Ironwulf En Route
Sun rises over Lake Seloton
Lake Sebu may wow us with it’s vastness and sullen beauty, but it is in the Lake Seloton, the second largest lake and the deepest of the three mountain lakes, is where you can see a lake bathed in golden light as the sun rises behind the surrounding landscape covered mist. So early morning, on our last day in South Cotabato, we literally had to pull ourselves out of bed just to make our way about 2km to Lake Seloton’s Sunrise Garden Lake Resort.
Three boats and dusk at Lake Sebu
It is one thing seeing Lake Sebu from afar, but it’s another thing exploring the actual lake itself. For Php 350 at Punta Isla Lake Resort, you could hire a motor boat good for 8-10 persons in addition to your personal tour guide and boat man. Their tour guides are native T’bolis and are accredited by the DOT (Department of Tourism), so you get loads of information as well as stunning views of the lake during the boat ride. And I can say is that I truly appreciated the lake more while cruising along its expanse.
Lake Sebu travel buddy, Oggie, in action at Falls 2
The second falls, simply named as Falls 2, is not far from the first waterfall, Dongon Falls. Just a short habal-habal going down the road from Dongon falls, you’ll reach the entrance gate. The place has been developed into a park and there’s an entrance fee of Php 5.00 per person. The thought of the place being developed somehow irked me at first as those developments on some natural sights did much worse than improving them. Does Falls 2 suffer the same fate?
The Dongon Falls, first of the 7 Falls in Lake Sebu
Aside from Lake Sebu being the name of the natural lake, Lake Sebu is also the name of the whole municipal area in the province south west of South Cotabato. The lake is not the only attraction in the area as there are 2 more lakes and 7 waterfalls in which visitors may explore. So early the next day, we rode our habal-habal and headed to see two of the 7 waterfalls. First one of which is the Dongon Waterfalls.
Serenity abound at the pleasant waters of Lake Sebu
I’m really loving our country a lot since I started exploring more of Mindanao. There is no denying there are a lot of great places here to explore only dampened by its negative notion of being ‘unsafe.’ True there are areas trodden with strife, but they are concentrated, and a lot of areas are still safe to visit. And with my recent trip to the Southern Cotabato region, I’m more convinced that our natural wonders can offer a lot and even compete fairly with those of other countries as well. And one of those places in this region where I was enthralled by its natural beauty and is considered by Jens Peters as the country’s most beautiful lake, is Lake Sebu. And seeing it myself, I couldn’t agree anymore.
