Argao, Cebu
Argao is one of the municipalities of 2nd
District Cebu Province. It is situated in the southeast part which is about 68
kilometers from Cebu City. It has 45
barangays and now is considered as a first class municipality. Cebu was one of
the places in the Philippines in which the Spanish colonizers first landed. Several
heritage sites with a touch of Spain can still be seen now. Catholicism,
Catholic Church is one of the so many things we inherited from Spain. Argao is
not an exception to that.
Historical Fact
Many of you may ask, why has it been named Argao?
The given name Argao can still be traced back during the Spanish period.
Dwellers in this town claimed that it got its name from a tree called
Sali-argaw, which are bounteously in the coastal areas during that time.
What happen? Why has it been named after that tree?
Well, according to some stories which have been passed on from generations to
generations, a delegation of Spanish officials came to this town and asked a fisherman
what the name of the place was. Presumably because of the language barrier,
that man thought the Spaniards were asking about the Sali-argaw plants since they
were waving their arms in the entire place where these plants were abundantly
growing. With that, the fisherman simply responded “Sali-argaw” and from then
on the Spaniards baptized the place as el
pueblo de Argao.
Now, it’s been considered as one of the oldest
towns which was founded and established as pueblo by the Spaniards way back in 1608
with Don Felipe Lucero as the town’s first ever goberadorcillo.
How to get there
From Cebu City, you need to ride a bus going to
Argao/Bato via Oslob/Bato via Lilo-an at the Cebu South Bus Terminal. Travel
time would be around two hours but can be earlier if you’ll take the earlier
trip as of 4am or 5am to avoid the serious traffic situation along the way.
Buses bound for Argao leaves every 30 minutes from terminal. The fare would
cost you around Php85.00 for air-conditioned bus and Php79.00 for non-aircon
bus.
Where to stay there
There are several beach resorts that you can stay
for several days. You may opt to stay in pension houses if you want to stay
longer at an affordable price. Two of the famous resorts here are the Baluarte de
Argao Beach Resort in the town center area and the Coal Mountain Resort in the
mountain area.
Baluarte de Argao Beach Resort is
within walking distance to some heritage sites such as Casa Real, St. Michael
the Archangel Church and the Argao Hall of Justice. This resort is situated
just behind the Argao Watch Tower. Room rates start at Php1,700.00/night.
Baluarte de Argao Beach Resort
Coal Mountain Resort is situated in Brgy. Linut-od, Argao. Some of
the amenities you may enjoy includes two pools, mini-zoo, zip-line and hanging
bridge. Room rates start at Php1,000.00/night. It is recommended that you book
a room in advance because most of the time they are fully booked.
Coal Mountain Resort
Here are some other options you can choose from:
Tourist Attractions
You can do so many activities in this town. If you
love the beach, the very famous Mahayahay beach is mostly visited by tourists
because of its very affordable price. If you want to enjoy the beauty of
nature, there is the Argao Nature Park to amaze you. If you want some more
adventure, try to explore Balay sa Agta at the foot of Mount Lantoy where you
may pass through the Bugasok Falls. Want to experience River Cruise, then try
Sombria River Cruise riding at Brgy. Taloot, Argao, Cebu. If you want to
experience being in a castle then there’s the Riverstone Castle. And of course
the most heritage site here is the St. Michael the Archangel Church.
Mahayahay
Beach is a public beach and is great for big groups who prefers budget
place to enjoy. There are numerous cottages to choose from and some small
convenient stores. The name of this beach is a Cebuano word which means very
relaxing or comfortable.
Mahayahay Beach
Argao Nature
Park is a small park with interesting features not just for the locals but
also for the visitors. This park has a big pond for boating, wall-climbing and
zipline facilities, canopy walk, massage hut, mini zoo, small restaurtant and
board game areas. There’s a nearby children’s park in which your kids would
love to stop by.
Argao Nature Park
Balay sa Agta
is situated in Brgy. Conalum. Before you can explore this place you are
required to book a reservation with the Municipality of Argao Tourists
Assistance & Information Center at
least a day before your visit. You will have a tourist guide and you will be
provided trekking gears. It would cost about Php600/person to explore this, approximately for 2 hours.
Balay sa Agta
Sombria River
Cruise is in Brgy. Taloot. This is a 15-minute ride which will showcase
mostly of the mangrove sites and what’s in there. You might be able to see
several species of birds during the whole trip. This cruise ends with a sutukil
lunch at Bienmar Sea Culture &
Seafood Restaurant. The whole experience would cost your about
Php650/person.
Sombria River Cruise
Riverstone
Castle is a tropical castle resort which was built in 2002. This castle
resort has a mini-zoo and swimming pool inside. It also has a mini park and
function room which resembles a main hall of a real castle.
Riverstone Castle
St. Michael
the Archangel Church is located in Poblacion, Argao. This church was built
from 1734 to 1788. It really resembles a typical Spanish style old church. It
has a unique façade, a pipe organ inside, a pulpit attached to the wall and you
will see paintings on the ceiling which was painted in the 20th
century.
St. Michael the Archangel Church
Transportation
Argao's main mode of transportation is tricycle. It's a three-wheeled motorized vehicle. Starting fare price is Php10. Just let the driver know where you want to go and he'll bring you there.
Delicacies
Argao's main mode of transportation is tricycle. It's a three-wheeled motorized vehicle. Starting fare price is Php10. Just let the driver know where you want to go and he'll bring you there.
Tricyle
Delicacies
Your stay in this town won’t be complete without trying their famous delicacies.
First is of course mouth-watering Torta, sweet
cake that melts in your mouth.
Next would be the Tablea to make hot chocolates
or an ingredient to your champorado.
This may not all be the things you’ll enjoy in my
hometown. You’ll discover more as you explore this beautiful place. Even I
rarely visit this place now, I still do try my very best to drop a day or 2 to visit
in this memorable place. I hope you too will enjoy your trip. :)
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