6 Days in Lake Holon, Lake Sebu & South Cotabato

Marcos explores the sacred waters of Lake Holon & Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, Philippines.
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The first stop on our itinerary in Southcentral Mindanao was Lake Holon, a volcanic crater lake perched on Mount Parker in South Cotabato Province.

The journey getting there involved a flight to General Santos City, overnight transit in Koronadal City, local transport on rough roads from T’Boli town, and a 4-hour trek from Kule Village, one of the jump-off points to the lake.

It was quite a long journey just to get to our first stop, but seeing the magical views at Lake Holon was well worth the effort.

Lake Holon is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Philippines!

We spent two nights on the lakeside camping grounds before setting off to nearby Lake Sebu. This highland resort town is home to the 7 Falls Zipline, the highest zipline in Asia, and well-preserved cultural traditions of the T’Boli mountain tribe.

While in town, we enjoyed a sunrise paddle boat cruise at nearby Lake Seloton’s lily fields.

Then, we enjoyed the famous 7 Falls Zipline. And, even dared to venture on foot from the 7th to 4th falls.

Highlights

  • Highlights: Lake Holon, Lake Sebu & South Cotabato

    Highlights: Lake Holon, Lake Sebu & South Cotabato

  • General Santos Airport

    General Santos Airport

  • Kule Trail Receiving Area

    Kule Trail Receiving Area

  • Kule Village

    Kule Village

  • Lake Holon-Kule Hot Spring

    Lake Holon-Kule Hot Spring

  • Marcos at Lake Holon viewpoint

    Marcos at Lake Holon viewpoint

  • Kule trail forest view

    Kule trail forest view

  • Kule trail mossy forest

    Kule trail mossy forest

  • Marcos at Lake Holon

    Marcos at Lake Holon

  • Lake Holon traditional fishing

    Lake Holon traditional fishing

  • Lake Holon fish spa

    Lake Holon fish spa

  • Mount Parker

    Mount Parker

  • Marcos at Lake Holon campsite

    Marcos at Lake Holon campsite

  • Sunset at Lake Holon campsite

    Sunset at Lake Holon campsite

  • Tent at Lake Holon campsite

    Tent at Lake Holon campsite

  • Marcos at Lake Holon

    Marcos at Lake Holon

  • Lake Holon view

    Lake Holon view

  • Salacafe trail

    Salacafe trail

  • Salacafe trail

    Salacafe trail

  • Salacafe trail

    Salacafe trail

  • Lake Seloton

    Lake Seloton

  • Lake Seloton lily fields

    Lake Seloton lily fields

  • Lake Seloton

    Lake Seloton

  • Lake Seloton lily fields

    Lake Seloton lily fields

  • Lake Seloton lily fields

    Lake Seloton lily fields

  • Lake Seloton lily fields

    Lake Seloton lily fields

  • Hikong Alu (1st) Falls

    Hikong Alu (1st) Falls

  • Lake Sebu 7 Falls Zipline view

    Lake Sebu 7 Falls Zipline view

  • Lake Sebu 7 Falls Zipline

    Lake Sebu 7 Falls Zipline

  • Hikong Tonok (7th) Falls

    Hikong Tonok (7th) Falls

  • Foot of Hikong Tonok (7th) Falls

    Foot of Hikong Tonok (7th) Falls

  • Hikong Tonok - 6th & 5th Falls trek

    Hikong Tonok - 6th & 5th Falls trek

  • Hikong Bente Waterfall (2nd Falls)

    Hikong Bente Waterfall (2nd Falls)

  • Punta Isla Resort

    Punta Isla Resort

  • Punta Isla Resort

    Punta Isla Resort

  • Punta Isla Resort

    Punta Isla Resort

  • School of Living Traditions (SLT) & Homestay

    School of Living Traditions (SLT) & Homestay

  • School of Living Traditions (SLT) & Homestay

    School of Living Traditions (SLT) & Homestay

  • Lion's Beach (Queen Tuna Park)

    Lion's Beach (Queen Tuna Park)

  • General Santos public market

    General Santos public market

  • SM City General Santos (shopping mall)

    SM City General Santos (shopping mall)

  • Tuna trading at General Santos Fish Port

    Tuna trading at General Santos Fish Port

  • Tuna trading at General Santos Fish Port

    Tuna trading at General Santos Fish Port

Route Map

Array

Trip Itinerary

Leg 1

Places General Santos (South Cotabato) » Koronadal » T'Boli » Kule village » Lake Holon » Salacafe village » T'Boli

General Santos & Koronadal transit

Day 1

4:20AM — Iloilo to General Santos flight on Cebu Pacific — 1 hour.

General Santos Airport to Bus Terminal taxi — 20 minutes; P350.

General Santos to Koronadal City on Husky bus — 1 hour; P75.

Rest at Koronadal City.

Lake Holon

Day 2

7AM — Koronadal to T’Boli shuttle — 1 hour; Board from Husky shuttle/bus terminal.

8AM — Registration at T’Boli tourism center.

9:30AM — T’Boli to Kule village habal-habal (motorcycle taxi) — 1.5 hours; P300 per person.

11AM — Briefing at Kule receiving area.

1PM — Lake Holon trek via Kule Trail.

2PM — Hot spring.

3PM — Lake-Holon Kule trail viewdeck.

4:20PM — Transport to Lake Holon campsite on boat charter — 10 minutes; P150 per boat.

4:30PM — Sightseeing & set up camp at Lake Holon campsite.

Rest at Lake Holon campsite.

Day 3

Sightseeing at Lake Holon campsite.

Rest at Lake Holon campsite.

Day 4

8:30AM — Start trek back via Salacafe trail.

11:30AM — Log out at Salacafe receiving area.

Salacafe to T’boli habal-habal.

Other expenses on Lake Holon trek:

Tent — P150 per tent per day

Guide — P600 per guide per day.

Porter — P580 for two big bags. They charged by the kilo.

Leg 2

Lake Sebu & Lake Seloton

Places — T'boli » Lake Seloton » Lake Sebu

Day 4 (continued)

12:30NN — T’boli to Lake Sebu transport via Surallah.

Lake Seloton sightseeing.

Rest at Sunrise Garden Lake Resort, in Lake Seloton.

Check Rates

Day 5

5:30AM — Lake Seloton lotus fields & sunrise cruise — I previously blogged about my amazing morning cruise at Lake Sebu. Just FYI, one of the commenters pointed out, the pink flowers are actually indigenous water lilies, not lotuses.

10:30AM — Lake Seloton to Hikong Alu (1st Falls) habal-habal.

11AM — Trek to Hikong Alu (1st Falls).

11:30AM — Lake Sebu Seven Falls Zipline — 1st falls to 3rd falls.

View of Hikong B’lebel (3rd Falls).

11:45AM — Start 7th to 4th Falls trek — This trek was something that I had wanted to do since I first knew about it. The trail was in really bad shape and I don’t recommend most people to do it, save for the most adventurous kind. Especially because the 2nd falls is the most impressive anyways, and the way getting to the base is a lot easier.

12:15NN — Arrive at Hikong Tonok (7th Falls).

1PM — View of Hikong K’fo-i (6th Falls).

View of Hikong Ukol (5th Falls).

View of Hikong Lowig (4th Falls).

1:30PM — Continue Lake Sebu Seven Falls Zipline — 3rd falls to 2nd falls.

View of Hikong Bente (2nd Falls).

4PM — Sightseeing at Punta Isla Lake Resort.

Rest at Lake Sebu.

Leg 3

Places — Lake Sebu  » General Santos

General Santos stopover (before Balut Island trip)

Day 6

11PM — Lake Sebu to General Santos transport.

1:30PM — General Santos stopover while waiting for the boat departure to Balut Island— SM City General Santos, Queen Tuna Park, General Santos Public Market.

General Santos stopover (after Balut Island trip)

5:30AM — Arrival at Puting Bato port.

6AM — General Santos Fish Port sunrise tour.

This trip is part of Marcos' Southcentral Mindanao & 2016 trips.

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This trip is part of Marcos’ 12 Days Southcentral Mindanao Highlands & Islands & 2016 Detours series.

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IN PHOTOS: Marcos explores the sacred waters of Lake Holon & Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, Philippines.