My Top 5 Mountain Bike Routes in Cebu

My blog is about to turn a year now so I thought I’d come up with a list of the best bike trails in Cebu. Note that this is not a “how-to-get-there” guide because the location of trails, being trails, are not easy to point to. If you ever happen to visit Cebu, these are the places you ought to rip. You can ride with local riders, we are all friendly here :)

Panas Downhill Trail - Panas, Consolacion, Cebu. This downhill mountain bike route literally left a mark on me. One time I nearly blinded my left eye when I went over the handlebar and landed on my face. There was a sharp root sticking out of the ground and it stabbed through right under my left eye. At the trailhead is a jump that leads right into a bamboo so you have to whip your bike so you don’t end up where you don’t want to. The whole route is a single track that carves at the side of a hill. It’s probably the steepest trail I’ve ever ridden. You’ll have to put a lot of work maintaining the grip of your tires on the loose red soil. There are small drops and a three-foot drop that lands into ruts, roots, and rocks. Of course, I didn’t do any of the drops and jumps. But I know someone who did, check out this Youtube video to watch how he ripped the trail.

Gaas Trail - Gaas Balamban to Casuy, Toledo. This is an all-mountain bike route that crosses from Gaas, Balamban in central Cebu to Toledo City in the western part of the province. You start your ride through a foggy single track and end it in rock garden with boulder-sized rocks. It is one of the most scenic places to ride at, the whole journey concluded with an awe-inspiring view of Lake Casuy.

Sibugay-Taptap-Kanirag - Central Cebu. Also called the 3-in-1 because it all three trails are usually ridden in one day. Sibugay starts with a series of single tracks which lead you to steep descents and a ride along a river. There are also multiple river crossings until you reach Barangay Bonbon, a low-lying barangay where at the end of a muddy ride you can eat to your belly’s content from any of their three or four foodhouses. Mind you, they serve big and cheap. Next stop from Sibugay is Taptap.

It is actually quite faaar from the first trail but you can stil go there anyway because you are already in the area. You can take a habal-habal from Brgy. Bonbon to the junction to Brgy. Taptap. From there, it is a fast downhill ride through a network of barangay roads then through a single track that leads to a rock garden. You’ll have to pedal a bit to reach the highway. From the highway you’ll need to break some sweat to reach Kan-irag. Ride through a scenic pasture and into the old golf course until you reach a barangay road. This is where all the scary action starts, as riders usually go all out on their bikes here. Blind curves, rain ruts, loose traction--they are all there but none of the boys seem to mind.

Vegetable Highway - Carcar to Sibonga, Cebu. A route both for road and mountain bikes, the vegetable highway forms a spine that runs from Carcar southwards to Sibonga. There is also an option to go to Dumanjug. When you reach Carcar rotunda, turn right on the road that leads to Barili. From the rotunda the junction is 7.5kms away. Enjoy heart-breaking climbs and fast descents through this roller-coaster route. 

Carmen - Danao Mountain Route. This route is like a beautiful love story: it takes your breath away (although at a more heart-breaking sense). It’s not really that high, with only 1,200ft of maximum elevation. But it’s the steepness that you have to contend with. But the whole experience is a sight to remember, probably the most stunning but least known scenic views in the Province of Cebu.