Lake Sebu is a beautiful inland sea on the island of Mindanao, the most Southern Island of the Philippines. This lake is located in the southern Tiruray Highlands at an altitude of almost 300m (984ft). Lake Sebu is surrounded by rolling hills and forested mountains and is home to the T'boli, a highland tribe famous for their colourful costumes, complicated beadwork, woven work and brass ornaments. The Ubos, or Tasaday, also live in the region, they are a cave-dwelling and primitive, stone-age tribe that lived in isolation in high caves of the primary rain forest area. Another tribe, the Tirurays, are divided into coastal, river and mountain groups. Tirurays who live in the mountains still live in their traditional way. The area of Lake Sebu is recognized as the T'boli and Ubo ancestral domain.
Lake Sebu actually consists of three adjacent mountain lakes wich will instantly capture the heart of nature lovers. Lake Sebu is the largest among the three lakes. Lake Siluton, the deepest and Lahit the smallest. These placid lakes are found in the middle of Allah Valley Watershed Forest Reserve which is used for fish farming or Tilapia Culture, duck raising and the harvesting of freshwater shrimps and snails. More than one half of the land around the lake is cultivated for agriculture. The lake also irrigates the fertile Allah Valley, the area surrounding Lake Sebu has many small streams, rivers, springs and creeks. Local tribesmen consider the lake not only a God-given food basket but also a miraculous body of water that never dries up. The watershed of Lake Sebu is recognized as one of the most important watershed areas in the Philippines and is proclaimed as a Protected Landscape.
