Sagada
For love of Sagada, Lakwatsero is featuring this place:
Fifteen hundred feet above the sea is a small and tranquil town of Sagada in Mountain Province, 275 Kilometers north of Manila. A remote town with so much to offer to anyone who chooses to experience its distinct appeal. With its temperate weather, wondrous caves and cliffs, lofty rice terraces and waterfalls, luscious foods and delicacies, rich heritage and traditions, Sagada promises everyone an unforgettable and truly remarkable experience with nature and culture.
Sagada also embraces its visitors with the warm hospitality of the locals that complements the beauty of the place. Undoubtedly, the charm of this mountain town is still incomparable to most tourist destinations in the country, making it one of Lakwatsero’s favorite destination and thus calling it home away from home, like most local and foreign tourists do.
Whether you are a laid back traveler or more into adventure, young or old, Lakwatsero of any backgrounds and ages, you definitely have a place here.
There are no direct trips to Sagada from Manila, it can only be reached either via Baguio, Bontoc or Banawe with almost the same travel time and fare.
Most bus companies heading to Northern Philippines have trips to Baguio. But Lakwatsero prefers Victory Liner, their Baguio bound busses leave the terminal (Manila, Pasay, Cubao and Caloocan) every hour. It is a five to six hours travel for P390.00 (~$10). The most ideal time to travel is around 10:00 to 11:00 PM for you to reach their Baguio Terminal by 5:00AM the next day.
From Victory Baguio Terminal, catch a cab to Dangwa Terminal where the buses to Sagada can be found. It is a short taxi ride (around 10 minutes) for approximately P40.00 (~1USD). Then ride a Lizardo or GL Transit bus to Sagada, the earliest leaving Dangwa around six in the morning. The fare is P220.00 (~$5.50) for a 6 to 7 hour ride passing to some rough roads. The Sagada bus will stop in front of the Municipal Hall.
Bontoc, the capital of Mountain province is a 12 hours ride from Manila. Cable Tours (Contact No: 074-6021068, +639185216790, +639214488814) and Kasilen Transport (Contact No: +639178629574; +639163603483) have daily trips to Bontoc, leaving Manila at night. Fare is P500.00 (~$12.50).
From Bontoc catch a jeepney to Sagada. These jeepneys leave Bontoc every hour. It is around an hour bumpy ride for P35.00 (~$1).
Banaue route is a good choice if you plan to drop by to the famous Rice Terraces of Banawe. Autobus Lines (Contact No: 7358096) and Florida Bus Lines (Contact No: 7433809/7315358/4933667) in Sampaloc, Manila has daily trips to Banaue that leaves the terminal at 10:00PM and 10:45PM respectively. It is a nine (9) hour bus ride for P460.00 (~$11).
From Banaue, ride a tricycle (P20.00/~$0.50) from the terminal to the Banaue town proper and catch Immanuel Bus Line to Bontoc for P100.00 (~2.5 USD) that will drop you off near the Bontoc Municipal Hall. From there, ride a jeepney to Sagada for P35.00 (<1 USD). You may opt to ride on the jeepney rooftop to enjoy the view and the sea of clouds of Sagada.
Where to Stay
Since Sagada embraced tourism, a couple of inns and lodges sprouted in almost every corner of the town proper and surrounding area. But Lakwatsero’s top pick of course is the Residential Lodge, owned by very kind and accomodating Tita Mary Daoas (Contact No: +639296257419/+639196728744). It is a two-storey lodge with a common area per floor where guests could watch TV or interact with other people. The room rate is as low as P200.00 (~$5) per head per night for a dormitory type room and P250.00 (~$6) per head per night for a room with toilet and bath.
Other notable places to stay are: Travellers Inn (Contact No: +639207992960); George Guest House (Contact No:+639185480405/+639206070994); Rock Inn Cafe (Contact No: +639209095899).
Activities
There are so much to do and so much to see in Sagada:
- Spelunking in Sumaguing and Lumiang Caves or try the three hour Cave Connection
- Tour Echo Valley, Underground River, Bokong Falls
- Visit the hanging coffins and other ancient burial sites
- Rock climbing in Echo Valley Cliffs
- Walk through Rice Terraces
- Trek to Bomod-ok Falls
- Commune with nature and culture of Sagada
- Try the mountain tea and the famous yoghurt of the Yoghurt House
- Look for the wildhorses in Sagada’s Marlboro Country
- See the sunset at Kiltepan Viewpoint
- See Lake Danum and Mt. Ampacao
Lakwatsero Experience
Lakwatsero has been to Sagada in 2006 and 2007. Watch put for the narrative, itineraries and photos of his journeys in his favorite Philippine getaway.
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For more information about Sagada, go to VisitSagada, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about Sagada.
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bro, tingen mo san ba pwede mag widraw dun? sa mga stop over ba ng bus meron kayang ATM machine? BPI ang bank ko eh. please email me @ ARBoiser[at]rgoc[dot]com[dot]ph
Comment by Anjo — May 12, 2008 @ 5:35 pm
[...] Sagada [...]
Pingback by Lakwatsero Beta » Callao Cave — May 14, 2008 @ 11:15 pm
question lang po, my friends and i are planning on vacationing in sagada and pagudpud this coming week, ask ko lang po what route shall we take or should i just say how can we go to pagudpud if we’re already in sagada??? what’s the shortest easiest route???
thanks po sa sasagot…
Comment by edsel — May 24, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
thanks for the reply lakwatsero, ask ko lang kung panu yung route na yun, hiwa-hiwalay na rides ba yun?meaning from sagada we’ll take a ride going to bontoc, once in bontoc, ride naman to tabuk and so on, or is it a single ride passing thru those locations lang??
senxa na, really clueless lang on what to do… better ask a pro than take risks and get lost, hehehe.
Comment by edsel — May 26, 2008 @ 8:06 pm
thanks a lot lakwatsero…
napakalaking help mo to me and my friends…
more power…
Comment by edsel — May 27, 2008 @ 6:01 pm
I don’t know where Residential Lodge is. I’ve stayed at St. Joseph twice and I think it’s the best. I’ve tried Ganduyan Inn twice also, but it’s not as clean and as inviting as St. Jo.
Traveller’s Inn is also a good choice. Stayed there last April. My only complaint was their water pressure was weak. I wasn’t even able to use the hot shower.
Oh boy! Your blog is really very good. How I wish I could travel all over the country just like you.
Gotta save…gotta save…
Hahahaha!
Comment by Mj — June 10, 2008 @ 4:47 pm
my friends and i were in sagada from may 30 until june 02, 2008…
grabe, windang ako sa byahe eh, ang haba… 2hrs from batangas to cubao, 6hrs from cubao to baguio and roughly 7hrs from baguio to sagada… non-stop yun ha… pero kahit nawindang ako sa byahe, it was worth it…
i enjoyed the SUMAGUING CAVE so much… yung BIG FALLS was so nice too pero i almost died with the trek… josko ang haba… yung friend ko nga halos dalahin na namin sa hospital dahil sa di nakayanan yung trek… also went to echo park as well as the cemetery and church beside it… also went to the SMALL FALLS and LUMIANG CAVE where there are also lots of hanging coffins…
what i enjoyed the most in sagada is the food… especially the mixed vegies they serve with a various meals… the vegetable fried rice in some restos… palibhasa fresh, medyo manamis-namis yung vegies… HADEKKU’S ( i don’t know if i spelled it correctly)and YOGHURT HOUSE were some of the restos i enjoyed… but none of them can be compared with the LEMON PIE HOUSE, we were not able to get the name of the middle-aged lady running/manning/serving in the place… but she’s a native of the place for sure… she’s so nice to us… would even share stories with us when there’s not much guests in the place… and the kitten who would always sit on my lap whenever we visit the place in the morning… kahit mukha syang yagit na pusa, nakakaaliw pa din sya…
the place where we stayed is called GEORGE’S _______________ (i don’t know if they call it a guest house, an inn or anything), it was nice… the room we occupied was very clean, it has its own private bathroom with hot shower… could have been better if there’s a small space aloted for a cabinet to where we can organize our things… the room has its own television set… and the rate is so affordable… the person/s looking after the place were all nice…
over-all… the sagada experience i had was fun… full of new things for me… i hate trekking, walking distances and hiking but i was forced to do so, wala kasing tricycle or pamasadang jeep na nagkalat… but despite the fact that i hate getting sweaty and stinky because of walking under the sun… i enjoyed it… so much….
Comment by edsel espino — June 11, 2008 @ 11:36 pm
i forgot to mention things about the trip back home…
na-overdoze ata ako sa anti-vertigo tabs na binili ko sa sagada… ayun… halos the whole trip going back to batangas e tulog ako… the only times i’m awake were during bus transfers and pee break… hahahaha…
Comment by edsel espino — June 11, 2008 @ 11:38 pm
you’re welcome lakwatsero…
and by the ways, my friend is protesting… di ko daw isinama yung palagi nyang sinasabi na “ang rice terraces… maganda lang syang tingnan… ayoko na syang lakadan…SWEAR!!!!” she said that almost always during our trek back to the van when we went to the BIG FALLS…
Comment by edsel espino — June 13, 2008 @ 7:04 pm
tuguegarao and pagudpud… di na kinaya… kinulang na kasi sa oras… budgetwise ganun din, medyo kakapusin…
yung oras e kaya kinulang e dahil dun sa pagpunta namin ng big falls… ang plan namin for that day e big falls then caving sa sumaguing and lumiang… ang nangyari after namin mag big falls e di na kinayang ituloy yung plan ng caving sa hapon kasi bagsak talaga yung kasama naming girl… ang nangyari tuloy napahaba lalo stay namin in sagada at di na natuloy sa pagudpud… pero sagada was enough for me… i really had a wonderful vacation… medyo namayat ako during the stay there pero pagbalik dito sa min lobo na ulit… dun kasi puro walk… wala ka magagawa kundi lumakad kasi wala namang transpo na pde sakyan sa short distances lalo na at halos napakaliit lang nun mismong town proper… e pagbalik dito.. ayun tamad na ulit sa paglakad… gained more pounds than what i shed during my stay there… hehehe…
Comment by edsel espino — June 19, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
Hi lakwatsero! I am planning to go to sagada-tuguegarao-aparri- pagudpud. Which way should i take first in order to travel those places in a proper route. Ang alam ko magkakalapit lang sila but i dont have an idea how to get there and bus fare and cheap but clean and nice accomodation po sana.hehehe.. Pls help!!!
Comment by Ruth — June 21, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
by the way po my starting point is on Baguio City po… Thank you.
Comment by Ruth — June 21, 2008 @ 11:08 pm
Hello Bleue (aka Lakwatsero)! me again. yeah we are planning to stay overnight in each places we plan to go hehehe… we will leave here in Baguio City on the night of july 1st then till 7 ng july, ang plan of travel namim.Pero di nmin alam kung 6 days ay kaya nmin puntahan lahat ng places na un :-)!Bleue, how much should we bring travel money for this itinerary? I have no idea talaga hehehehe…. pls help thank you.
Comment by Ruth — June 23, 2008 @ 1:12 pm
Hello Bleue (aka Lakwatsero)! Thank you so much the information. Its a big help for us. I think your right, we will just be wasting a lot of time on travelling on the bus so we will have a meeting again then maybe we can cancell some places but for sure we wont gonna miss Sagada! hehehe :-)! Your site is so helpful. we have tried some other site but its not as detailed as yours and your response is like a thunder storm sobrang bilis andyan agad! I hope we can decide right away which places we are going na. I will let you know the updates Bleue, and once were back from our travel i’ll promise i will share the experience our to you…. Thank you thank you thank you so much!!!!
Comment by Ruth — June 24, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
wow Bleu ! your a big help fo us travelers. Im a photographer hobbyist and i’m planning also to visit Sagada and banaue . Your opinions and suggestions are very helpful, im from Makati by the way.
Comment by Conrad — June 24, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
Hello Bleue! We had a meeting this afternoon regarding our trip and we end it up not travelling to tuguegarao and aparri anymore (hehehehe). they decided to go to sagada for 3 days na lang coz they don’t wana miss that place talaga. My question is can we take a bus going to ilocos(pagudpud)after sagada? and Bleue please recommend us the cheapest but very clean accomodation in sagada… Thank you thank you so much
Comment by Ruth — June 25, 2008 @ 9:25 pm
Hi Bleue! I guess we just have to travel in one destination and that is Sagada. hehehehe.. At last, they made up theyre mind hehehe… Geeeee! i never thought organizing a trip is as hard as making a college thesis. I’m glad I found your site its a very big help for me and the rest of the group. I thank you really!
Comment by Ruth — June 26, 2008 @ 2:39 pm
Hey Bleue, know what they still wants to travel to pagudpud hehehehe but not right after Sagada on the next month… I’ll keep the info you gave us so we wont get lost on our way (route) there… Thank you Bleue…
Comment by Ruth — June 26, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
Haha, anyway, at least eh naenjoy nyo ang Sagada, honestly Sagada is best experience if you stay longer! Wow! San ka sa min?
:= Bleue (aka Lakwatsero) =:
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ei bro… sa last response mo sa post ko, di ko nagets yun last na sinabi mo… senxa na… anu ba yung “san ka sa min?”
Comment by edsel_espino — June 26, 2008 @ 9:33 pm
Hi Bleue, Amazing! Ang dami pala talagang pwedeng gawin sa trip n iot! hehehehe.. We probably gonna go there this 2nd of July:-))… Thank you again Bleue:-)
Comment by Ruth — June 27, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
[...] years ago when I first stepped my feet in Sagada. It was from then that I started tagging this lovely town as my special place. I fell in love with [...]
Pingback by First Time in Sagada: Part 1 | Lakwatsero — July 11, 2008 @ 12:30 am
is it ok to go to sagada by December?
Comment by jech — July 16, 2008 @ 2:10 am
[...] Sagada breeze woke us up at 0600H. Most of the town is covered by fog. We took our breakfast and prepared [...]
Pingback by First Time in Sagada: Part 2 of 3 | Lakwatsero — September 8, 2008 @ 9:50 am
I am planning to go to Sagada and stay at the best possible accommdations - with best view and complete amenities. Also, who should I contact to serve as my tour guide? Thanks so much for all your help!
Comment by donna — September 8, 2008 @ 3:33 pm
atwzzz…………coool
Comment by ac — September 26, 2008 @ 2:33 pm
Hi, Lakwatsero. We are planning to go to Sagada this Christmas Season. Do you think it is wise to go there considering it’s going to be sooooo cold? Our group consists of 8 adults, 1 teenager, 1 10-year old and a 4 year old. What’s the best place for our group to stay? Can we already make a reservation for the hotel and tourist guide? How much do you think will we spend for a 5 day stay there (hotel, food, guide, entrance fees to the spots, etc.)? Thanks so much. We are so excited to visit Sagada especially after reading this site.
Comment by Tata — October 15, 2008 @ 6:20 pm
[...] Comments geron on Capones IslandTata on Sagadamye on Capones Islanduri boyka on Cagayan de Oro Hotels and Resortsmumay on LazerXtreme at Bonifacio [...]
Pingback by Bangaan (Ifugao) | Lakwatsero — October 18, 2008 @ 9:36 pm
hi, ask ko lang if safe pumunta sa kin sa sagada with a heart problem, kasi its a long walk daw and matataas and mga roads. problem ko kasi madali ako hingalin… is there a way na di ako maglakad? hows the tranportation there?
thanks and have a great day…
Comment by jes fajilagutan — November 9, 2008 @ 8:19 am