I'll take the bus
MANILA, Philippines - Take a few days off and make Sagada number one on your must-visit list. Few places deserve to be labeled “breathtaking” as that quaint village in the Mountain Province.
One route to explore would be via Ifugao, which offers a constant visual feast along the way. The trip can start from Quezon City at the Victory Liner bus terminal in Quezon City at the corner of East Avenue where travelers can take the Tuguegarao-bound bus. There is a choice of either the air-conditioned bus for P575 or the deluxe bus for P750. The deluxe bus of Victory Liner has extras like a serving of a light snack, an onboard toilet, and a roomy capacity of 29 seats (each fitted with foot rests), ensuring extra elbowroom and legroom to guarantee travel comfort. The journey is a seven-hour bus ride ending in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. Another option would be to book a 20-seater coaster with MM Fariñas Travel and Tours to shuttle your group from Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya to Banaue for P8000, back and forth.
Upon reaching Solano, walk a few steps to the jeepney terminal and get on a jeep going to Ifugao at P105 per person for a two-hour ride without stops. Alight at Ibulao, Kiangan in Ifugao and travel to Banaue, dine there and pose for souvenir photos, with the Eighth Wonder of the World as your backdrop. You might consider staying awhile for a day trip to the rice terraces, which are now 2,000 years old. The Ifugao farmers who are stewards of the terraced mountain lands are garbed in traditional attire and have beautifully weathered feet from spending much of their lives farming and half-covered in life-giving mud. Dotting the scenery are images of rice gods that farmers make from fern while waiting to harvest rice.
A treasure: Already 2,000 years old, the Banaue Rice Terraces can still manage too take one’s breath away In Ifugao, it is still a thrill to see the fog descending on the mountainscape no matter how many times one has seen it happen in other places. While there, we recommend staying at the Banaue Hotel at a price between P2,000 to P3,000 for twin-sharing. There are also other bed and breakfast inns that will suit various vacation budgets.
From Banaue, one can proceed to Sagada via Bontoc on a jeepney at P180 each. The path is winding, often rugged, and in some parts quite narrow that only a single vehicle can be accommodated at a time, but the road is safe. Through some stretches of the journey, be daring enough to travel “top load” (sitting atop the jeepney) for a more intense and orientation-shifting view of the grandeur below, that is, if one is not scared of heights or is not too cocky as to be careless.
Throughout the trip are reminders of the rich tradition and abundant nature in the Mountain Province: a stray bayawak on the highway, pine trees that act as sentinels of the mountains, cold and crystal clear water gushing forth from the highlands which travelers freely fill their water bottles with, and local people chewing betel nut or nganga.
The highlight of the trip is reaching Sagada. St. Joseph Resthouse near the bus stop is one of Sagada’s most easily accessed accommodations and, with its garden motif, is quite charming. Occupancy ranges from dorm rooms (for two and four, starts at P500) to private cabins. Once settled in, register at the municipal hall so you can get a guide to accompany your group during spelunking and hiking. The tours and trails will push you to your limits, create a profound shared experience with your co-travelers and even with strangers, and give you a better understanding of why travelers who have been to Sagada keep returning there.
Resting on boulders or hanging on for dear life?: Adventurers explore the underground world during a cave connection tour in Sagada. The Bomo-od Falls offers an enlivening swim at the end of more than an hour’s worth of hike through sloping pastures, which may not be as grand as the terraced fields in Banaue and Batad but are still fascinating in their own right. Before dawn breaks the next day, station your group at the peak of Kiltepan to welcome the chilly sunrise and see the world from just beneath the sky. Then navigate the crevices of Lumiang Burial Cave, a place you must treat with special reverence, and if you’re fit and game enough to go on spelunking for more hours, continue to the underground labyrinth of Sumaging Cave where the rock formations both challenge and awe. Other places worth visiting are the Anglican Church, Yoghurt House, local bars for tasting Sagada wine, coffee or tea, the Masferre museum, Sagada weaving shop, and restaurants that offer the local delicacy, pinikpikan, among others.
For the patient and passionate adventurer who can find joy in the eventful 12-hour trip from Manila to the hidden Eden that is Sagada, the reward is the journey itself.
