Hi! For those who are asking about my Sagada trip, here are some helpful information, suggestions, and recommendations. Kindly read further.
My reason in choosing Sagada as my ultimate #awesome2018 destination is that because it simply has everything that I want to see! This place has been so blessed with awesome sceneries that most people refuse to discover since it's far distant from cities especially from Manila. It's also to support my principle to go to places where people choose to not go. See? No one in my friends' list decided to go with me.😂 Just a piece of advice, dream realizations don't depend on who decided to go with you but on how you kept going even on your own. In the end, you'll meet new people of the same interests with you. Trust me.💕
Going further, Sagada is located in the Mountain Province of the Cordillera Administrative Region. It is approximately five (5) hours away from Baguio City by private vehicle. You have two options for this trip, you can avail package tours or you can do DIY travel. In my case, I availed a 3D2N package tour from a travel agency in Manila.
Going to Sagada, we took SCTEX-Ifugao road to drop by Banaue Rice Terraces View Point for breakfast. Note that we departed 8:00pm from Manila and arrived around 5:00am in Banaue.😂
We furthered Sagada from Banaue for roughly two (2) hours. Below is my suggested itinerary for DIY travellers. We shall not incorporate "puro lakad" destinations as it will surely exhaust you! Most sites can only be visited with guides so you better coordinate with their tourism office.
▶️️ DAY 1. (Informative Sites)
◽️ St. Mary's Church
◽️ Sagada Cemetery
◽️ Echo Valley - environmental fee P10/pax
◽️ Hanging Coffins
◽️ Sumaguing Cave - guide fee P150/pax
◽️ Sagada Pottery - entrance fee P100/10 pax
◽️ Lake Danum for Sunset
Tip: Bring slippers for caving otherwise you'll need to buy one for P100!
▶️ DAY 2.
◽️ Bomod-ok Falls (10,000 steps!!) - guide fee P100/pax
◽️ Sagada Weaving
◽️ Ganduyan Museum
◽️ Town Tour
Tip: The 10,000 steps to the falls is a bit challenging so you better ready your leg muscles!
▶️ DAY 3.
◽️ Marlboro Mountains for Sunrise - guide fee 600/pax with Blue Soil guiding
◽️ Blue Soil Hills (4,000 steps)
◽️ Bound for Baguio
Tip: As you can notice, we chose Marlboro Mountains instead of the famous Kiltepan Peak. As per our friendly guide - Sir Bogs, Marlboro has 80% sea of clouds given a good weather than a 20% in Kiltepan. Though the Kiltepan is more accessible but if you're up to a REAL SEA OF CLOUDS, then please go for the Marlboro Mountains. It's only 45 minutes hike and it's not that crowded.
On top of all those guide fees are fees for the transportation. For DIY travellers, most of the places can be reached by jeepneys or 4x4 cars. Please coordinate with their tourism office for assistance.
Places to stay in Sagada:
◽️ Sagada Heritage Village
◽️ Misty Lodge and Cafe
◽️ George Guest House
◽️ Sagada Blue Mountain Cabins
◽️ Sagada Homestay Inn
In our case, we stayed at the famous Sagada Homestay Inn. The place was very homey field with rustic designs. There was no free use of towel though, so you have to rent one for P25! I must say, Sagada is a quite expensive place so you have to prepare a lot of extra cash.😂
Places to eat in Sagada:
◽️ Yoghurt House
◽️ Sagada Brew
◽️ Sagada Lemon Pie House
◽️ Sagada Cellar Door
◽️ Sagada Homestay Restaurant
On the second night, we roamed around the town and decided to eat dinner at the famous Yoghurt House. I ordered a combo meal for P180!!! I must again say, it's expensive to live there.
Tip: If you're on a budget, prepare P100 for the cheapest meals!
On the third day, we checked out at 9:00am and bounded for Baguio. On our way to the City of Pines, we dropped by the Highest Point for picture taking and souvenirs and took lunch in La Trinidad. We arrived in Baguio at 5 in the afternoon and did a short walk around Burnham Park then bounded for Manila.😊
Overall Tip: If you're away from Manila like me, book on a promo for the air fare.
My Dvo-Crk: 1,700 (via AirAsia)
My Crk-Dvo: 400 (via PAL)
OVERALL BUDGET: P10,000 inclusive of pasalubong, transpo and meal allowances, package tour fee, and airfare.
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I hope I was able to inspire and encourage you to visit Sagada while it's still fresh and green. If you still have questions, you can comment it down. I'll be more than happy to assist you! 😊
