I ♥ SOUTH COTABATO
Overnight Side Trip to Lake Sebu: A 2023 Quick Travel Guide
After years of wanting to go to Lake Sebu, I finally found an opportunity to visit this place. We were planning our annual family vacation (which we’ve decided to be Davao this year) so my husband and I figured we could book a flight to General Santos City, go on an overnight trip to Lake Sebu before heading to Davao to meet the rest of the family. This blog entry details our 2-day trip to Lake Sebu via General Santos City before we headed for Davao.
Riding an owong on Lake Sebu (Photo © iHeartPH 2019)
Where is Lake Sebu located?
Lake Sebu is a natural lake located within the Alah Valley Region in South Cotabato. Lake Sebu is also the name of the municipality where it is located. This 42,450 hectares landscape is recognized by UNESCO as one of the most important cultural landscapes in Mindanao. The lake itself is considered by the government as one of the key watersheds in the Philippines and is recognized as an ancestral domain. The municipality of Lake Sebu has been successful in preserving the culture of the T'boli tribe including T'nalak weaving. The municipality of Lake Sebu is about 100 kms away from General Santos City and about 45 kms away from Koronadal City.
What are the things you can do in Lake Sebu?
Lake Sebu, more than anything, is a cultural hub filled with the rich heritage of the T'boli tribe. Most travelers who come to Lake Sebu for a cultural immersion shouldn't miss the dream weavers and the wood carvers. But apart from learning about its culture, Lake Sebu also has one of the most impressive and well-preserved natural wonders. One shouldn't miss exploring its lakes and its most famous Seven Waterfalls. Once you get to the Lake Sebu bus/van terminal, you will see a list of attractions that you can go to. Lake Sebu Tourism Office has categorized the tourist destinations into 3 groups - culture, adventure and nature.
CULTURAL IMMERSIONS
- Brass casting
- Bead making
- Wood carving
- Cultural performances
- Santa Cruz Mission School Inc. where most T'bolis have graduated
- T'boli food
- T'boli museum
- Loom weaving
- Lang Dulay Weaving Center
ADVENTURE TRIPS
- Zipline over waterfalls
- Kayaking and water biking
- Horseback riding
- Bird watching and hiking
- Mountain trekking in Three Kings
- Habal-habal and Skylab ride
- Caving/spelunking
NATURE EXPLORATIONS
- Lake Sebu
- Lake Lahit
- Lake Seloton
- Seven Waterfalls
- Lotus Flower
- Traan Kini Cold Spring
- Sepaka River
How to go to Lake Sebu from Manila?
Going to Lake Sebu was easier than I had expected. I was imagining long bus rides on bumpy roads but it turned out to be a way easier route than other more popular tourist destinations in the Philippines. Here are the steps on how to reach Lake Sebu from Manila:
- Take a flight from Manila to General Santos City either through Cebu Pacific Air or Philippine Airlines. As of now, these are only 2 airlines which go to General Santos City.
- From General Santos City, ride a tricycle or taxi going to Bulaong Terminal.
- From the terminal, you have several options to go to Lake Sebu:
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- From Lake Sebu Terminal, there will be several tour guides and habal drivers that you can hire to get you to your accommodation. As a tourist, you will be required to register at the terminal. This will allow the local tourism department to monitor the travelers in the area for their safety. At the terminal, you can also arrange your tours with the official/designated tour guides.
- From Lake Sebu, going back to General Santos City, just follow the same route. Note that the trip of the van going straight to General Santos City is also at 3:00 PM.
How many days should I spend there?
I would suggest to have at least a night to spare when you want to explore Lake Sebu. The best time to explore the lake would be early morning about 5:30 to 7:00 AM so unless you are able to travel from General Santos City at 3:30 AM, then a day trip will do. If you are going to do a day trip, then follow Day 2 in my suggested itinerary below. This itinerary is for a 1-night stay in Lake Sebu plus a 1-night stay in General Santos City.
DAY 1: TRAVEL FROM GENERAL SANTOS CITY TO LAKE SEBU, SUNSET WATCHING
Time |
Activity |
10:00 AM |
Departure from Manila to General Santos via Cebu Pacific Air |
12:05 PM |
Arrival in General Santos International Airport |
12:30 PM |
Check-in at Anchor Hotel There are a lot of hotel choices in General Santos but we decided to go with Anchor Hotel since we needed a place to leave our huge luggage behind and just bring an overnight pack to Lake Sebu. Anchor Hotel is a sister company of Dolores Lake Resort, the place we stayed in Lake Sebu, so they allowed us to leave our things and arrange for a complimentary airport transfer. |
1:00 PM |
Quick lunch at Anchor Hotel |
2:00 PM |
En route to Lake Sebu from Bulaong Terminal in General Santos City |
4:30 PM |
Arrival at Lake Sebu We met Sir Mark, the tour guide we arranged prior to our visit, at the van terminal. We also arranged for him to pick us up at the terminal and take us to our resort. |
5:00 PM |
Check-in at Dolores Lake Resort |
5:30 PM |
Dinner with Sunset We were scrambling and hurrying because it was almost sunset. I saw a restaurant/canteen on the way which was facing west and overlooking the lake so we decided to eat there. |
8:00 PM |
Back at Dolores Lake Resort to rest |
There are also other sunset viewpoints which you can go to on your first day. We were hungry the moment we arrived in Lake Sebu and all we could think of was food so we chose an overlooking restaurant. If food is not your priority, my suggestion would be to go with Evelandia Lake Vista or Divine Mercy Sanctuary.
DAY 2: LAKE SEBU DAY TOUR
DAY 2: LAKE SEBU DAY TOUR
Time |
Activity |
4:30 AM |
Wake up and prepare for the lotus boat tour |
5:00 AM |
Meet Sir Mark at Dolores Lake Resort |
5:30 AM |
Lotus boat tour Sir Mark didn't have his own wooden boat (owung) so we had to borrow one from a local fisherman. We paid P200 for the rental of the boat. |
7:00 AM |
Short side trip to Punta Isla Lake Resort Right after the boat tour, he dropped us off Punta Isla Lake Resort. It was easier and safer for us walk from here to the main road compared to where we boarded the boat earlier. That was one hella scary motorbike ride. Punta Isla has a nice overlooking view of the lake and they have lush garden where you can take photos. |
8:00 AM |
Back to Dolores Lake Resort for breakfast We didn't have the chance to eat breakfast before the lotus boat tour because buffet only opens at 6:30 AM. We also checked out right after lunch so after the tour, we'll be heading straight for General Santos City. |
10:00 AM |
Resume tour, second stop at T'boli Museum |
10:40 AM |
Witness dreamweavers at the Lang Dulay T'nalak Weaving Center |
11:30 AM |
Zipline over majestic waterfalls Spend a good amount of time here. You can trek a bit to see the other waterfalls in the area. See my blog entry here about the Highest Zipline in Southeast Asia. |
1:30 PM |
Lunch at Lantaw Lake |
3:00 PM |
Travel back to General Santos City |
5:30 PM |
Arrival at Bulaong Terminal; tricycle to Anchor Hotel |
5:45 PM |
Check-in at Anchor Hotel |
7:00 PM |
Dinner at nearby Jollibee |
8:30 PM |
Rest after a long day! |
How much should my budget be?
The budget for a Lake Sebu trip really depends on the activities that you would like to do during your trip and how long you are staying. For our one-night trip, the cost is roughly P9,000 per person. This includes airfare but excludes the expenses for one more night stay in General Santos City after the Lake Sebu trip. Note that these are prices during our trip in 2019 and most likely have increased since then.
Activity or Item |
Cost |
Flight from Manila to General Santos City via Cebu Pacific We were not able to get promo fares for this trip. If we have, it would definitely cost a lot less, maybe half the price we got. |
P5,401.24 per person |
Airport transfer from General Santos City International Airport to Anchor Hotel |
Free (complimentary by hotel) |
Breakfast at Cafe Rodrigo (Anchor Hotel) |
P235 for a complete meal |
Tricycle from Anchor Hotel to Bulaong Terminal |
P10 per person |
Van from Bulaong Terminal to Lake Sebu (Express Direct) |
P150 per person |
Habal ride from Lake Sebu Terminal to Dolores Lake Resort and to dinner |
P120 + tip because we had him wait for us a long time at the hotel |
Dinner overlooking the lake |
P380 for all 3 of us (chicharon tilapia, adobong manok, 4 cups of rice, 2 Coke and 1 bottled water) |
One night accommodation at Dolores Lake Resort |
P2,600 |
Full day tour (T'boli Museum, Lang Dulay and Seven Waterfalls) |
P750 + tip |
Lotus boat rental |
P100 |
Punta Isla Resort entrance fee |
P10 per person |
T'boli Museum entrance fee |
P20 per person + donation |
Lang Dulay Weaving Center |
Donation only |
T'nalak pouch souvenir |
P250 each |
Seven waterfalls entrance fee |
P20 per person |
Zipline |
P350 per person |
Official photos during zipline |
P150 for 3 photos |
Costume rental |
P50 each + donation |
Lunch |
P565 for all 3 of us (Nilagpang, Inasal, unlimited rice, Coke, bottled water and calamansi juice) |
Van from Lake Sebu to Marbel |
P80 per person |
Bus from Marbel to General Santos City |
P95 per person |
Where can I stay in Lake Sebu?
There are only a few hotels/resorts in Lake Sebu but I have done enough research on each of them to be able to make a good decision. My first choice would have been Punta Isla Lake Resort. Although they don't have a good rating in Tripadvisor.com (only 3.5 out of 5), I believe they are one of the biggest and most travelers end up staying with them. There are about 2-3 more resorts in the area but it was farther away from the lake. My goal was to get a place overlooking the lake but near enough for us to lounge and watch the sunset/sunrise if we had a chance. We found a more expensive but newer resort called Dolores Lake Resort which was on their introductory promo when we came to visit. Read about our stay in Dolores Lake Resort here: A Review of Dolores Lake Resort
Here's a list of the resorts in Lake Sebu based on my preference:
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There are also several other accommodations but has very limited information online:
Below are some photos I took of Dolores Lake Resort and Punta Isla Lake Resort...
- SLT - T'boli Home Stay
- Lemobung Lodge
- Mountain Lake Eco Resort
- Tolento Lodge and Resto
- Merl Garden
- Monte Cielo
Below are some photos I took of Dolores Lake Resort and Punta Isla Lake Resort...
Is it possible to do a day trip in Lake Sebu?
It is definitely possible to do a day trip in Lake Sebu from General Santos City, especially if you have your own transportation. If you don’t, there are several cars/van that you can rent. Here are the rates according to one of the car/van rental companies where we have inquired:
- Car up to 4 persons – P4,000
- Small van for 6-7 persons – P5,500
- Big van for up to 15 persons – P6,500
There are several transportation rental companies that you can contact in General Santos City. Hotels in General Santos City should also be able to arrange this trip for you. Just inquire at the receptionist of your hotel. If you don't have any contact, you can try reaching out to Kuya Loloy at 0927-766-4278 or 0910-437-8122.
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If you have any comments or questions, feel free to post them here:
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