Travel

THE TRAPPED DRIFTER: ‘Sagad sa Ganda’ – The Unusual Beauty of Sagada

By on Saturday, February 29, 2020
Photo from PREMIERE Creative Director Jerald Penafiel

What makes this blog post different from my usual #TheSoloDrifter stories about my travels abroad and local adventures? I’ve been celebrating Chinese New Year in Binondo’s Chinatown for five years, but this year – I went to Sagada! With Kyle and Jerald! And why #TheTrappedDrifter this time? Let’s wait for Jerald’s vlog, you’ll find out!

We left Manila night of 23 January (8 p.m.) and we took a semi-deluxe bus of Coda Lines and it costed each of us P760. For a super deluxe (with CR), it costs P980. We arrived in Sagada around 7:30 a.m of 24 Janaury. We booked via Pinoy Travel.

What you need to know about Sagada?

  1. Sagada is a municipality in Mountain Province
  2. It is famous for its hanging coffins, a traditional way of burying people. Not everyone is qualified to be buried this way; among other things, one had to have been married and had grandchildren.
  3. Sagada is known for citrus, mainly lemon, lime and Valencia oranges
  4. Most locals use Kankana-ey and understand Ilocano. But they are also fluent in English and Filipino.
  5. November to April is the driest and coolest period, suitable for the outdoor activities.

Where to stay

With P1,405 via Booking.com, we were able to book a room in Pinewood Homestay. Tip: Book as early as possible. Walk-in chance is low.

What to do

But worry not if you failed to engage a travel agency prior to your arrival or tour. There are a lot of tourist guides welcoming you at the Tourism Office. Kuya Eric (+63 956 045 2549) helped us plan our activities. He welcomed us when we arrived at the Tourism Office.

Cave Connection

Kuya Eric introduced us to our tour guide, Kuya Ivan (+63 949 686 3058). Our adventure started in Cave Connection from Lumiang to Sumaguing caves. It’s challenging – we experienced going down the cliffs, see rock formations of animals, food and people, and get wet.

You know you’ve reached the Lumiang Cave when you see hundreds of stacked coffins at the entrance, with symbolic markings of life and fertility. Known as ‘The Big Cave’, Sumaguing Cave has the largest enclosure from the 60 caves found underneath Sagada.

Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins

You’ll find Sagada’s famous hanging coffins in the Echo Valley, just next to the town center. It’s a short walk away from the Church of St. Mary the Virgin and through the new cemetery. 

Pottery Making

It’s not part of our itinerary, but Kuya Ivan brought us to Sagada Pottery. Nanay Tessie gave us a demo. Each group of tourists pays P100 for a demo. I tried making a bowl with Nanay Tessie’s guide. The 3-minute tutorial costed me P100.

Sunset viewing

After that pottery making experience, Kuya Ivan brought us to the Viewdeck to watch the sun set. It’s cooler than expected! But I got a good time lapse – an addition to my collection of sunsets and sunrises.

Sea of clouds in Marlboro Hills

Sagada is famous for its sea of clouds sighting at Marlboro Hills. Because Kiltepan is currently inaccessible, Marlboro Hill has become the go-to sunrise-viewing spot. To catch the sunrise, we left the town at 4:30 a.m. Don’t worry about food because there are also kiosks selling champorado, sopas, and arroz caldo in every stop. You may bring food, but please bring the waste with you when you get down. We were advised by Kuya Ivan to bring chocolate bars and a bottle of water.

Blue Soil Hills

The whole Marlboro and Blue Soil adventure took us 5 hours to complete it, but seeing the Blue Soil Hills inspired me. It’s one-of-a-kind natural wonder. Tourists are restricted to take selfies in the middle and on top of the hill as it destroys the mineral and beauty of this wonder.

Where to eat

On our first day we had our breakfast at SLABHOUSE Cafe and Restaurant, which offers affordable traditional Filipino meal like the ‘silog.’

After our cave adventure, we tried Yoghurt House. Tourists love this because of its Western dishes. I tried strawberry lassie and boneless chicken with cashew nuts. A dish averagely costs P250, while beverage costs P120.

We’re tired and we wanted to take a rest so we tried Sagada Bistro, it’s just beside Pinewood Homestay. I tried the popular Etag and had a wine. It only costed me P300 for my whole dinner.

Really, Sagada is not only a place of natural beauty but a heaven of good taste. Our last food trip is at Lemon Pie House. I can only say one thing – it’s the best! The scrambled egg and cheese and the lemon hot tea!

Other Information and Travel Tips

  1. There are ATMs in the Tourism Office
  2. Bring comfortable clothes. When we had cave adventure, I used cave jelly shoes and wrapped my legs with cave pants. For the trekking, I used boot shoes. No need to bring layering clothes and jacket, you’ll feel uncomfortable from the moment you go trekking to sunrise.
  3. Bring first aid kit!
  4. Travel responsibly. Refuse single-use plastics and utensils.

Leaving Sagada

When you go back to Manila, you can take Coda Lines bus at 10:30 a.m, 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. But since we have an agenda in Baguio (the Never Give Up Project for May CPA examinees), we took a regular bus going to Baguio – it’s cheap! It only costed us P260 each.

Budget and Itinerary

The whole tour package in Sagada costed us P6,000 (exclusive of food) for all of us, three. Kuya Eric did the costing, we only informed him what we wanted to visit. The package includes environmental and transportation – you just need to relax. And there are no hidden fees.

For your convenience and in case you want to make your own itinerary and budget, here’s your guide.

DAY 0 – Departure
8:00 p.m. – Departure from Coda Lines – Cubao (P760)

DAY 1 – Cultural
8:00 a.m. – Breakfast at SLABHOUSE Cafe and Restaurant (P150)
9:30 a.m. – Cave Connection (P1,500)
11:30 a.m. – Lunch at Yoghurt House (P350)
2:30 p.m. – Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins (P300)
4:00 p.m. – Pottery Making (P150)
4:45 p.m. – Sunset View
7:30 p.m. – Dinner at Sagada Bistro (P300)

DAY 2 – Nature
4:30 a.m. – Trekking to Marlboro and Bluesoil Hills (P600)
11:00 a.m. – Lunch at Lemon Pie House (P300)
1:00 p.m. – Departure for Baguio (P26)

My Sagada episode ends here, but I’ll make sure to go back to this masterpiece. There a lot to visit in Mountain Province and I can’t wait to complete all activities it can offer every time we roll out the ‘Meet the CPAs’ and ‘Never Give Up’ Projects. Meanwhile, watch my short video here:

Ooops, don’t expect a Baguio blog from me. I’m always in Baguio twice a year, just follow my social media accounts below for some tips!

Cover Photo from PREMIERE Creative Director Jerald Penafiel

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About the Author

Paul Michael Jaramillo
Paul Michael JaramilloChief Executive Editor
PJ is a Certified Public Accountant, writer, storyteller, and an advocate for youth empowerment and environmental protection. His passion for storytelling and social impact has taken many forms—from writing thought-provoking articles on national development, featured in a Spanish newspaper and Rappler, to producing documentaries on mining and environmental issues that aired on ABS-CBN News and GMA News.

A proud Ilocano and graduate of Northwestern University, PJ earned his degree in Accountancy then passed the CPA licensure exam in 2015. That same year, he began his professional career at KPMG in the Philippines. As an external auditor, he handled a diverse portfolio of clients, including a global workspace provider (the largest audit engagement of KPMG Philippines), a global bank, a major FMCG player, and several shared service centers.

His commitment to innovation was evident early in his career. PJ and his team won the KPMG Asia-Pacific Data & Analytics Challenge and later coached the Philippine team to a top-three finish at the KPMG GlobalRunner Cup. He went on to lead KPMG Philippines' Network of Audit Innovators and Data & Analytics Champions, as well as its academic arm. He was an active contributor to the Asia-Pacific Audit Digital Transformation Workstream and a member of both the Audit Methodology Group and the Root Cause Analysis Team. Beyond technical excellence, PJ is deeply committed to learning and leadership. He was a regular training facilitator on audit methodology, professional standards, and emerging tools in data and analytics. He also served as the Firm’s System of Quality Management (SoQM) Implementation Manager and one of its Workforce of the Future Champions.

In 2019, he contributed to the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) as a member of its Technical Working Group on Audit Methodology. His role in shaping audit quality and innovation has left a meaningful imprint on the profession.

PJ defines success by the people he uplifts. As a mentor and coach, he invests in the growth of emerging professionals and previously served as a member of the KPMG Philippines People Committee.

He leads various community-centered advocacy projects and shares inspiring stories through his vlog, PJspirations, a platform that celebrates individuals and their journeys. As a volunteer, he serves as Academic Master and Head Coach of PREMIER International Learning and Development Center, an organization devoted to providing coaching, mentoring, and training programs that help people grow personally and professionally.

Today, PJ brings his passion and expertise to the Middle East, South Asia, and Caspian regions as part of KPMG’s Professional Practice and Audit Learning & Development team. In this role, he contributes to audit methodology advancement and learning strategy across the Middle East Cluster.

He is also a certified #IAmRemarkable facilitator, leading sessions of the global Google initiative that empowers women and underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements.

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