The Curious Catventures: Exciting Sagada Adventures That Won’t Burn Your Money

When in Sagada

I kid you not when I tell you – Sagada is full of surprises and you will LOVE it! Before this trip, the first and only time I’ve been to Sagada was when I was 7 years old. My only memory was it was an extremely long drive and the rice wasn’t white. Now, I still stand by my initial sentiments but this second trip came with many discoveries.

When I Fall In Love – With Nature

I am no city girl – as a kid, we spent a fair number of weekends in our provincial house in Nueva Ecija so lush greeneries and mountain views aren’t new to me but exploring Sagada made me love nature even more because view was so serene with so much life! It was beautiful.

What To Do In Sagada

If you are planning to make a trip up and expecting you will just “chill” because there might be “nothing to do”, think again! With this trip, I learned that there are so many things to try in Sagada so let me share with you my 3-day Catventure!

Suite Blanco Parka | Anchor Co. backpack

Let the adventure begin! One thing you have to know, it is a LONG drive. Even with the new Baguio route that gets you there in 3-4 hours, Sagada will be another 5 or 6 hours away from Baguio so wear comfy traveling clothes and packed snacks. Wear an outfit that can easily let you curl up in the car for a comfortable sleep or bring a neck pillow!

DAY 1: On the way to Sumaguing Cave

We’re lucky enough to have the travel experts www.vagabondpinas.com to arrange the whole itinerary for my friends and I. The best part? It was such a great deal for Php3,800 ALL IN! Lodging, itinerary and breakfast for 3 days. I highly suggest you travel with them! 🙂

Coffin, tea or me?

No time for slacking around, our itinerary was packed! Personally, the first day was the most INTENSIVE – or maybe I just wasn’t expecting to do a lot of physical activities. We hiked to one of the caves and I couldn’t help but be curious about these “Hanging Coffins”. In the past, it was their way of honoring the dead. Knock, knock? Who’s there

Ready, set, hike!

Remember: ALWAYS listen to your guide / travel master. If they say pack light, then pack light. If they say bring A LOT of water – they mean it! I always lugged around a bottle of water and kept my bag micro. They’re like parents looking out for your safety and convenience so listen!

Newly found friends c/o Vagabond Pinas

A fun benefit of booking through travel groups like Vagabond Pinas are the amazing people you’ll meet! We were a big group of 16 and it was all good vibes til the last day. Super fun! Beside me here is JP of Vagabond Pinas. Feel free to contact him for bookings and inquiries!

Banaue Rice Terraces

So the first adventure is the trip to Sumaguing Cave! You’ll pass by beautiful sceneries like this one that you won’t even notice you’ve been walking for a long time. I know it’s quite pricey but carrying a GoPro with you to the cave will be worth it!

Sumisilong sa Sumaguing

After a few stops, we are finally in the cave! All you need to spend for here is the tour guide (but our ALL IN fee covered it) to take you through the caves. I thought we’d just look around but I was in for a big surprise.

Spelunking in Sumaguing Cave

We did some intensive spelunking / cave exploring! I was so scared at first cos the rocks were slippery and the guide had asked us to remove our shoes. We explored for a good 3 hours and every minute was worth it! Lots of pools of water though so leave all the gadgets.

Made it out – smiling!

After 3 hours of spelunking, climbing, rappelling and crawling, I survived! If I can do it, I’m sure everyone can do it also. Going through the caves was a super fun experience – to the point that I want to go back! But maybe not anytime soon

Day 2: Star Trekking

Now, off to the next adventure – to Bomod – Ok Falls!!! Should you decide to DIY and not book with a travel group, the only thing you’ll need to spend here is for the guide and private transpo arrangement to where the trek starts. We trekked for around 2 hours! Thank you for stopping with me, Arfel, and taking my photos.

Bomod-Ok Falls – super-OK!

I know I look kinda funny in a button down but believe me, it was chilly in that area! My friends even decided to go for a swim and they all looked like chilling kutings while in the water. :))

Riverside Siesta

While waiting for the others, you can take a mini nap or nibble on a light lunch. I suggest you rest a bit to prepare yourself for the hike going back! Another tip I can give is DO NOT book on predictable dates i.e. long weekends, holidays because it tends to be overcrowed.

Day 3: Vagabond Pinas x Sagada Crew at Bontoc

Lastly, the third day! Time flew SO fast that we were already bidding Sagada goodbye. We traveled to Bontoc to see more rice terraces and it was a perfect place to take photos. A big thanks to my Sagada group (JP, Davho, Arfel, Racquel, Toni, Gay, Kevin, Jecca, Alex, Abigail, Jio, Reg and McCoy), my newly found friends for making this trip super fun! Thanks to Vagabond Pinas for a smooth trip and arranging each detail. Can’t wait to book a trip with you guys again!

Yuki Tansengco

There you have it. Travel to Sagada and do ALL of this for only Php3,800. You don’t need a lot of money to appreciate the beautiful things in life 🙂

Til the next Catventure,

Yuki

(Photos (c) of My Style Cat)