Discovering Sagada

Situated in the Mountain Province in Northern Luzon part, the town of Sagada is famous for its limestone caves, rice field terraces, cliffs with the view of sea of clouds, refreshing waterfalls and hanging coffins. A long travel is needed to get to the wonderful mountain valleys of Sagada. From Manila, you need to take a bus going to Baguio City for almost 6 hours, and from there, another bus will take you to Sagada town for another approximately 5-6 hours. A really very long journey, yet I assure you, it’s all worth it once you explore Sagada. This place offers a relaxing escape from the stressful and busy city life.

And what to do and see in Sagada? Here are some recommended destinations you shouldn’t miss in your Sagada trip:

Sumaguing Cave. This is for those who wants to experience the real spelunking adventure. Also known as the Big Cave, Sumaguing cave has the largest chamber connecting all the 60 caves of Sagada. The trek down inside the cave is some kind of slippery and really steep. You can opt to do some challenging activities like rappelling, crawling, rock climbing and hopping through pools of water. But the result is very rewarding once you see what’s inside. Rock formations in different shapes, stalactites and stalagmites are found inside the cave. You can also dip yourself in a waist-level ice cold water that would surely give you a chill. These are the reasons why Sumaguing cave is one of the most popular tourist attraction in Sagada.

The Hanging Coffins. A unique cemetery in Sagada where coffins have been hanged on mountain cliff as part of the Igorot indigenous culture and burial tradition of Sagada people. This practice was already more than 2000-year old tradition and the locals are no longer practice it anymore. The latest addition to the hanging coffins was placed there on 2008. The Igorot ancestors believed that the higher the body is laid, the closer it is to heaven. Located in the hilltop called Echo Valley, you need to cross the Anglican cemetery to reach the top view of the hanging coffin and trek down for about 15-20 minutes for the closer view.

Bomod-ok Falls. Also called the Big Falls, this waterfall is located in Barangay Bangaan. You’ll need to take a downhill trek with a tour guide to reach the waterfall. The view on the way will erase all the tiredness and exhausting knee-jerking long walk. And after almost 2 hours of panting and sweating, you will experience the cold water cascades from the top of 200-feet tall Bomod-ok falls.

Mt. kiltepan Viewpoint. One of the highest peaks in Sagada, Mt. Kiltepan is the best spot to experience the sunrise and the famous ‘sea of clouds’. The trail to Kiltepan is filled with pine trees and it takes almost an hour of walk to reach the peak. The best time to go here is very early in the morning before the sunrise, for you to catch the rising sun emerged in the sea of clouds.