Guiwanon Cold Spring

Guiwanon Cold Spring sits directly along the main highway through Barangay Maslog in Tabogon, not off some unmarked side road — though the site has since rebranded as Banyan Springs Resort, so listings under either name point to the same spot. The water splits into two connected pools: a shallow section that suits kids and casual wading, and a deeper pool, about six feet down, where a broad old balete tree throws shade over swimmers and the occasional cliff-jumper. Balete trees carry their own folklore across the Visayas as dwellings for spirits, part of why old ones are rarely cut down even when they’re inconvenient.

That balete tree is doing more than providing shade. Across the Visayas, a mature balete is treated with real caution — cutting one down, or even disturbing it without some show of respect, is widely believed to invite bad luck or worse, tied to older animist beliefs about spirits (locally called “engkanto” or “diwata”) that predate the region’s Catholic identity and have simply persisted alongside it. That’s a large part of why a tree like this one gets left standing even when it takes up space a resort operator might otherwise want cleared, and why longtime visitors sometimes murmur a word of apology or permission (“tabi tabi”) before jumping from its lower limbs.

The rebrand to Banyan Springs Resort reflects a broader pattern along Cebu’s northern coast, where small community or family-run swimming spots gradually formalize into something closer to a proper resort as steady foot traffic from Cebu City builds up. That shift usually means better facilities — changing rooms, a sari-sari store or small canteen, maybe cottages for rent — but the underlying spring and its two pools stay the same, and longtime locals still tend to use the older name out of habit even after signage changes.

Tabogon’s economy outside the spring runs on fishing and coconut farming, typical of the northern mainland coast, and the resort brings in a supplementary income stream for the barangay rather than displacing that base economy. Staff and vendors on-site are frequently drawn from Maslog itself, and the modest entrance and parking fees collected go toward maintaining the pools and grounds rather than funding anything resembling a large commercial operation.

Cold spring water like this comes from groundwater rather than surface runoff, which is why the temperature holds steady even in the hottest months when a river or open pool would feel closer to bathwater. That steadiness depends on the water table and the surrounding tree cover staying intact — the balete and the other trees ringing the property aren’t purely decorative, they’re part of what keeps the spring cold and the flow consistent year over year. It’s the kind of quiet ecological dependency that’s easy to overlook until a spring like this stops running cold.

• The deeper pool draws local cliff-jumpers off the balete’s lower limbs — watch a round before joining in, since depth and footing shift by season.
• Reach it by bus from Cebu City’s North Bus Terminal toward Tabogon via Borbon; the drop-off is right on the highway, no jeepney transfer needed.
• Weekday mornings are quietest — the pools fill fast with day-trippers from Cebu City on weekends.
• Some visitors still ask for it as “Guiwanon” even though signage now reads Banyan Springs Resort — both names point to the same pools.

Explore More in North Cebu Mainland

• Bagacay Point Lighthouse
• Laaw Lagoon
• Funtastic Island