi malansa! We tried different delicacies of tilapia: fried, steamed and sweet and sour. Though we had no time to get to the Floating Restaurant, the government of Lake Sebu offered us a hilltop view in their Cultural Center. There, we were welcomed with their music and tribal dance (very hospitable, indeed!).
2.) T'Boli Museum.- You get to know how the T'boli Tribe's way of living then and now. You also get to learn how the T'bolis preserve their culture despite the pressures of modernism. In short, it is a tour of historical culture appreciation.
3.) The Seven Falls.- If you ask are all these falls welcoming visitors for a swim, well NO. The first two falls are far dangerous to dip into. The third falls is accessible but needs further maintenance for the safety of the tourists.
4.) Zip Line.- Lake Sebu has the highest zipline in the entire Southeast Asia region which makes it an adventure-freak magnet! I tried it myself with my bestfriend Fritzy. It's as if you are flying and you see the overview of all the seven waterfalls! It is guaranteed safe because it is being tested by the whole staff-in-charge through riding the zipline themselves each and everyday before the ride opens for tourists. Luckily, we got a discount from the owner. We only paid Php150 :) Yet for regular customers, the zipline ride costs Php350.00 (price may have changed).
5.) Pasalubong or gifts.- If you only have 20 pesos on your pocket, don't worry. You could already buy four bracelets to give for your loved ones. That's how affordable their souvenir items. You can buy a lot on your one hundred peso bill already :)
