Sagada Weekend Experience

This is my first attempt to blog about my traveling experience. A lot of blog sites helped me set up itineraries for our travels so I thought I would blog about my adventures too, hopefully, to give others information they’re seeking before they begin their trips.


Bus to Sagada

We left Manila, by car, around 10pm Friday and arrived in Baguio around 3am. We left the car in Baguio to travel to Sagada by bus.

According to my researches, buses to Sagada leave at 4am or 4:30am so we went to GL Lizardo Bus Station around that time and queued, but the first bus arrived at the bus station around 5am. By that time, there were already so many people. There was a few commotion since so many people waited and queued for how many minutes, almost an hour, and there was no proper assistance on who should board first so people went a little kru kru. I think only 1/5 was able to ride that first bus to Sagada. We were among the few. My friend literally had to fight for our spots because we were the first ones there. I don’t know the schedule of the next trip. The GL Bus Station is not yet properly equipped to handle so many tourists, especially during the weekends.

Lodging - Ligaya’s House and Cottages

We wanted to reserve one of the cottages but it was fully booked. We got one of the houses for 300 pesos per head. Ligaya’s is a little far from the town proper, but we didn’t mind. They provided transportation for a cost. Since there were a lot of us, we were splitting costs so it was very minimal. Here’s their more responsive contact number: 0920-784-9633 

Sagada Saturday

When you arrive in Sagada, you would have to go to the Tourism Office and pay an environmental fee. They will also give you a piece of paper outlining the places to go and at what cost. We received our copy from our hosts from Ligaya’s. It’s the same for everyone. 

From Saturday lunch to afternoon, we visited the Echo Valley, Hanging Coffins, Lumiang Burial Caves and Sumaguing Cave. Spelunking at Sumaguing Cave is a must. You have to experience it for yourselves. It’s a lot of fun especially when you’re with friends (or maybe significant others). It may be a little tough for children.

Sagada Dinner

For our dinner in Sagada, we had some trouble looking for a place. There were so many people in all the famous places. We walked down the entire strip. We ended up having our dinner in Sagada Brew. That was probably one of the worst dining experiences I had. We waited for more than an hour for our food. I think the next table waited for 2 hours because we were already eating while they were still waiting. It was horrible. The food didn’t even taste that good. They should do something about their terrible service.

Mt. Kiltepan Experience

Before we arrived in Sagada, there were already a lot of news articles about how tourists ruined Mt. Kiltepan and Sagada in general. I was ready to be disappointed, but I wasn’t. It was around 5am when we left Ligaya’s House to go to Kiltepan via van. There were numerous cars lined up to get to the peak. It was like Manila traffic all over again. Did that disappoint me? Not entirely. From the way I see it, it’s a great thing. Tourists of Sagada waking up early in the morning chasing the sun. It was quite an experience.

What is horrible, however, are the noisy tourists. I didn’t mind that we were cramped up, but what annoyed me is the noise. Can they just take a selfie and SHUT THE FUCK UP? I don’t understand it. You traveled so far to witness this sunrise and all you’re seeing are your faces on your phone.

Good thing I am used to shutting down the world to focus. And I can clearly remember those few minutes when the sun started peaking through the mountain, when the first non-violent rays hit my face, and when the sun finally showed its entirety. That glorious circle. You can look at it directly for the first few minutes without hurting your eyes. 

It was a magnificent sunrise above a glorious sea of clouds. That. That cannot be taken away by any noise.

Sagada Breakfast - Misty Lodge

Misty Lodge breakfast redeemed Sagada dining experience for us. There were very few people when we had our breakfast there. There were just two groups, including ours. No horrible long waiting and the food was great.

Departure

We were planning to go to Bomod-ok Falls -- but blame it on our tiring lives maybe -- but we decided to go home earlier. By the way, there are no buses leaving past 2pm they said. We shopped before leaving. It was another 6-hour ride to Baguio.

Cost:

I spent around 3,000 pesos for the whole trip. That already includes:
- Gas (Manila-Baguio and back)
- Bus fare from Baguio to Sagada and back (220 pesos per ride)
- Meals (around 200 pesos each meal for famous places) you can go cheaper
- 300 pesos for lodging (2D1N)
- Tour prices and Guide fees (it will depend on your itinerary)