Alcantara, Cebu Travel Guide: Home of the Bahandi Festival
Travel and Community
Alcantara is a small, quiet coastal town on the southwestern side of Cebu, about 90 kilometers from Cebu City. Here is what to see, how to get there and what to taste.
Most people heading down Cebu's southwest coast are bound for Moalboal or the waterfalls farther south. Alcantara, a small town along the way, is easy to pass by, and that is part of its charm. It offers a peaceful, rural atmosphere, fertile farmland and a coastline facing the Tañon Strait.
About Alcantara
Alcantara is a small coastal municipality on the southwestern side of Cebu Province, roughly 90 kilometers from Cebu City. It is known as the "Home of the Bahandi Festival" and is blessed with rich marine resources and fertile agricultural land.
The town was once called Kugtong. According to the provincial tourism page, the name came from a legendary giant fish said to live in a spring at the center of town, before the Spaniards renamed it after a town in Spain.
Bahandi Festival and local culture
Alcantara's strongest cultural marker is the annual Bahandi Festival, held every August and celebrating the town's cultural and agricultural abundance. "Bahandi" is the Cebuano word for treasure or wealth.
The town's roots in the old settlement of Kugtong live on through local celebrations, religious practices and community gatherings. Dates of festival activities can change from year to year, so check with the municipal tourism office before you plan around them.
Places to visit
The Cebu Provincial Government's tourism page lists these top attractions:
- Alcantara Civic Center
- Heritage Park
- Kugtong Spring
- Mangrove Forest Boardwalk
It makes for an easy, slow-paced stop. If you are already travelling the southwest coast, it pairs well with a visit to nearby towns.
How to get there
- By bus: From the Cebu South Bus Terminal, take a bus bound for Moalboal, Badian, Alegria or another southern town via the western route, and tell the conductor you are getting off in Alcantara. Travel time is about 3 hours, depending on traffic.
- By private vehicle: Drive south via the Cebu South Road through Carcar City, Barili, Dumanjug and Ronda. The trip takes around 2.5 to 3 hours.
When to go and what to eat
The tourism office recommends the dry season, November to May, for outdoor activities and sightseeing. August is the time for the Bahandi Festival.
Try utan Bisaya, a ginger-infused vegetable soup with squash, okra and native greens, often finished with savory fish. It is simple home cooking at its best.
For tourism inquiries, the municipal tourism office lists +63 908-522-0632.