Discovering Oslob and Meeting the Butandings!

Wow! – This is the expression that best describes Oslob: the place of ‘gentle giants’. Why ‘gentle giants’? You will know why later. Many of us are still unfamiliar with the town of Oslob due to its far distance–two hours and a half away from the city. Public transportation are available in the Cebu South Bus Terminal in Cebu City to head there, or one can take the private car ride to discover this southern treasure. Oslob, not to mention, is more or less a three-day exploration to do, if one wants to get the best sights of it. Here comes the most thrilling part. This southern vibe has been famous of the whale sharks or locally called as “butandings” which swim within 40 kilometers from the shores, and in the crystal blue, coral-reef adorned waters of the town. That means, they can be viewed up close without the need of going farther into the middle of the sea on the motorized bancas. Visitors can actually swim with the creatures within the premises. They can swim up to one hour. According to the marine biologists watching over these sea creatures, most of the whale sharks present in the shores of Oslob are juvenile. This gave them the presumption that perhaps their parents are just inhabiting nearby in the deep parts of the seas of Oslob. There are a total of 150 whale sharks in the town but only 21 are residents. Of these 21, 17 of them are females, two are males, while the other two have unknown genders. The whale sharks in Oslob are getting used to the presence of humans watching them while fishermen feed them with Krill (uyap). Whale sharks are known as filter feeders that have capacious mouth and have five large pairs of gills. Two small eyes are located towards the front of the wide and flat head of this huge but harmless sea creature. Its skin colors are either checkerboard of pale yellow or white spots or stripes with a white belly underneath. Some parts of the skin of the butandings have rough and soft textures. According to the fishermen in Oslob who feed them,  if one is not used to touching the butandings‘ skin, it causes panic to some people. With this, their team prefer disallowing touching the butandings to provide precaution. Other rules to be observed during the whale watching, for safety measures are: no jumping, refrain from heavy camera flash, and no applying of sunblock, among others.  A centralized briefing area is provided to visitors and tourists to  maintain safety as well as to protect the whale sharks. Violation of at least one rule, charges one to a fine of P2,500 or a four to six months imprisonment. They (whale sharks) have their names given by the fishermen that feed them, like Fermin, Bubbles, Vanessa, Roxy, Sharkeater and Lucky 7. The fishermen have their indication to each whale shark. Despite of their sizes, the butandings, with its harmless, gentle character, have likely become pets of the fishermen. Thus, they’re called ‘gentle giants’, the reason which Oslob was attributed to–a place of the gentle giants.

Tumalog Falls and Sumilon Island

Meeting nature in Tumalog falls (Image credit: cebuanatraveller.wordpress.com)

After spending an hour of watching the whale sharks, recreation doesn’t simply end because Oslob also boasts of a beautiful, scenic waterfalls–the Tumalog falls. Tumalog falls is 3 kilometers away from the National Highway Road. Before getting there, visitors need to pass through steep, blind curve roads. Thus, a careful drive is needed for safety. There are two ways to get to Tumalog falls. One can ride a motorbike (habal-habal) for P60 or rent a car. Tumalog falls stands out from other waterfalls found in Cebu because the natural scene it exudes. It has mini-umbrellas that cascade the fine strands of fresh, cool water running down  like raindrops. The falls is surrounded with magnificent century-old trees. Spending time at Tumalog falls brings one definitely to a mode of relaxation, where the natural environment refreshes the body. Oslob has also their heritage park where you can see the view of the crystal blue seawaters and where one can pay a visit at the old-burnt Immaculate Concepcion church. Another must go scenery in Oslob is Sumilon Island, where it is the first marine sanctuary in the Philippines. The island offers tour packages, boat-transfers, and likewise boasts of an infinity swimming pool and other recreational activities that anyone can enjoy such as trekking, fish feeding, and kayaking among others . Sumilon Island is a 15-minute boat transfer from the mainland.

Awe-inspiring Sumilon Island	Infinity pool in Sumilon island

Oslob is a developing town and is a top tourist destination in the future. In Oslob, one may not only discover great places but also meet the gentle Oslobanons who will serve you and bring you the best of their hometown!