Red Rock Hot-Springs is a relaxation oasis in the highlands and cooler climate of Valencia and is a short 30-minute ride from the hotter streets of Dumaguete City.
Set along the hills and jungle in the cooler climate of Valencia, Red Rock Hot-Springs is the perfect tourist spot to unwind.
Red Rock Hot Springs is located a 5 minute drive from Pulangbato Falls. So, if you intend swimming in the cold water at Pulangbato Falls like Jacqueline did, consider warming up in the hot pools just a short downhill ride away.
Valencia is a 30 minute ride from Dumaguete and is a popular destination to visit while in the City.
Red Rock Hot-Springs – How to Get There
Red Rock Hot-Springs are located in Valencia municipality. This tourist spot is a 13 km drive from Dumaguete.
For those already in Dumaguete City, the short journey could take less than 30 minutes. Travel time mainly depends on if you choose public transport or hire a car or scooter.
By Scooter
Scooters are generally the cheapest option to get around especially if you are like us and are all day on the go. We found all the streets, both in Dumaguete and Valencia are paved and well maintained which makes riding a scooter around the city and to the tourist spots in Valencia a straightforward journey.
A scooter rental in Dumaguete will cost php400 to php500 ($8-$10) a day
Hire Car + Driver
If travelling in a larger group (more than 2) or aren’t confident riding a scooter, then a hire car is a great option. And with a hire car there is the option for a driver. Besides from driving you around, your driver will usually suggest a route and popular tourist attractions to include in the day.
A hire car with driver costs php3000 ($60) for 8 hours and can take 4 passengers + driver.
Local Bus and Habal-Habal
But the most interesting way to go is to do it DIY and use the public transport.
From Dumaguete catch a multi-cab heading to Valencia from near the public market. Let the driver know you are going to Red Rock Hot Springs so he will drop you off as close as possible. If you are too far away use a habal-habal for the rest of the journey.
Multicab cost: php20 ($.40) – Habal-Habal P150 ($3) for 15 minutes ride.
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Getting Directions
With online maps easily accessible with a few clicks, the logistic part of getting to your destination is simple. The go to maps we use are either Google.Maps or Maps.Me and we use one or the other depending on connectivity. I will explain why.
Online Map:
Our go to online map is Google.Maps. This is an online map which works great in urbanized areas and where there is steady mobile data connectivity. It is also straightforward to use. Simply enter the destination in the search bar and click directions.
You will get distance and also the journey time. Good to know is that most attractions will also have other useful information like opening hours, guest reviews and other places of interest nearby.
Offline Map:
However, when travelling in remote areas where connectivity is a hit and miss we resort to an offline mapping system named Maps.Me.
Maps.Me works offline however you will need to download the specific country you are in while you have a connection.
Using this app is also very simple. Enter your destination in the search at the bottom and hit ROUTE TO in the bottom section.
One downside to Maps.Me is that travel time isn’t always correct, and the system tends to choose the shortest route which at times may be more of a bumpy dirt road rather than an actual street. Therefore, the journey time will end up being much longer than you expect.
On the other hand, those bumpy and interesting rides are the adventures we remember.
Dumaguete to Red Rock Hot Springs Map
The map shows the route from Dumaguete City (point A) to Red Rock Hot Springs (point B). Point C, also shown on the map is Pulangbato Falls, another tourist attractions just 5 minutes drive from the Hot Springs.
>>Check our Dumaguete and Philippines travel guides. It might convince you to extend your trip!!
Red Rock Hot-Springs – What to Expect
If you read our other posts on things to do while in Dumaguete, you will find out that we didn’t get the bright sunny days expected in a tropical destination. In fact, when we visited Red Rock Hot-Springs it was a cloudy, rainy day which made the temperatures in Valencia quite chilly.
But this wasn’t all bad and actually we couldn’t of asked any better weather.
After swimming in the cool water at Pulangbato Falls, the clouds closed in on us and started raining. So we decided to leave and drove for 5 minutes downhill to the warmer springs.
Getting into the hot springs in the cool climate of Valencia and raining while surrounded in a tropical landscape is one of the best experiences.
It doesn’t really matter what the weather forecast is, Valencia’s temperature are usually cooler. However, mornings or late afternoons would be ideal for lower temperatures.
Red Rock Hot-Springs covers a rather large area and although does get a few visitors it won’t feel crowded. And there is also a second pool below which was basically empty when we went.
There is also an option of dining here. We didn’t try the food here so can’t say what it’s like. But its good to know just in case you stop by.
Useful Information
After spending a week in Cebu and exploring tourist spots in and around Moalboal, we decided to make our way further South and headed over to Negros Island. (Dumaguete is located on Negros Island)
Getting from one island to another is straightforward but if you need more help we created this guide on getting from Cebu to Dumaguete. This guide is actually on how to get to Siquijior, but by scrolling down you will find a section specifically on getting from Cebu to Dumaguete.
In total, we spent 7 nights in Dumaguete and most days we were working on this blog. And when we weren’t, we cruised around. Here are the places we visited:
The Forest Camp (same direction as Casaroro Falls)
Pulangbato Falls (near Red Rock Hot Springs)
To get a better understanding on where the attractions are located, below is a map with attraction marked in red.