I was lucky enough to see Marlboro Country for the first time last August when I went on a trip with a few friends. Marlboro Country was named as such due to its very hilly terrain and the novelty of having wild horses in the valleys surrounding it. GMA 7’s Howie Severino even ran a story on the origin and fate that awaits these noble steeds.

Marlboro Country is a thirty minute hike from a drop off point in Lamangan. It’s a fairly easy walk and you would be definitely enamored with the tall trees that line the marked path to a central clearing. You’ll know that you’re at the end of the trail when the entire panorama opens up and just surprises you with a full 360 view of the mountains, hills and terraces nearby. It’s almost like being at a mountain summit.

It’s perfect for those who want to sit by the cliff and just reflect. It’s also a good place for photographers.

You can hire a guide from the tourism office for 600 pesos to take you to Marlboro Country. This is the rate if you’re traveling as a group of ten or less so you definitely make the most out of it with more people that you have on board. You can also rent a van for 450.  Here’s the list of other rates:  Sagada tours and rates

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I just got back from Sagada and the tourism office now boasts of a new brochure that pretty much summarizes a lot of the things that a visitor needs to know about touring and transportation. They have divided the sites according to their location. All amounts are in Philippine Pesos.

Southern Sagada

Cave Connection – 400 per person
Short course caving – 500 per 4 people. 600 for 5 people.
Optional Ride: 350

Central Sagada

Eco-cultural Tour
Echo Valley Hanging Coffins
Underground River Entrance
Bokong Falls

Price – 400 for 1-10 people.

Northern Sagada

Bomod-ok Falls
Fidelisan Rice Terraces
Northern Sagada Villages

Price – 600 for 1-10 people.
Optional Ride: 650

Eastern Sagada

Lamangan/ Marlboro Country
Limestone Formations
Wild Horses

Price – 600 for 1-10 people
Optional Ride: 450

Western Sagada

Amapacao Mountain Trek
Demang Community

Price – 600 1-10 people

Sunrise

Kiltepan Viewpoint
Rice Terraces

Price 450 1-10 people *the driver can be your guide

Sunset

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Holy week is fast approaching and it is the busiest season for Sagada. To help those planning their Sagada trips, here is the updated Standard Rate Guide as of March 2009.

CAVE CONNECTION: Lumiang to Sumaguing Cave

BASIC CAVING: Sumaguing Cave

TREKKING: Bomod-ok (Big) Falls or Mt. Ampacao

TREKKING: Mt. Polis

SIGHT SEEING: Choose 3 Spots

• Kiltepan Viewpoint
• Bokong (Small) Falls
• Underground River
• Echo Valley
• Lumiang Burial Cave
• Sumaguing Cave Entrance
• Lake Danum
• Pottery
  

ESCORT: Choose 1 Spot

• Sugong and Lumiang Cave
• Bokong (Small) Falls
• Underground River
• Echo Valley

ROCK CLIMBING: 400 per person

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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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