Lusaran Dam

Lusaran Dam sits in the highland barangays above Cebu City, where the air cools by several degrees and the crowded lowland grid gives way to terraced slopes. The dam itself is unglamorous — a squat concrete structure holding back a modest reservoir — but the drive up is the real destination, climbing through the same upland farming country that has long supplied Cebu City’s markets with vegetables and cut flowers, thanks to the cooler air and steadier rainfall this elevation gets. Trails around the reservoir follow the Lusaran river valley, giving hikers a working look at how the city’s hinterland barangays make a living outside the tourism economy.

• Walk the reservoir’s edge for a quiet spot to picnic or shoot landscape photos away from the coastal heat.
• Follow the ridge trails above the dam for wider views down the Lusaran valley.
• Wear proper hiking shoes and carry water — the paths are dirt and gravel, with little shade past midmorning.

Explore More in Central Cebu Highlands and Metro Fringe

• Himbabawod Falls
• Kabang Falls
• Cebu Transcentral Highway