cordillera | The Backpacker Guide

The summer capital of the Philippines, Baguio is easily one of the top destinations in the Philippines. Just a bus ride away from Manila, the capital city, Baguio transports you a world away from the chaotic atmosphere of Manila. To maximize your enjoyment in the city of pines, I’ve come up with a list of everything you need to know on what to see in Baguio City.

Burnham Park

Named after the architect of the City of Baguio, Daniel Burnham, Burnham park sits at the center of the city making it a great place for the community to come together. The park features several gardens and a lagoon where one can paddle a boat on high altitude. Biking also is popular on this park. Having sloped roadways this piece of flat land in the city sure is the best spot to learn biking.

Photo by Res Pe (used under CC License)

Session Road

Mines View Park

Probably the second most popular spot in Baguio is this small promontory called Mine’s View Park. Located at the northern end of the city, the park offers a view of the nearby mountains and valley bordering other municipalities surrounding Baguio.

Photo by ginomempin (used under CC License)

Wright Park

If you are up for some adventure, try out horseback riding at wright park. As soon as you arrive at the park you will be welcomed by lanes of ponies and horses along with the distinct smell of horse poo. LOL. It’s worth trying though specially if you haven’t ridden a horse yet. You can also visit St. Joseph Parish Church where a famous celebrity couple got married. Guess who! Write your answer in the comment section!

Photo by Constantine Agustin (Used under CC License)

Lourdes Grotto

Walk 252 steps up the stairs going to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. Located at the western side of Baguio city in Mirador Hills one can say their prayers as they arrive at the top. Some do this as penance and as a sacrifice for a wish made.

Photo by LeylanR (Used under CC License)

Baguio Cathedral

Built during the American occupation with a Neo-Gothic architecture the Baguio Cathedral is the seat of the archdiocese of Benguet.

Strawberry Farm

Fancy picking strawberries straight from the farm to your basket. Strawberry picking has been a tourist attraction specially for those who like their berries ultra fresh. It is also a fun activity that the family can enjoy together. Strawberry farms are found in La Trinidad, Benguet a several minutes outside of Baguio.

Photo by mykel7873 (Used under CC License)

Ben Cab Museum

Home of the world renowned visual artist Benedicto Cabrera’s art works is found in Tuba, Benguet. The BenCab museum offers a visual feast for your creative minds.

Photo by penmanila (Used under CC License)

Tam Awan Village

Created as an artist’s haven the Tam Awan village can be found within the outskirts of Baguio City. One can enjoy watching cultural shows and shop for handicrafts created by Benguet’s artisans.

Photo by girlpixieshoot (Used under CC License)

Mount Costa

One of the newest attractions that you can add on your what to see in Baguio list, though outside of the city, Mount Costa is just several minutes drive from Baguio. This attraction has a hand full of full size and pocket gardens that you can just let your self get lost and marvel at the beauty of nature.

The Mansion

Officially called as The Mansion House, This white washed stone house becomes the official summer residence of the president of The Republic of the Philippines during the hot months. The structure was built by the Americans in 1908 as the summer house of US Governor Generals

Baguio Botanical Gardens

Editors Note: This article will be updated each time we find something worth visiting. Please like our FB Page and Instagram for more updates.

Sagada, a scenic town nestled up in the mountains of the Cordilleras are dreamed of a lot of people with the only thing holding them back are reasons such as it’s to far, too expensive, they don’t know how to get there, can’t join group tours because of time or simply because they don’t want to be stuck up moving with a bunch of people.

That is why we’ve came up with this Easy Sagada Travel Guide so you can plan your trip fitting your budget and time.

How To Get To Sagada

Step 1: Call Coda Bus Lines (0925-559-2197/ 0929-521-3229)

Coda buses will take you from Quezon City and unload you in Sagada, yes it’s that easy Sagada is just one ride away from Manila.

Call their Quezon City office and reserve your seats, no need to pay just tell them how many you need then reserve it under a name. Just be at the terminal at least an hour to make sure that they won’t give your seats away to chance passengers.

Oh, and on your way home, the bus will most likely to make a stop at the Banaue Rice Terreces view point where you can take photos!

Uhmmm…. yes there is no step 2 😉

Where to Stay in Sagada

If you are a bit adventurous, you can just walk around Sagada and find your room. If you are traveling on a weekday and off peak season you wouldn’t have to worry about not getting a room, you can even find rooms for as low as 250 pesos that are decent. The advantage here is that most of these dirt cheap rooms aren’t mostly found online.

On the other hand, if you are going there during peak season or you just want to be assured that you got a room to stay when you get there, you might want to reserve your room ahead of time. You can also book here for the best prices

Where to Eat in Sagada

Not many know that aside from being a scenic town, Sagada is aslo considred as a gastronomic destination. Translation? Food Trip baby! Notable establishments are Youghurt House, Lemon House and Sagada Brew. Plan your meals around a 300 peso figure and you’d be comfortable, but if food is not your priority then you’ll save some more! (Note: food in the public market/carinderia is about 60 pesos per serving of one viand w/o rice)

What to Do In Sagada

The best thing about tourism in Sagada is that it is well organized.

You will get off from the bus within the grounds near St. Mary’s church and from there find your way straight to the tourism office. You’ll need to register and pay the fees for your visit, remember to keep the receipt with you all the time as this will be asked to be presented from time to time whenever you go to spots.

After settling in your room, find your way to the Sagada Genuine Guides Association (SaGGAss) office where you can book your adventures with a well trained guide.

For tours around Saggada, you can just hire a van for about 500 pesos that can take you around those spots that does not need guides (Lake Danum sunset, Sagada Pottery, Sagada Weaving etc) just make sure to map out your route first. Kiltepan peak can be done by foot (and you’ll find a lot just actually walk from the town center to Kiltepan peak ) or you can just take a jeep near the municipal hall.

Safe Budget

For a solo traveler a rough estimate of about 5,000 pesos would suffice.

Ex.
RT Fare 1400
Cave Connection 600
Hanging Coffins 200
2 Nights Accomodation 600
Kiltepan Peak Free
Sagada Tour 500
Food 1800 (your discretion if you wanna splurge but I strongly suggest you try the restos out)
Total 5100

For A group of 4
RT Fare 1400
Cave Connection 150
Hanging Coffins 50
2 Nights Accomodation 300
Kiltepan Peak Free
Sagada Tour 125
Food 1800
Total 3825

You may want to note that the price for food did not change (Php 300 x 6 meals). This is because Sagada like I mentioned earlier offers really good food that even foreigners rave about, and you wouldn’t not want to miss how awesome the food is in Sagada!

Again this is just a rough estimate, price may increase or drop depending on the activities that you are wanting to do. For solo seasoned solo travelers, surely you’ll find a way to keep those activity prices down by being friendly right?

There you go, I’m pretty sure that with this guide you’ll find your way soon to Sagada, a place where nature co-exists with man in harmony.

P.S. Will update this post soon with an itinerary

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Got questions? Put them on the comment section, I’ll try my best answer them.