Visit Sagada

Who’s Going To Sagada?

Benj — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:35:47 +0000

Hi folks, I’ll be going to Sagada this month. See you there, aight? I’ll be staying at the Residential Lodge.

Some of you have been asking about other hotels and guesthouses so I’ll just post the list that Gareth (a Sagada native) has on his site. He’s been really passionate about helping people out so I’m sure his recommendations are just as good as the ones that we rave about on this site.

ATM in Sagada

Benj — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:35:48 +0000

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.

Planning Your Itinerary 101

Benj — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:27:11 +0000

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.

PRIORITIES

In my opinion, visitors should prioritize two points of interest while in Sagada - the Bomod-ok Falls (Big Falls) and the Sumaguing-Lumiang cave system. Both would require a considerable amount of time and energy to get to so it will be wise to reserve a day for each site. I’ve heard of people doing both in a single day but those people were hardly comparable to your average human being (haha). To be on the safe side, stick to one for one day.

Bomod-ok Falls / Big Falls - There are two routes to the falls - one’s a bit easy (a leisurely 90 minute hike along paved bridges) while the other one is a 2-3 hours traverse of rice terraces that would have you balancing for your life! You might want to rent a van for this since the barangay that has jurisdiction of the falls is already at the outskirts of Sagada. The water is quite cold and deep. The rocks and boulder near the falls are also slippery. Be extra careful.
Cave Connection - Again, the caves are around 20 minutes away from the town. The traverse from one mouth of the cave to the other would take 3-6 hours depending on the skill level of the spelunker. This would require scaling cave formations, a bit of rope climbing, rapelling, crawling and even a little bit of swimming. You will get wet!

These two activities will require one day each with the afternoons reserved for walking around town, meditation, buying souvenirs or getting a massage. I really think that an important part of a trip to Sagada is to feel its natural serenity that lulls you into sitting back and just relaxing. Sagada isn’t all about extreme eco-adventures. It’s also about communing with nature and the alien landscape of the Cordilleras that urbanites can’t fathom at first.

LESSON #2: Realistically speaking, you need 4 days in Sagada. But once you think about it, four days in Sagada is more like three days. The first day doesn’t start until 12 NN. The last day can only last until 1PM (the time the last bus for Baguio leaves).

So to make it simpler for you guys:

Day -1

10PM Leave Manila For Baguio

Day 1

4AM Arrive in Baguio

530 AM Leave for Sagada

12NN ETA Sagada

2 PM - Sightseeing/ Caving/ Falls

Day 2

AM - Kiltepan for sunrise

Cave Connection

Day 3

Big Falls

Day 4

Leave for Baguio

Question: Should you bring a kid to Sagada?

Jeff — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:46:18 +0000

Regular visitors might have noticed things have been slow ’round these parts. Benj has been busy with Med School, Angel is getting ready for bigger work opportunities, and as for me - well, still honing my skills creating the most awesome Gantt charts this side of the planet.

So, we’ve been getting (and answering!) emails. One of which is below (from Vanie) -

I would just like to inquire — is it safe to bring an 8-month-old baby to Sagada? My friends are planning a trip to Baguio with an overnight stay in Sagada. My baby will be 8 months by then. Would it be safe to bring her?

And here’s my reply:

My question to you would be, “safe” in what context? If you’re concerned about your kid getting kidnapped (I know, might sound a bit funny) then no, I haven’t heard of kids getting abducted or anything. Of course, there’s that case of the tourist in Banaue early last year, but really, situations like that are already out of your control.

Now, if your concern is the length of travel time (4-5 hours Manila to Baguio, then another 6 hours from Baguio to Sagada on a non-air conditioned bus), that’s really more of the parent’s prerogative if that’s something you’re fine with subjecting your kid to. What’s “too much” can mean a lot of things too, but not to go on a tangent here, I personally don’t think those are the worst conditions (then again, I don’t have a kid of my own and I may not have a sense of what “too much” is for kids, but we see the locals seem to be doing a lot of traveling with little babies & toddlers tugging along.)

Lastly, I’d be really more concerned about how much time you’d have left to yourself to go around places if you’re bringing an infant along. If it’s not much trouble for you to have an aunt, sister or relative take care of your baby for the few days you’ll spend in Sagada, I’d suggest doing that instead. Consider it your short break from parenthood.

Vanie wrote back asking what may be considered “safe spots” for babies- and I’ll be brutally honest - none of the exciting places that make people want to go to Sagada is “safe” in every sense of the word. We’re talking about caves with slippery calcified floors, steep & rocky mountain sides and freezing water from Bomod-ok falls. Or you can just choose to stay behind at the Residential Lodge and watch TV in Tita Mary’s cozy second floor living room while your friends go spelunking; you know, something you probably don’t want. *insert winkie smiley here*

Have a safe trip and hit us back with how it went for you and your friends!

If you have questions and think an Ask Us! column is the next big thing and want your questions answered here at the blog send them over to TEAM [at] VISITSAGADA [dot] COM. As much as we’d love to answer everyone’s emails, we’re getting to the point where there’s too much for even all of us to answer, and most of the time answer is already somewhere in the site (and I choose to let Benj take care of those emails because I’m lazy like that). Also, by posting the answers on the blog, we get to help more that one person and ultimately serves others who might have the same question.

For every one’s safety we’re not publishing full names & email addresses (d’oh!), but if you’re still particularly concerened about your email getting published, just put a quick note at the bottom of your emails.

Intermission: Visit Sagada

Benj — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:57:03 +0000

We know that most of you probably got here after Googling “Sagada” and you’re most likely browsing through to find out more about Sagada, but a little bit of site-related news every once in a while wouldn’t hurt, right? Thanks to the votes of a good number of loyal readers and supporters who saw the promise behind this undertaking, Visit Sagada was named as one of the Emerging Influential Blogs for 2008. The site has propelled itself as the most-relevant search result for the backpacker haven despite being just founded during February of this year. We are deeply honored for the recognition and the team appreciates the trust and appreciation of everyone who chose to name us as one of their candidates on their ballots.

Visit Sagada was likewise nominated as one of the nominees for Best Travel Blog for the 2nd Annual Philippine Blog Awards. The awards ceremony will be on September 21, 2008 at Esplanade.

From Ampacao!

Benj — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:59:36 +0000

Yes people. it’s worth it. This shot was taken near the summit of Mt. Ampacao in Sagada. The area provides a very good vantage point to the towns of Sagada and Besao as well as the summit of Mt. Polis and the humongous waterfalls of Bauko, Mountain Province.

Here are resources about Mt. Ampacao

Visit Sagada: Mt. Ampacao

Pinoy Mountaineer: Mt. Ampacao

Fare Adjustment Summary

Benj — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:10:21 +0000

Effective June 2008, the bus lines that service the routes from Manila to the major hubs around Sagada have made considerable fare adjustments.

Victory Liner have increased the price of the ticket for Manila to Baguio from 380-390 (~10 USD) pesos to 450-460 (~ 12 USD) depending on on which station you choose to depart from - Cubao or Pasay.

Cable Tours made an even bigger increase. The shuttle from Manila to Bontoc now costs 650 pesos (~16 USD) - from 500 pesos (~12 USD)

Fortunately, the fare from Baguio to Sagada remains at 220 pesos (~6 USD). Jeep fare from Bontoc was also unchanged at 35 pesos (~1 USD).

Long Weekends: Just Enough Time For Sagada

Benj — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:32:09 +0000

Since the genesis of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, holidays that were supposed to be celebrated during the middle of the week have been “moved” to a Monday or Friday to create a string of three non-working days. This is an effort to encourage local tourism and give people ample time to spend with their friends and families.

While a three-day itinerary is ideal, one could still enjoy the wonders of Sagada in two days.

Here’s a list of national non-working a holidays in the Philippines:

January 1 - New Year’s Day (usually not moved)

April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan (usually moved to the nearest Monday BEFORE the 9th)

Holy Week (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) - as observed by the Catholic Church

June 12- Independence Day (usually moved to nearest Monday BEFORE the 12th)

August 21- Ninoy Aquino Day

December 24, 25 - Christmas

December 31 - New Year’s Eve

The celebration of Eidl Fitr (the end of the Rammadan) is also observed nationwide.

Sagada Budget

Benj — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:11:14 +0000

This seems to be a very popular question so I will be addressing it through this post. Relative to other places of interest in the Philippines, Sagada is affordable. Accommodation is reasonably priced and the guided tours are of standard price. As with any budget, one must break it down to its components to be able to see the parts where additional savings or allowances could be made.

Transportation

This is the biggest chunk of the expense list. If you’re planning to go to Sagada from Manila via Baguio City, you have to pencil in 390 pesos (~10 USD) for the Baguio-Manila trip and 220 pesos (~5.50 USD) for the Baguio-Sagada ride. You also have to keep in mind that the buses make stops at certain locations that may force you to by higher-than-usual priced items. To save money, try packing light snacks like sandwiches. Once you reach Baguio you will have to take a cab from the Victory Liner station to the Lizardo Bus Station at Dangwa. This would cost about 40 pesos (~1 USD).

The roundtrip bus tickets including the cab fare would be about 1300 php (~23 USD). This is pretty much the number you’ll get regardless of your choice of route. The fare total via Bontoc or Banaue would approach or sometimes even exceed the amount.

Accommodation

Luckily, hotel rooms in Sagada continue to be relatively cheap. The town continues to embrace its reputation as a backpacker’s retreat. A night at Mary Daoas’ Residential Lodge would cost a mere 200 to 250 pesos (~4-5 USD) per person. This includes use of the lodge’s kitchen - a facility that could definitely help you save money if you’re willing to cook your own food.

The other hotels, inns and guest houses charge right around the same amount. To budget your accommodations, peg the number at 200 pesos per person per night.

Food

There are plenty of restaurants in Sagada. You may choose to eat in the better known restaurants and shell out close to 200 pesos per meal (~ 5 USD) or eat at a cafeteria environment for half the price. If you really want to save, there are stores in town that sell canned goods at their actual shelf price elsewhere.

If you want to dine in style, set aside about 500 pesos per head per day. With that amount, you’re assured to be eating the best that Sagada could offer three times a day. If you could make do with canned corned beef and tuna, maybe a daily budget of 150 pesos per person per day is more than enough.

Tours

Tours have already been discussed extensively in the tour page. There’s already a matrix for the guide fees. The trick here is know the magic number for each tour activity. For example, it will be in your best interest to do sightseeing tours by six since that is the upper limit for a single-tour-guide group. If you push it to seven, you’ll have to hire an extra tour guide.

For the simple caving, the magic number is four. For your own safety, it’s really much better to have multiple guides if you have more than four/five people in your group. The lamp may be bright but the person following the fourth or fifth person will have many shadows in front of him creating an eclipsed walkway of sorts. We all want to save money but hopefully, no one will compromise safety.

For the Big Falls, the magic number is 10. Utilize your time in your hotel and favorite restaurant to look for other travelers who will be willing to split the costs with you.

The Sightseeing package would cost 400 for a group of 6, the caving - 400 for a group of 4 and the big falls 600 for group of 10. People who go to the Big Falls almost always hire a van for 550 to cut the hike time by half. You can also choose to go for the cave connection - that would cost 400/head regardless of how many you are in the group.

To experience all these in a group of four, set aside about 1000 per person.

Souvenirs

Printed Shirts sell for 150-180 while the hand painted ones sell for about twice as much.

—-

If you’re going to spend four days in Sagada, eat out every day in the best restaurants, by a couple of trinkets as souvenirs and try to do all the touring that you could get, expect to spend close to 4000 pesos (~100 USD)

If that sounds too much, try cooking your own food and that total expenditure could drop to as low as 3000 pesos (~75 USD) depending on how much you’re willing to give up.

Renting A Van To Sagada

Benj — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:59:02 +0000

I remember someone asking about this so I’ll be posting this offer from a wife of a SEGA guide. If you’re not to thrilled to take public transport and lug your bags in between bus rides, then this could be the option for you. It will cost more, but maybe the comfort is worth it, right? Personally, I think the journey is as important as the destination, but if you really value comfort and convenience, you may enjoy it better if you do it this way.
—–

SAGADA TOUR PACKAGES at your convenience
Select tourist spots you want to see and explore
Travel and Tours to be arranged by us Sagada Tours by Biag’s Mark Shop
(Manila/Bulacan/Banaue/Baguio/Bontoc pick-up and drop-off points)
Minimum of 6 persons per tour (Educational Tours for Schools also available)
Inclusions :
1. Transportation with different pick-up/drop-off points w/private van or bus (depending on the number of persons per group)
2. Hotel Accommodations in Sagada (w/ H/C shower)
3. Breakfast only or Full Board Meals
4. Tours: Select tourist spots you want to explore:
Banaue - Banaue Rice Terraces Viewpoint [possible on a 2N accommodation (or more) tour packages]
Bontoc - Bontoc Museum [possible on a 2N accommodation (or more) tour packages]
Mt. Polis
Sagada - Sumaguing Cave/Bomod-ok Waterfalls/Hanging Coffins/Lumiang Burial Cave/Echo Valley/Calvary Hills/Sagada Pottery Showroom/Sagada Weaving
Other Adventure tours: Spelunking via Cave Connection/Rock Climbing/ Rappelling/Mountain Trekking/ Camping
Benguet - Phils’ Highest H-way Benguet Viewpoint [possible on a 2N accommodation (or more) tour packages]
5. Environmental Fee/Guide Fees and Permits
6. Travel Insurance
Note: Tours around Sagada will be provided by SEGA’s official tour guide.
FOR TOUR ARRANGEMENTS email: biagsmark@gmail.com or text Perin Abad @ 0917-5771970/Cherry Abad @ 0917-8537561