Almost a decade ago, Sagada became one of the most visited places in the Philippines. There were a lot of tours being offered by travel agencies, and even a number of friends and colleagues have organized a tour of their own. I've always wanted to join, but I have a lot of hesitations, one of which is the road you have to traverse to get there. Then a few years ago, the movie That Thing Called Tadhana became popular, and Sagada became really famous. But that still did not convince me enough. Yet this year, 2018, armed with courage and anti-byahilo meds, I went on to conquer my fear and see for myself the place known for its cool weather and famous Hanging Coffins, which actually did offer so much more than just that...
So here's me sharing our itinerary, expenses, and some tips...
Transportation: Bus - Coda Lines
One way ticket costs Php 720 with admin fee of Php 35 so the whole rountrip fare cost Php 1,510 per person
Accomodation: Masferre Country Inn & Restaurant which we got for Php 6,406.36
The room is good for 4 and comes with daily breakfast
Cost per person is Php 1,601.59
The Itinerary:
Day 0
The travel starts at Day 0, because the travel time is around 10 hours. Riding the bus from the station in Cubao, we left at around 8:30PM in the evening of a Saturday. There is a stop over after every 2 hours, prolonging the travel time, but that's just fine as we get to have a restroom break, have some snacks and do some stretching.
Day 1
We arrived at Sagada around 7 AM the next day.
Without planned itineraries, we just went to the tourist center and checked out the packages being offered. For Day 1, we got the package for Php 1,000 for the whole group (costing each of us Php 250) and these are the places we went to:
Echo Valley
Hanging Coffins
Underground River
Bokong Falls
Sagada Weaving
Passing by the church on the way to Echo Valley,
Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
Hanging Coffins
Rock Balancing Art on the way to the underground cave
Flower fields on the way to the Falls
Bokong Falls
Sagada Weaving
Day 2
On our second day, we opted to do more trekking at Marlboro Hill and Blue Soil. The price is a little higher since we opted to ride a van going to the starting point of the trek, to lessen the hours of walking. We got it for Php 3,500 for the group, or Php 875 per person. We started the day really early, agreeing to be picked up by 4AM but actually leaving the inn at 5AM. It was very dark, we couldn't see much of where we're going saved by the glow of two flashlights.
Unfortunately too, it was so foggy, that the place wasn't as picturesque as expected
A very peaceful place, making me want to lie down and read a book
Sample of Blue Soil =D
Wild berries?!
Pitcher Plant
Remember this plant - it may be helpful when you get dehydrated in the woods!
A pine cone!
And finally.... Blue Soil
A place I thought only existed in fairy tales...but here I am!
On the way back to our inn, we asked to stop by a place where rice terraces can be viewed.
It's not as majestic as the Banawe Rice Terraces, but given our limited time, this will do for now.
Day 3
I wanted to visit Sumaguing Cave, but our bodies may not be fit enough to get through it by this time, so we just opted for a more relaxed tour today, as we go to Sagada Pottery and Lake Danum. We got it for Php 600 for the group or Php 150 person.
A quick lesson on pottery at Sagada Pottery
Lake Danum
Places to try Eat:
Can't say much about this because I wasn't really in the mood to eat maybe due to the big change in weather for me haha
But these are the places we tried ~ Salt & Pepper, Yoghurt House and Sagada Brew
Prices range around Php 200 - Php300 per meal per person
Time for pasalubong:
There are a lot of stores around the area where you can buy treats that you can bring home. Here are some of those I brought back home:
Mountain Tea Leaves for Php 20
Kape di Mutit (Philippine Civet coffee)
Php 150 per sachet equivalent to 5 cups
matry lang =p
Sagada Blend
Blueberry Jam for Php 260
There are also caramel bars, lemon cream cheese cookies, blueberry cookies and lots of other goodies to choose from.
All in all, my total expenses is around Php 6,000 for a 3D/2N sagad sa saya trip in Sagada!
Tips:
There is Limited ATM machines in the area. I've only seen one in the tourist center. So remember to bring Cash.
If you get dizzy easily on bus rides, prepare to have some Bonamine. Take it an hour before you reach the zigzag road. It also pays to manage your sleeping hours, if you can manage to withhold sleep until past midnight, and just sleep through the zigzag road.
All places close at 9 PM, so don't miss having dinner on time or stash on snacks, or you just might starve
We visited in the month of February, and the place is freezing. Be sure to bring jackets, thick pants, and a bonnet will surely help, or you can just enjoy the really cold weather like me in the picture just wearing shorts haha
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