Sagada Road Trip 2D 1N

Sagada 2D 1N

Sagada is a far away travel destination. It nestled in the mountain province.  Long before the movie “ That Thing Called Tadhana”, which contributed to much of its fame today, I have been planning to see this place. I have learned  about  Sagada with my super travel friends  in the year 2011.

Oh yes! I waited that long before I was able to visit Sagada. Three years ago, I initiated the plan for our Sagada experience. We already have itineraries, to-do-list , where to eat and etc. I planned this with my girl friends. But due to work constraints, I, the leader of the Sagada tour was not able to join.  Sad L.

Ever since then, it has become one of my travel frustrations. So I said to myself, this must be the year!

I must go there!

I sent  an invite to my best friend. Of course, she cannot refuse me. I’m her BFF anyways. Hahaha…

She is available for the trip as long as we schedule it on weekdays. That means we cannot be joiners on group tours because these are usually scheduled on weekends.

We have discussed much of our budget. She wanted  to use private vehicle to avoid hassle in commuting.  She offered to use their pick-up truck but I said “NO” because it consumes more fuel compared to other vehicles. So we borrowed one of her friends Honda Civic. We only have to fill up the tank.

The journey begins.

We have decided to meet in Baguio. I have to travel via Victory Liner bus from Cubao Terminal to Baguio (Php 455).

After five hours, I have arrived in Victory Liner Baguio City Terminal. They were already waiting for me in the nearby convenience store. Tes have invited some of her friends to join us.  If you plan to fill your first day with lots of activities, make sure you leave Baguio before 2AM.

First, we went to La Trinidad, Benguet to visit Tes’ house. We stayed for a few minutes and left at around 4AM.

 

busog lusog breakfast

We arrived in Sagada at around 10AM. It’s a six hour drive with non-stop curves on the road.

We went straight to the Tourism office.  We paid Php 35 each for the environmental fee.  You may ask leaflets for the available packages that they offer. Some of the tourist spots require a tour guide.

We chose short caving course at Sumaguing Cave.  We paid the tour guide Php 500 good for 4 pax.

Estimated time for the tour is 1.5 hours. 

Just a few minute drive from the town proper, you  will arrive at the Sumaguing Cave. Please keep the official receipt for the environmental fee you paid at the tourism office. You will need to present this at the entrance of the cave.

Why not cave connection? Why short course caving?

Due to budget limitations, Cave connection is more expensive.  It will also take more hours to finish the tour,  around 4.5 hours.  Also, I am not comfortable crawling inside small passages and dipping into the cold water and only a lamp as our source of light. You know that feeling? I just can’t. Otherwise I would be screaming, crying and maybe panicked all the way through. As what I’ve heard, some of the accidents happened during the cave connection. I am not discouraging you, I am just saying that you be more extra careful.

We started our descent, it was okay until it gets slippery and dark. Please bring headlamps and wear sandals.

None of us has headlamps nor wearing sandals. We have to endure it.  My best friend slipped many times, good thing she was not injured.

I don’t how people actually discovered this place.  Who was the first one brave enough to do this?  Are you afraid of the dark? O.O

After the slippery part, you will be asked to take off your foot wear. 

The cave was magnificent. Mother nature doesn’t fail to amaze us with crystal clear water and beautiful rock formations.

Hey! There are bats on the ceiling so keep your mouth closed while in awe of the view.  You don’t want their poop getting straight into your throat.

There is part were you have to rappel down.  Just hold on tight the rope and descent slowly.

Going back to the entrance is so much easier. 

We finished the course approximately 3 hours. Hahah.. Yeah we’re slow.

We went back to the town proper. We ate lunch at a carinderia near the Tourism office.  Value meal starts at 90 pesos.

We still have few more hours before sunset, we asked Kuya Noel to take us to Echo Valley. The rain showers made it more difficult.

From the town proper, you have to walk/trek 15-30 minutes going to Echo Valley.  You will pass by St. Mary’s Church and the public cemetery. The trail was easy and navigable.

The rain made the steps slippery.  There is also rappelling in the area but, it was closed during rainy season.

You may opt to go the viewing deck or go closer to the hanging coffins. Since we are already there, we opted to go near the hanging coffins.

I try not to come closer because these are still resting place for the dead. Please respect the place. Some tourist reportedly destroyed some of the burials and took the skulls.

There are actually many more hanging coffins scattered in the area. Some were covered by the plants and trees.

The families of the deceased do not come and visit the burials. They believe that the spirit of the dead come and visit their families.

One of their beliefs is that the fluid of the dead body brings luck to the land. That is why they hang the coffins. They do not embalm the body. They wrap it with cloth and let it sit until the burial. During the wake, they gather the fluid dripping from the body.

Only full blooded Ifugao can be buried at Hanging Coffins.

While you are in Sagada, please refrain from making side comments about their culture. You visited their place to witness their culture and tradition and NOT to mock them.

They say that if there’s a dead body in the area, you will smell the odor from two kilometers away.

There was none during our visit.

But, there was a weird smell near the hanging coffins. It was not really strong odor. It was only me and Xao who noticed it.

After a few minutes, we went back to town proper and dropped by St. Mary’s Church. I forgot the story about the church, Sorry.

In the public cemetery, you will pass by the tomb of Yamashita’s descendants and one of the SAF44.

You will also notice burned woods everywhere. Instead of using candles, they use burning woods in celebration of Panag-apoy, every 1^St of November.

We paid additional 200 pesos to our tour guide for taking us to Echo Valley.

We still have time to visit Lake Danum to witness sunset. But, we are already wet and tired, we wanted to take a bath and change our clothes.

We looked for affordable rooms in the town proper with available parking. The average rate is from 300-350 per head. No breakfast included.

We checked-in at Labanet. They gave us a room good for 6 pax, we only paid 1200.

After taking a bath, we ordered our dinner. After that, they can’t sleep so they bought beers. I did not join them. Hahaha….

I set the alarm at 5AM. Of course, do not miss the sunrise at Kiltepan View point. I woke them up but only Kuya Fred is willing to go with me. They said they can’t go because of body pains.

So me and Kuya Fred decided to go. It was so cold. I was wearing leggings and pajamas plus my hoodie. There was a big chance that it will be a foggy morning due to weather. We still continued because the moon was very visible. We used Waze to navigate. Just a few minute drive and we have arrived in our destination.

There are stalls selling coffee and souvenirs in the area. The time of sunrise vary depending on the season.

We waited until 6:15AM. Unfortunately, it was all fog.

We went back to Labanet. Took a bath, packed our things and had our breakfast.  We must leave Sagada before 12 NN. Our itinerary for the day is short.

We visited Lake Danum and Sagada Weaving. We did not noticed that we have already passed by the museum and the pottery. We decided not to turn around.

Kuya fred @Lake Danum

Our original plan was to drop by Banaue Rice Terraces, but then we decided to just go home.

It was a short adventure but, definitely deserves another visit.

-AA

-Ana
END