Visit Sagada, Philippines - Tours, Hotels and Trips

Sagada Philippines Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): (Almost Everything You Need To Know)

Benj — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 05:50:18 +0000

Visit Sagada is your one-stop resource website for everything that has everything to do with Sagada, Philippines.

Here’s the Sagada Super Post. Almost everything you know for planning your very own cost-efficient, organized and fun Do-It-Yourself Sagada getaway is here. If you don’t find it here, email us at team@visitsagada *dot* com

Think of this post as a table of contents that would tie together almost all the entries that we have here.

How do I get to Sagada?

Comparing the routes - what's the best one?

What are the places to see and the things to do?

How do I see the sights and places of interest?

Where can we stay in Sagada?

Residential Lodge – Visit Sagada highly recommends this.
George Guesthouse

Budget for Sagada? How many days?

Sagada Bonfire 2011!

Benj — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:27:59 +0000

And it’s that time of the year once again! There will be another Sagada bonfire this year! If you’re going to Sagada at year’s end, it would definitely a must-see event! Like it has always been for the past two years, the bonfire will be held at Kiltepan Point – a gorgeous look out spot that culminates in a cliff that overlooks vast terraces. The fog usually rolls in at night time so the bonfire will be a functional heat source against the cold Cordillera night!

The Sagada Genuine Guides are once again organizing the event for December 28. For just 250 pesos, you can already get a nice buffet, sample fruit wines and dance around the bonfire to traditional percussion. It’s going to be a trip! Feel free to bring your own food and alcohol! The cost also covers the transportation fee to and from the venue.

Party starts at 630! Let’s do this one more time.

Note: I’ve been to the last two and there’s no way I’m missing this year’s!

Driving to Sagada: Directions and Driving tips

Benj — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:05:42 +0000

Last weekend, my friends and I took on the daunting challenge of going to Sagada. An extended weekend trip to Sagada is already a packed schedule but this trip (my 19th) was even going to be shorter. This was my shortest trip to Sagada – a trip that would require traveling time of 23 hours and a total staying time of just over 25 hours in town.

Despite the short time we spend in Sagada, it was still very enjoyable since the drive itself was quite an experience. The road to Sagada takes drivers and passengers alike through different topologies and landscapes that Luzon has to offer. Starting from the urban jungle of Manila, to the well paved North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the vast plains of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija, the winding roads of Dalton Pass and the mountainous terrain of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the 440-km drive sure takes one through a mini tour of the country’s largest island.

Since I mainly traveled via public transportation to Sagada and most of the traveling happens at night, I’m not really that familiar with the route. Luckily, my friend purchased the Papago Philippines app on the iPhone. With little research on possible routes, we trusted the app to show us the way and amazingly, through all the weird side roads and haystack-blocked paths, we were able to reach Sagada. The app was so impressive that all the major gas stations and banks were even plotted accurately on the app. It was so detailed that hotels in Sagada even showed up in the display. This app deserves a review and we will be coming up with one in the near future.
We took the Eastern route – the side that goes through Banaue and Bontoc. The Western Route is the one that passes the major hub of Baguio.
Here was our route to Sagada. Let me emumerate the towns that we passed:

1. Enter the NLEX
2. Take the Santa Rita, Bulacan.
3. Plaridel, Bulacan
4. Pulilan, Bulacan
5. Baliuag, Bulacan
6. San Rafael, Bulacan
7. San Miguel, Bulacan
8. San Isidro, Bulacan
9. Gapan City, Nueva Ecija
10. San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija
11. Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija
12. Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija
13. Talavera, Nueva Ecija
14. The Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija
15. San Jose City, Nueva Ecija
16. Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya
17. Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya
18. Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya
19. Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
20. Solano, Nueva Vizcaya
21. Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya
22. Lamut, Ifugao
23. Kiangan, Ifugao
24. Lagawe, Ifugao
25. Banaue, Ifugao
26. Bontoc, Mt. Province
27. Sagada, Mt. Province

Whew, that’s a long way.

Here are some general tips:
1. Make sure your car can take the punishment of an almost 900km drive. We took a Honda Accord – a reasonably powerful car with a 2.4L engine that could make easy work of mountain driving. It did struggle in Staunton Road (the last bit of road that leads into Sagada) due to the roughness of the terrain but it succeeded with flying colors everywhere else.
2. Try to leave at around 9 or 10PM the night before you wish to arrive in Sagada. This will allow you to do most of the flat driving during the night and around sunrise, you would be snaking your way up Ifugao.

3. Plan your toilet and meal breaks. Gas stations are quite ubiquitous up to Nueva Ecija but past Dalton Pass, you would notice that the distances between stations are far greater. When in Nueva Vizcaya, try to check out the rest rooms of the Total gas stations – they’re the quirkiest I’ve seen in the country. For had a midnight snack in the big Shell station along NLEX . We had breakfast at a very non-descript eatery at Lagawe, Ifugao.

4. Bring snacks and drinks to save on money. Drinks and snacks sold on gas stations tend to be more expensive than grocery bought goods so it would be better for you to have your own chips and sandwiches. Make sure that you have candies, caffeinated drinks and energy boosting beverages to keep your drivers awake.

5. Be very patient. This route is very popular for trucks that ply the route from Cagayan Valley to Manila. Some of them can be quite slow. There are also parts of the road in Mountain Province and Ifugao that could only fit one car at a time. Be prepared to give way.

6. Withdraw money in Manila. Don’t bet on withdrawing money from the sole ATM in Sagada.

7. If you want to check out Banaue, you may stop at any of the view decks at the outskirts of the town and admire the terraces from there. You can pull out a 1000 peso bill to observe how the contour on the bill mirrors the actual shape of the real-life terraces.

8. If you want to do a day trip to Hapao, Bangaan or Batad, you would have to take a jeep to the more remote parts of Banaue. It can’t be a day trip anymore. We wouldn’t advise you to bring your car – the roads are just way too rough.

–

So yes, it’s possible to drive your own car (a sedan!) to Sagada. This is my 19th trip to Sagada, but this is the first time in 12 years that I took private transportation. The first one was my first trip up – with my parents back in 1999.

Got questions, ask ‘em on our Facebook page!

Any questions you want to ask to Visit Sagada?

Benj — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:48:29 +0000

The email function has been a bit wonky the past few weeks so I hope you could bear with us.

If you have questions, please go to the Visit Sagada Facebook page click like and ask your question on the wall. We will be more than happy to answer your questions.

Accommodation: Canaway Lodge

Benj — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:33:52 +0000

Canaway Lodge is a relatively new hostel just 300m down hill from the main town square. It’s a multi-storey building that has a sets of rooms that are fairly cozy. The rooms that we stayed in were part of a three-room “apartment-type” unit that has a television set as well as a sitting area in the common space. Toilets and baths were fairly decent and there were water heaters on all bathrooms – water pressure was a bit variable in between rooms though.

Canaway Lodge is certainly a good choice if you want a comfortable bend without breaking the bank. Canaway Lodge can be reached by calling +63918 291 5063.

The rate that they gave us was 250/head.

We experienced a three-hour delay at Dalton Pass (Nueva Vizcaya – Nueva Ecija)

Benj — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:47:31 +0000

Dalton Pass is the mountainous stretch of road that separates the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya. People going to Sagada via Banaue or Bontoc will pass through this route. My friends and I took this route and we ended up getting stuck for over three hours. This had us behind schedule by almost four hours when it was all said and down. Instead of arriving in Sagada by around 9AM, we ended up arriving in Bontoc (still an hour away) at noon.

There seems to be major road repairs ongoing at Dalton Pass. I suggest that you take the other route (the one that goes through Baguio) to avoid inconvenience.

Kalinga: A trek to remember (K.I.D.S. Foundation)

Benj — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:09:52 +0000

I’m posting this straight out of a friend’s e-mail. I believe in this cause and I also think that Kalinga is one of the most breathtaking places in the country. I hope you could consider this trip. The price looks really affordable and you’ll get to help out people in one of the most remote corners of the Cordilleras and Caraballo Mountain Range. These people were devastated by the Typhoon Megi last year and it would get a great gesture to give them a pick-me-up on May.

Hi everyone!

It’s the second leg of K.I.D.S. Foundation’s, A TREK TO REMEMBER (Medical-Dental Mission) with our partner in Kalinga, the IDP Foundation. We would like to invite medical practitioners; doctors, dentists, nurses, nature lovers, travel geeks, or simply, those young at heart to explore another memorable trek going to Tanudan, Kalinga while getting a chance to know 3,500 pangol tribe & locals of 14 remote barangays of Tanudan.

A Trek To Remember – is a bi-annual trek of the K.I.D.S. Foundation that, distributes books and school supplies for public schools in far flung places. This trek-for-a-cause brings the trekker back to nature and assures the participant of a different kind of high that one can only feel when one shares. This month of May we would like to continue this journey and we will be trekking to two (2) barangays; Baccong and Bawak of Tanudan, Kalinga that will serve the fourteen (14) barangays: Ammaboy, Magtoma, Lay-asan, Burninan, Liyang, Cabugao, Gombowoy, Sabila, Allubaggan, Darulog, Pagugo & Mabaca to bring not only school supplies and books but, a Medical and Dental services and conduct a gift-giving in preparation for the opening of the school year. Tanudan is a 4th class municipality of Kalinga province.

What: A TREK TO REMEMBER VII: Medical-Dental Mission & School Supplies Gift-giving for Pangol tribe & locals of Kalinga

Where: Tanudan, Kalinga (right next to the picturesque town of Tinglayan)

When: May 20th – 24th (ETD for Kalinga at 6PM of Friday – ETA in Manila 5AM of Tuesday)

Registration starts today.
Registration fee is Php3,000.00 (meals, transfers & accommodation). Deadline for Registration is on April 30th and Payment is on May 10th. Kindly, send your registration form via email: rt_oquendo@yahoo.com.

In case you want to experience the adventures in Kalinga here are the extra fees that you have to consider for the R&R or explore in Tabuk, Kalinga after the medical mission (whole day of Monday):

- White Water rafting Php2,500.00
- Kalinga purse & bag Php 30.00 – 500.00
- Kalinga wall decor – Php1,000.00/pair
- Kalinga blend Coffee – Php120.00 to Php150.00/box

In addition, we need to bring medicines & medical supplies and we are also willing to accept cash donations to be used to purchase primarily the vitamins for 3,500 children for the medical mission.
We are hoping for your kind response. You may also call K.I.D.S. Office at (02) 708-KIDS (5437), (02) 348-2109 or 0922-854-3733 for questions or clarifications. Look for Rox and June.

KIDS FOUNDATION, INC.
Diether Ocampo
Karina Tanega
Mondo Castro
Tinette Cortes
Bene Go
Rapa Lopa
Darius Hizon
June Hamoy
Rox Oquendo

Thank you and See you all!

Roxanne T. Oquendo
Programs Manager
K.I.D.S. Foundation, Inc.
Ground floor, # 20 G. Araneta Ave.,
Brgy. Santo Domingo, Quezon City
Telefax: (02) 708-KIDS (5437)
(02)3482109 / 09228543733
rt_oquendo@yahoo.com
kidsfoundation_army@yahoo.com
http://www.kidsfoundation.org.ph

Realizing a Child’s Dream Today
Kabataang Inyong Dapat Suportahan (K.I.D.S.) Foundation, Inc.
DSWD Registration Number: NCR-2007-R-035
SEC Registration Number: CN200600126
TIN: 243-359-313-000

Sagada by the numbers by We Are Sole Sisters

Benj — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 03:08:33 +0000

Chin of the wildly entertaining and now emerging We Are Sole Sisters blog recently published a very light and somewhat inspiring piece on Sagada. She went up on a whim and ended up (as expected) falling in love with the place. Keep visiting their blog to see how Chin chronicles her stay in Sagada.

The next post is going to be on “5 things I did in Sagada that you should never ever ever tell my Daddy”. That sure sounds like an intriguing read, right?

Log Cabin Bar and Cafe – Saturday buffet with Chef Aklay

Benj — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:53:58 +0000

Log Cabin is easily the most highly-regarded restaurants in Sagada. It’s located just a little up hill relative to the bus terminal – right in front of Strawberry Cafe. This establishment is best known for their Saturday night buffet featuring the cooking of French-native (and now adopted son of Sagada) Chef Aklay. The menu always changes because it is highly dependent on what inspires the chef during the weekend market. The food has always been impeccable and the desserts are plated and prepared to absolute perfection.

During other nights, customers may sample the great food from the Log Cabin menu Meals start at around 150 and go to as high as around 280 per plate. It’s a bit pricy for a plate of food up in Sagada but it’s really good. They are also one of the few establishments with a decent selection of wines. You have to place your order before 3PM to be entertained for the dinner service.

To book your seats for the Saturday buffet, call or text +639205200463.

Taking a bus to Sagada – various routes through Baguio, Banaue and Bontoc

Benj — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:32:08 +0000

We’ve written on this topic extensively, but I think this post needs a bit of revisiting. We have notes on Baguio, Banaue and Bontoc.

1. Which one is the best option?

If you’re coming from Manila there are four factors that you have to consider

Do you want to arrive early in Sagada? If you’re going via Baguio, the earliest you’ll arrive in Sagada is around 1130 AM. This is because the first Lizardo Bus leaves Baguio at around 6AM. Going through Bontoc will allow you to get to Sagada relatively earlier – even before 9AM.
Do you want to see Banaue? Banaue is on the opposite side of mountain range relative to Baguio. Banaue is on the eastern side of Luzon while Baguio is closer to the west coast. Baguio and Banaue are actually 8-9 hours apart so this is a major consideration if you’re thinking of a non-circuitous route.
Do you want more flexibility with your bus schedules? Simply put, there are more buses from Manila leaving for Baguio. There are also seven buses leaving for Sagada from Baguio. Contrast this to just ONE bus nightly from Manila to Bontoc and Banaue.
Are you going to be comfortable staying in the same bus for 12 hours? The Bontoc bus takes 12 hours so you’re in for a long trip. If you’re comfortable sleeping in buses, this should be a good option since this is an all nighter. You will need to take a jeep from Bontoc to compete the trip (30-40 minutes). The Baguio-Sagada route cuts the trip into 6-hour halves – six hours each on two buses.

The cost for all routes are more or less the same so the price should not be the main consideration. All trips take almost the same time on the road but the

To summarize:

To get to Sagada earlier/ see Banaue: Take the Bontoc route. Call Cable Tours at 09185216790 to reserve tickets. The terminal is located near Trinity College in E. Rodriguez Avenue (Quezon City).

To have more schedule flexibility: Take the Baguio route. Go to any Victory Liner terminal (the major ones are in Pasay and Cubao) and catch one of the buses that leave for Baguio almost every hour.

2. What offers the better views?

Straight up, I’m going to tell you that the views are a lot better if you’re coming from the eastern side. The mossy forest in between Bontoc and Banaue is probably one of the most gorgeous things I’ve seen by the roadside of any road in the Philippines.

However, if you prefer to travel from Baguio, make sure that you’re on the opposite side of the driver when going to Sagada. Most of the good views (the sea of clouds and similar phenomena) will be on your side.

Safe travels, everyone!