Inithing

Famous for the hanging coffins, Sagada in Mountain Province is one of the must-go-to places. A 12-hour drive from Cubao to Sagada might sound very exhausting, but this place is worth the long hour travel.

It was 20th of December in 2018 when my siblings, friends, and I decided to take a short vacation before Christmas. We were checking blogs online and contacting car rental companies because we were undecided whether to go to Sagada or Bolinao in Pangasinan. My sister was able to find a tour company to Sagada which offers 2000+ per head with minimum of 12 persons. Unfortunately, we were just 5 pax, thus, we were asked to join another group of travelers. We were then asked to pay 500 PHP as reservation fee and 50% of the total price. I became a little bit hesitant to pay the 50% because there is no guarantee that the trip will proceed if you pay 50%. Though it will be refunded should the trip be cancelled, but you would have to wait 2-3 days for that. And the 500 PHP reservation fee is non-refundable.

Good thing we found another travel and tour company. With such a very short notice, they were able to arrange a van that will pick us up in Greenfield and tour us in Sagada and Baguio. Planned itinerary was:

Day 1:

• Banaue rice terraces viewpoint;
• Hanging coffins;
• Echo Valley;
• St. Mary’s church;
• Sumaguing cave;
• Pottery House; and
• Lake Danum

Day 2:

• Kitlepan;
• Bomod-ok falls trek;
• Strawberry Farm; and
• Souvenir hunting

Call time was 10 PM on 21st of December, and ETA was 10 AM. Unfortunately, we got stuck into traffic since a lot of people were also traveling to North due to Christmas break. As such, we arrived at Banaue around 3 PM the following day.

Despite of the long travel, it was all worth it when we saw Banaue rice terraces.

After taking some photos, we went to our next destination which was the Hanging Coffins. I suggest to bring bottled water with you and make sure you have eaten breakfast or lunch before heading there as the walk is quite tiring. The history of the place is worth listening to, learning how much they value life and tradition. Coffins were hanged for a reason, and those were their ancestors. Unlike what we’re used to, before an elderly dies, a hanging coffin is already prepared. People in Sagada believe that it is lucky for the person to witness the elderly die. After a short time of death, the deceased is arranged in a fetal position and mummified. They will then carry the deceased to the already prepared hanging coffin. Women, and children are also buried separately depending on their status (married, single, etc.), even the cause of death is a factor.

Third stop was St. Mary’s church which was newly built (5 years old). Another belief is that if it is your first time to visit a church, before stepping inside, make a wish.

We were then so tired of the lengthy travel and decided to eat dinner at Yoghurt House. They do not allow taking photos inside though. Food tasted great! 

We woke up early the next day at 4:30 AM as we were planning to watch sunrise at Marlboro. We were asked to wear rubber shoes as it might be slippery but unluckily it was raining that morning hence we were not able to get there. We just decided to eat breakfast at Rust n’ wood which thankfully opened early (NOTE: stores and restaurants do not open as early as 8 AM). We ate heavy breakfast then headed to Sumaguing Cave.

• 

• 

• 

Sumaguing Cave for me is by far the most wonderful cave I have ever been in the Philippines. This cave has three levels. First one is very slippery so I suggest to wear rubber shoes and avoid wearing slippers. Second level is where you will see wonderful rock formations and clear water. Unfortunately, we were not able to reach the third level because we would have to swim and we’re not ready for it. Should I get the chance to return to Sagada, I would definitely visit the cave again and make sure I would reach the third level. It took us 2 hours to reach the second level, take pictures, and climb up again.

After the Sumaguing Cave, we now went to Strawberry Farm.

Nothing much to see here unless you would want to try pick some strawberries and vegetables. But I believe if there would be any place you would want to buy “pasalubong” this place would be the best place to do so because they cost cheaper compared to others.

We did not have much time to visit other places mentioned in our itinerary, but I would say that I enjoyed the service provided to us and that the driver (Baron) was a good one because we all went back to Manila safe.

Budget: 3000 PHP per head for the tour which includes van, toll, gasoline, and accommodation (does not have to be 12 pax. :)), 500 PHP per head for the tour guide; and the rest is for pasalubong and food. All in all, I spent 5000 PHP.