lake sebu

If you wish to experience interacting with the T'bolis, Lake Sebu is the place to be! We returned to Lake Sebu because our first visit there was too short. We were advised by the locals to return during their Helobung Festival when the natives come down in their costumes and gather to celebrate a good year with many activities. We stayed at Monte Cielo resort and our gracious hosts Mayette and William Sy. My husband wrote in his Google plus account "An overnight stay in Lake Sebu is not enough to imbibe the place and truly breathe the air there into one's blood stream. As we passed the poblacion the day before, I could see some T'bolis walking around in their native outfit. It would have been great to interact with them perhaps while having a meal in their homes. What is T'boli food like? How do they cultivate their mountain rice? How do they resolve conflicts and ensure that individual rights of individual members are maintained under a tribal structure? What is still T'boli and what is not anymore (definitely tilapia farming is not a part of the longer past although it was introduced early by the missionaries). How do you get to know their gods?" We found the answers in our latest visit.

This is a place for eco-travellers and those who would like to know about the T'boli tribe often alluded as one of the great dream weavers of their time. If you want to own or give someone a priceless gift, visit the 90 year old Lang Dulay, considered a national treasure whose works are considered by the Philippine Cultural Association as works of art. Her work (costing around three times the amount charged by her students as priced by the PCA) will bear her signature authenticating it. For those who could afford it, it would be worth every penny spent!

Lake Sebu and its seven (7) hikongs or falls are one good destination outside General Santos. We saw nature at its best. Two falls can be seen without the zipline at a very short distance from parking. You have to use good footwear as you will walk in unpaved roads in going to the first hikong (falls). Zipline cost P300 covering two lines - line 1 is 700 meters while line 2 is 400 meters. Be prepared to experience just average quality of facilities in the zipline and falls trek, e.g., restrooms, food and transportation from the end of the zipline to parking area, path walks. There's not much activity except boat tour of the lake and the zipline.

A great place to get away from it all. attractions offered are the 7 falls where you can ride the highest zipline in southeast asia as they claim it to be and be able to see the falls from a different and slightly scary view, was able to see a rainbow above the falls while riding. there is also the floating resto in punta isla resort with local t'boli performers entertaining guests. and this is also home to one of the philippines national artist Lang Dulay a 92 year old woman known for her tnalak cloth creations the patterns of which are unique as they are dreamt by the tboli tinalak dream weavers! worth a visit for those seeking culture and adventure!

A place to relax and spend a break from your city and hectic life. Road going to the place is rugged but its worth it. Touch of nature and wonder.

We endured a 6-hour trip to Lake Sebu from Davao City, taking the long route via Gen. Santos City as we were a bit apprehensive about traveling through the Muslim areas of South Cotabato especially at dawn or late evening. We left Davao at around 5AM, had breakfast at Gen. Santos and proceeded to Lake Sebu where we had lunch at Punta Isla resort. The lake was huge. I didn't expect it to be so large. It was dotted with restaurants and lodging houses around the lake and there were also stores selling T'boli products. We bought some tinalak woven products and T'boli beads which were really good!The lake looked so serene. I could literally just sit there and admire the peacefulness. The weather was also great, quite cool due to the elevation. A tour of the lake was available. This takes about 45 minutes but we didn't take it due to time constraints as we had to travel back to Davao.We had an assortment of tilapia dishes, as this fish was in abundance from the lake. The food was delicious and affordable. Woudl love to take my family here and stay overnight to enjoy the place. Trekking would be a good activity.

Lake Sebu is one of the most tranquil places we have ever been to, it's quite a sight to behold in the early mornings, misty, damp and eerily beautiful. A trip on a banca around the lake is a must, make sure you get a T'boli guide for it (seeing them in their traditional garb adds a puch to the trip). For a lake ridden with fish ponds (tilapia), it was surprisingly free from the usual muddy-fishy-murky fish pond smell common in such areas. Make sure you stay in Punta Isla Resort and get the cabins facing the lake. Wake up really early to catch the sunrise, make sure you have a hot cup of coffee in your hand as you watch the sun creep into the horizon. Then youcan thank God for the kind of life that enabled you to be in that moment.

Commune with nature at its best. Stayed at Isla Punta Resort Hotel for 3 nights. Best view at Blotik rooms facing the very serene lake. Chirping birds early in the morning. Lush greenery. Cool winds. Good food. Interesting Lake Tours available daily by a T'boli guide.

This is a wonderful place to visit for T'boli culture. The first stop was the Santa Cruz Mission School which is a exemplar of how culture is fully integrated into the curriculum. Through the leadership of the T'bolis (who are the administrators and faculty) and support from international agencies, this mission school now educates students from pre-school to college who are T'bolis or have T'boli ancestry. However, with the increase in student population, there is a need for support from the outside community.Next we went for lunch in one of the resorts surrounding the lake, tasting tilapia (fresh fish) delicacies. For those who want, you can take a ride around the lake. Then we went to buy T'boli crafts from the Cooperative of Women for Health and Development (COWHED). They had very nice products. There are other such outlets. Our visit was too short because we missed visiting the School of Living Traditions.But we experienced the zipline!This is a very safe place for everyone, including international visitors. The best way to get here is through General Santos City, going to Koronadal and then to Lake Sebu.

Not too many tourists from outside Mindanao make it to Lake Sebu which is a pity. I come here regularly as I do research on T'boli music abd culture.The lake and the waterfalls are an attraction but the real draw is the culture of the T'boli themselves. To experience this, stay with Maria Todi at her homestay in her School of Living Traditions near SIKAT. The habal-habal drivers know this. She us an authority on T'boli culture and she can guide you to visit crafts makets, dancers, and musicians. You can watch children dancing and playing musical instruments at the school. Much better than staying at the resorts.

Never really intended to take a dip on one of the 7 falls but the view was picture perfect, how could i possibly resist? I even asked my classmate/tour guide if the boulders were man-made but she said it was natural. Here, you would marvel at the works of the Hands of God.

Well, like backpackers always say, comfort and laxness are no where to find in places called adventures and challenges. Commuting is one of the adventure that I love to tackle. Like every traveler lost in the hay, I woke up early in the morning leaving behind my comrades in their lazy sleepy heads and went straight to the GenSan Bus Terminal. I asked the locales there about the adventure that I thought of and 9 out of 10 people told me that Lake Sebu is the place to be and so majority wins all the time. A bus ride to Koronadal passing the town of Polomolok. Then a brief stopover and transferred to a van for my destination. Then a 30 minute Public Utility Van ride to Lake Sebu passing the town of Surallah. Well the view and the climate along the way is changing as i get near my destination. I noticed that there was a delightful change of climate and it has a beautiful killer view of the lakes along the way that amazed me. The seven falls was my first stop upon reaching Lake Sebu, which I only reached down until the 4th, that is because of the a landslide blocking the trail down to the 5th and so on. And guess what, walking barefoot and dipping at the 4th falls butt naked was both an adventure and a challenge. It was worth trying to be honest. Despite the fact that place is somehow commercialized. the local government is good in maintaining Lake Sebu's serenity, natural beauty and delightful attractions with a soft touch of modernization. So far for adjectives, I'm totally lost of words upon seeing much of Lake Sebu's natural interiors. Anyways to end my solo trip I decided to roam the town with a fast habal-habal ride downtown taking pictures and view of the lake. Truly it was an amazing experience though time was against me, I promised to go back to the place and scrutinized each and every town when I'll have a chance to come back there soon. Considering such as an unfinished business especially on the 7 falls.

Lake Sebu is one of the best places I've been to in Mindanao. The experience was so rich bec. I and my husband were able to meet the oldest dream weaver of the T'boli tribe, Lang Dulay. homestayed with the family of a T'boli and Ugo tribe and learned their native dance. For adventure, the zipline with the view of the waterfalls was exhilarating, nerve wracking but full of fun and excitement. I am looking forward to going back there again this summer.

Lots of Tilapia in that lake! I wasn't really overly impressed with the lake itself but it was really peaceful and relaxing to just be there. I read it's nicer early in the morning (sunrise).

We made a booking at this Eco resort but was very disappointed with the staff. We were late for our booking, so understandably we had to wait - 3 hours later and still no table! The management did not provide us with an estimated time and kept allowing other parties to be seated ahead of us. We found their organisation and hospitality very inconsiderate.