A traveler's guide to Banaue and Sagada
MANILA, Philippines - Next time, 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. And yet for all the beauty and challenge of Sagada, the journey going there is as unforgettable as the destination itself.
One route to explore is via Ifugao, which offers a c 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 the air-conditioned bus for P575 or the deluxe bus for P750. The deluxe bus of Victory Liner offers extras like a light snack, an onboard toilet, and a roomy capacity of 29 seats (each fitted with foot rest), 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 P8,000, back and forth.
Upon reaching Solano, walk to the terminal and take a jeep to Ifugao at P105 per person for a two-hour ride without stops (the first trip leaves at 6 a.m.). 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. 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 per person. 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.
The highlight of the trip is reaching Sagada. Find a place to stay in once you reach the town. 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 PhP500) 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.
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.
Sagada’s pabaon for the audacious, risk-taking traveler is the life-altering experience of reconnecting with oneself, with nature, and with the Divine. It will be hard to bid the mountain paradise goodbye but know that you can always come back. With a travel cost in the vicinity of P5,000 per person, one can have a dream Banaue and Sagada vacation.
