If you’re visiting the island of Cebu, then Panagsama Beach Moalboal is one of the best tourist hubs on the island. A lively diving town perched on a peninsular on the west coast of Cebu, Panagsama Road is lined with restaurants and bars with loads of day tours available, making it a great base to explore the island.
Moalboal is the adventure seekers paradise boasting a handful of the world’s best in-nature activities, from Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls, Scuba Diving, Free Diving and so much more. Panagsama Beach Moalboal is a must visit, best known for the Sardine Run – a famous gathering of millions of sardines that form a huge bait ball near the surface just 10m from the shore. But this is not the only thing you can do! There’s so much more to explore at Panagsama Beach which is the main hub for tourists in the Moalboal area, read on and start planning your trip.
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About Panagsama Beach Moalboal Cebu
You may hear the locals calling the beach ‘Basdiot’ which means small sand. The beach isn’t the prettiest and is mainly rocky however that’s not the reason to visit Panagsama, if you’re looking for a sandy beach try white beach up the road.
We recommend wearing water shoes when visiting, as the entrance to the water can be quite rocky and sharp. At high tide, the sea comes in leaving basically no beach but this will be the best time to snorkel.
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Basidot Panagsama Beach vs Basdaku White Beach Moalboal
If you’re looking for a calm relaxing day on the beach then White Beach is far better for its white sand, blue water and good swimming. However, for the adventure lovers, Panagsama Beach holds some of the best snorkelling in the world, millions of sardines from the famous sardine run and turtles, not to mention a variety of other fish & coral. The name Panagsama ‘Beach’ is slightly misleading, as there is not much of a shoreline but the beauty lies under the water.
You can also take a Day-Trip from Moalboal to Pescador Island for some of the best coral
Where Is Panagsama Beach Moalboal?
You can find the Panagsama Beach on the island of Cebu nestled in the town of Moalboal which is south-west of the island. Roughly a 2-3 hour drive from Cebu City or a 1 hour drive from Oslob. The best snorkelling place is located at the end of Panagsama road, near the dive schools, beach bars and restaurants. We include Panagsama & Moalboal in our Cebu trip itinerary which you can find here and in our Philippines Travel guide.
How To Get To Panagsama Beach Moalboal?
Moalboal is easy to get to from Cebu City, you take a bus from the south terminal which leaves every 30 minutes (you can book here) and the journey will take roughly 2-3 hours. Alternatively a private taxi from Cebu City would be faster however is the more expensive option, we recommend the aircon bus as a middle ground and will cost you £2.86 each.
Day Trip From Cebu City
You can also book a day trip to Moalboal from the city but this will cost you due to same day transfer, food, guides etc. The rate for 1 person can be around £80-£120 for the trip but the more people that go the cheaper the rate becomes. In our opinion you need more than one day here in Moalboal to truly experience what the southwest of Cebu has to offer, plus it’s a great area to stay in.
When you’re in Moalboal the beach is located at the end of Panagsama road. You can easily catch a tricycle if your hostel is further away or if you’re near the sea you can walk to the front. The beach isn’t the most beautiful but you can find lots of diving schools and dive shops along the front and some have seating with a café looking out into the sea. We can recommend June dive school as this is where we rented flippers for the day.
What To Do At Panagsama Beach?
Snorkelling
The snorkelling here is some of the best in the Philippines, you can see healthy coral reefs, turtles and of course sardines. We stayed in Moalboal for three nights and went snorkelling on all three days. For sardines and turtles, your best bet is to just rent a snorkel and go out yourself just a stones throw into the ocean at Panagsama Beach, for the best coral we recommend a tour to Pescador Island.
Find out more about The Moalboal Sardine Run
Restaurants at Panagsama Beach
Along the front you will find a variety of restaurants serving both Filipino food and western dishes. Remember you will pay more for a sea view or western food so consider this in your budget.
We can recommend Gia’s Seascape Restobar bar for Filipino food we had a great chicken adobo here but if you’re looking for something more western the Greek on the main road is great, however it will set you back a fair few pesos.
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There are also lots of cafes inside dive schools that often serve coffee right on the shore front. If you rent flippers or a mask these are a great place to spend your time because as we’ve mentioned, the beach isn’t the prettiest…. or comfiest.
The Kawasan Falls Canyoneering Tour was one of the highlights of our whole trip!
Diving at Panagsama Beach
There’s lots of diving to be done here. You can do you open water PADI course for £375, this is a great price and one of the best locations to learn with the thousands of fish.
Alternatively if you already know how to dive there are lots of tours for you to join. We recommend looking here: Savedra House Reef Dive Site. We have also heard Talisay Point is a great place to dive.
We recommend SafetyWing Travel Insurance, with worldwide coverage of over 30 activities including diving when you choose their adventure sports add-on.
Underwater Mermaid Statue
Near the edge of Basdiot you can find the Mermaid Statue submerged underwater. If you are into freediving the mermaid statue is located around 6m below the surface. Bring along your underwater camera to snap a cool photo!
Best Moalboal Tours
Sunsets at Panagsama Moalboal
The other popular thing to do here is checking out the sunset in the evening, everyone gathers on the beach and watches the sun lower over the mountains of the neighbouring island. So far Philippines has been the best country in the world we’ve been to for sunsets, the sky lights up golden & fiery red every night due to the surrounding islands. Good music playing in the bars, grab a drink with a friend and have a magical evening.
Explore the must-see attractions and activities in Moalboal!
Best Places To Stay In Moalboal
$ Budget
Southpoint Hostel
A great place on Panagsama Road that is affordable if you’re on a budget. Equipped with a small restaurant run by the owners and aircon it’s perfect for backpackers. You will need to get a short tricycle ride down to the beach front.
$$ Mid-Range
Crazy Bears Hostel
With everything just a walk away, the location of Crazy Bears is perfect for solo and couple backpackers. With a/c and an onsite restaurant this is a great hostel for meeting fellow travellers.
$$$ High-End
Kasai Village Dive Resort
Equipped with a swimming pool, sea views, hot tub and restaurant Kasai Village Dive Resort has everything you need all in one place. Experience the perfect blend of tranquillity and adventure.
Spacing
Top Things To Do In Moalboal
We stayed 4 nights in Moalboal, this is enough time to visit the famous Kawasan Falls, see the Sardine Run and explore the coast. If you would like to head down to the South of Cebu to visit the islands waterfalls we would recommend staying a little longer. Here’s our highlights.
Top Pick: Kawasan Canyoneering
Jump from 10m and swim through a jungle canyon to the famous Kawasan Falls with its turquoise blue waters. Try and get an early tour to avoid the crowds.
Best Beach: Panagsama Beach
Here you can experience the sardine run, one of the only places in the world where you can snorkel with huge bait balls & turtles! For white sand visit the nearby Basdaku Beach
Best Hike & View: Osmena Peak
The short hike leads to beautiful surroundings of the Canyon and allows you to see the Rainforest from above.
Other Things To Do On Cebu
Top Tips For Travelling Cebu
Below we share our favourite tips for travelling Cebu or you can check out our full Cebu Travel Guide.
- Cebu City is the second biggest hub in the Philippines, so expect chaos!
- Oslob’s Whale Shark swimming is really unethical for the animals!
- Moalboal is an amazing hub for backpackers for snorkelling and sunset drinks at Panagsama Beach
- When travelling around the Philippines in a tuk-tuk, tricycle or taxi, agree on a price upfront and try to have the right change handy.
- Use an E-sim like Airalo to stay connected and remove the hassle of a physical SIM
- Malapascua is home to some of the only Thresher Shark diving in the world
- Don’t skip Kawasan Falls, the canyoneering tour early in the morning was one of our major highlights
Final Thoughts On Panagsama Beach Moalboal Cebu
Although Moalboal’s Panagsama Beach may not be the most beautiful, it certainly offers some of the best snorkelling and a great hub for tourists therefore it’s a must visit on the island of Cebu! You can spend the day here marvelling at the sea creatures soaking up the sun and enjoying some yummy food on the front…what’s not to like? Located on the southwest of Cebu, Panagsama Beach is worth stopping over on the way to nearby islands such as Siquijor, or the popular Oslob.
You can’t beat the feeling of a nice cold beer listening to Reggae music while watching the sunset from one of Moalboal’s beach front bars!
If you’re visiting Cebu, read more on The Top Things To Do In Moalboal
