You will no longer have to go on a 45-minute jeepney ride to Bontoc just to withdraw cash from an ATM. Sagada now has its very own MEGALINK automated teller machine located  inside the Rural Bank of Sagada. There are plans to move the machine to the precinct to allow for 24-hour access – but then again, with the 9PM curfew in place and with establishments closing early, I wonder who exactly would need money past nine. Since this is a new development and it is after all the only ATM in town, I still suggest that you take enough cash with you. Tourists could easily run through that ATM’s stash so you wouldn’t want to risk being cashless in a town that doesn’t accept plastic money.

Read the full story at Gareth’s blog.

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We at Visit Sagada believe that to truly enjoy your stay in Sagada, your trip should have a good balance between adventurous spontaneity and a rough idea of what to do formulated through research (in your case: reading this website ) During the early months of this site, most of the people were happy with figuring out things for themselves, but more and more now, visitors seem to be more open to the idea of having somebody else do an itinerary for them. To accomodate those who are probably scared of venturing into the deep end during their first time up there, we have come up with this easy-to-follow guide on how to plan your activities.

Resource: How To Tour Sagada

HOW MANY DAYS?

This should be the first question that you should answer before planning the rest of your activities in Sagada. Keep in mind that a round figure like three days will not translate as three days in actual waking hours. Here’s why:

If you were to take the Manila-Baguio-Sagada bus route, the earliest time you could arrive in Sagada would be 12 NOON because the first bus leaves the station at around 5:30 AM.  Keep in mind that this will only be feasible if you can leave Manila the night before. This means that your first day isn’t really a full day – you lose a significant chunk of potential tour time to travel. Once you factor  in the things you have to do after checking in (lunch, unpacking etc.), it’s likely that you will only have  three to four hours  of sunshine left to do whatever you want to do.

Keep in mind that you are also coming off a very taxing half-day journey on bus through the rough and winding roads of the Cordillera mountains. Some people (like myself) may prefer resting during Day 1 and just focus on the touring the next day.

If you can muster the strength to do some touring for the afternoon, you may try any of the following by going to the town hall and inquiring at the tourism desk:

• The “sightseeing” package is a medley of three points of interest that are reachable within a few minutes hike of each other. You may choose three places to go to and the tour will probably take  3-4 hours depending on when where you choose to go. Echo Valley is probably among the most popular of these sites. It’s fairly easy to go to and it will surely be a hit for younger travelers.
• Go to the caves! Sagada is famous for its cave system so no one should ever leave the town before checking out Sumaguing cave. It’s a twenty minute walk from the town center it’s a fairly easy hike up the road. You will also see nice views of the Sagada Rice Terraces and traditional village houses called dap-ays along the way. The normal spelunking route takes 2-3 hours to finish.
• After a day of traveling, most people would probably want to relax. If you’re with me in that regard then I strongly suggest that you visit Bokong Falls (also known as Small Falls). The falls is situated next to rice paddies and though it  doesn’t really dazzle you with the way it looks, it sure makes up for it with sheer adrenaline potential. You can jump off the falls’ highest point into a cold deep natural pool below. There’s nothing like a nice cold dip that could rejuvenate your road-weary body, right?

LESSON #1: DAY ONE HAS A VERY TIGHT TIME WINDOW.  DON’T EXPECT TO DO A LOT OF THINGS DURING THIS DAY.

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