What‘s Included

Meeting and Pickup

What To Expect

Reviews

• Not a special wildlife encounter, this is a commercial chaos that puts animals at risk just so tourists can take selfie

  Carla M,

  Sep 24, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  3.00

  This was not at all what I expected particularly the whale shark encounter. I was picked up 30 minutes late (booking said 4am), so I could have got a little more rest before the long day. There was no guide to explain how the tour would run and the driver didn’t tell us anything until we stopped at the 1st stop to see the monkeys. This was a fun little stop that was supposed to be for 1 hour but 30 minutes was more than enough. When we arrived at Oslob we were met by a local guide who instructed us to get changed into our swimsuits and bring only a towel and shoes. There was nowhere to store our bags, wallets, phones and valuables. The guide agreed to hold my backpack when he saw how stressed I was about leaving my belongings unattended. He then walked us down to a beach that was full of people and said that we would only be going about 200m offshore to find the whalesharks. Then we were handed a mask with no snorkel or flippers. Use of snorkeling equipment was supposed to be included. So i had to wear my shoes in the water. We were given life jackets and then told to get onto a canoe style boat with a whole group of other people and the guide handed me a go pro and told me to give it to one of the boatmen. Use of the GoPro was included but I never got to use it during the experience. Instead the boatman simply held it in the water and told us to swim towards the boat so he could film us. This was impossible because the waves were rough and I had to try not to get hit on the head by the wooden frames that stuck out from the side of the boat. And there was just too many people in the water so i had to swim away because people kept kicking or bumping into me in the water. There was also a smaller boat in the water going back and forth and I realised that this guy was throwing food into the water to entice the whale shark to follow him and come close to us. This presented a whole other problem because you are supposed to stay at least 4m away from the whale shark but there is no room to move away between the feeder boat and the row of tourists boats and dozens of swimmers in the water. It seems this whole situation is based on getting as many people in the water and too close to the whale shark for photos and no consideration given to the welfare of the whales. This constant barrage of people getting in their faces as well as the constant supply of food to keep them in close to the beach is not natural and will have a detrimental impact on their natural life. I was very unhappy to be involved in this commercialised exploitation of these gentle giants of the sea. After getting back to shore I saw the guide sitting in the waiting area with my backpack left on a chair while he played on his phone (i’m sure he would not have noticed if someone picked up my bag and took it). we were then told to get changed again but when i came back to where the guide was supposed to be he had walked off. I had to go back and forth to the road and look in all the shops trying to find him and this wasted valuable time and had me worried that he had left without me. Eventually I spotted him at a counter where a lady was downloading the GoPro to our phones. Unfortunately there was mainly footage of people swimming and distant shots of the whales. We then continued on another long drive to Moalboal for the sardines and turtle snorkeling and were met on arrival in a parking lot by another local guide. Instructed to get changed again and then leave all our belongings in the minibus that thankfully the driver was going to stay in until we got back. This time we were given a proper snorkel but no flippers and then walked down to the beachfront. This guide at least explained what was going to happen and forewarned us that visibility would be poor because the water had been churned up by the typhoon. Although I am a good and confident swimmer I always rely on flippers to keep moving and buoyancy in the water, particularly when removing the lifejacket to be able to dive down to see the one turtle and trying to avoid another group that just barged in and swam over the top of us fighting to take selfies close to the turtle who also seemed distressed being surrounded by humans. Again the guide held onto the GoPro so i couldn’t get any footage of the sardines. This guide however did make an effort to get some photos of us close to the sardines when he could. Getting back to the shore was difficult without flippers but thankfully this guide tried to be helpful and make sure none of us slipped or fell. We then got changed and taken to a nearby cafe to have something to eat. We had not had any breakfast or lunch and it was already 2.30pm. We had not been given any coffee/tea or snacks that was supposed to be included and were not given any choice of places to eat. The guide had disappeared with the GoPro and he did not return until we finished our meals. But at least he made sure that this footage was also downloaded before we left. Then the guide left so that it was just the 3 of us and the driver for another 3-4 hours drive back to Cebu City. I am seeking a partial refund from Cebu Southern Tours for the inclusions that were not provided. I would highly recommend that travellers be forewarned about what this tour actually does and that it is not the special wildlife encounter that it suggests.

• Long and tiring trip but worth it

  davidtzho,

  May 5, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  It was a long ride from our hotel in Cebu to the whale watching site, almost 4 hours. The driver was not communicative at all. He only told all the passangers that the trip would take about 3 to 4 hours and then said nothing at all the entire trip. It would be more enjoyable if he would intorduce the sights along the way. All tours (in different countries) would always pre-announce restroom stops on such a long trip. Yet, no such stops were planned. I had to ask him to make a restroom break after 3 hours. We stopped at a monkey santurary about 30 minutes to the whale shark spot, it was fun feeding the monkeys. The whale shark site was chock full of tourists. A local guide came and took us to the beach to board the boat. we paid PH$1200 pesos to have underwater pictures taken (this also covers the sardine hurracine pictures). There were not that many whale sharks (a friend of mine who went there 6 years ago said there were an abundance of whale sharks but the numbers have decreased significantly on his trip least year). The trip to the sardine hurracine spot was 2 hours. A lot of sardines. Overall, the PH$1200 peso for underwater pictures was worth it as we would not be able to take the quality of pictures on our own with our iPhones. The photographer dived deep and pointed his camera upwards to take the sardines and then our images appeared at the end - very cool. The trip back to Cebu is another 3.5 hours. It was along and tiring day, but worth it as these are not things you see everyday.

• Unforgettable experience with mates

  E9992DOmohits,

  Mar 26, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I took this tour with a few of my mates. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great time snorkelling with sharks and overall good experience. Would recommend!

• Amazing experience

  ChiragC67,

  Mar 26, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  It was an amazing experience, so much more than I expected! I can wholeheartedly recommend this tour and the guides - everyone is kind and very knowledgeable about what they are offering. Can’t wait to be back.

• Great tour

  amanrawat05,

  Mar 18, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  The tour was simply amazing. It was very smooth experience. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend.

• the best cebu!

  annmF9185AF,

  Mar 11, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Traveling solo, I wanted a tour that was hassle-free and full of adventure—this exceeded all expectations! Swimming with whale sharks in Oslob was absolutely surreal, and snorkeling in Moalboal with turtles and the sardine run was just as breathtaking. The visit to the monkey sanctuary was a fun bonus, and everything was perfectly arranged, from hotel pickup to drop-off. The guides were friendly, professional, and made sure everyone had an amazing time. This was hands down the best experience I’ve had in the Philippines. A must-do for anyone visiting Cebu!

• Unforgettable moments

  aljuna2025,

  Mar 11, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Well organized, authentic experienced, safe and comfortable ❤️ Good Company and well entertained 🙂 recommended 🫰🚙

• One of a kind experience

  paulbenjamina2025,

  Mar 11, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  This tour was amazing! I was picked up & dropped off at my hotel. I got to see the whale shark up close (my first experience with them). We've got to feed the monkeys (note that they are not like Bali monkeys). And we've also got to swim with the sardines and the sea turtles. over-all the experience was amazing. Eller the driver was a great & experienced driver & so with the guides. This is a must try tour. I will definitely do this again!

  

  

  

• Very fun, and

  ashlleyg2025,

  Mar 10, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  As a solo traveler, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience! From swimming alongside the majestic whale sharks in Oslob to snorkeling with turtles and the mesmerizing sardine run in Moalboal, every moment was unforgettable. The stop at the monkey sanctuary was a great touch, and the entire tour was well-organized with friendly guides who made me feel completely at ease. Everything—from hotel pickup to drop-off—was seamless.

• AVOID - Last minute cancellation and lying!!!

  H2426LSalinam,

  Mar 10, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  I have booked a whale shark, turtles and monkey tour long in advance to ensure we have a nice small group experience. Two days before the tour I haven’t received any communication and so I reached out to the tour provider to check if the tour was still happening. The day before the tour the company has responded confirming the pick up time. However, few hours later in the evening I have received a message saying that the tour can’t go ahead due to “rough conditions and local government authorities closing up the site”. Instead I was asked if I want to rebook the tour for a day later which wasn’t possible as we already had our next flight booked. I checked online and after not seeing any information on the bad weather started to think that the company simply lied because they couldn’t get enough people for the tour. And that was the case! I managed to book the same tour with a different company (thanks a lot to them!) just 4hours before the tour. We went to Oslob today and as expected there were no issues with the weather, no closures - everything was operating as usual, and the place was full of people! Don’t make my mistake - Avoid Cebu Blue tours unless you want your plans to be ruined last minute! If it wasn’t for our amazing hotel stuff we would end up completely missing experience we were so looking forward to.

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