"Sagada: My Nirvana" Top 5 Page for this destination Sagada by nimato

Sagada Travel Guide: 668 reviews and 1,855 photos

Coffins hanging on a cliff (July 2006)

The Hanging Coffins

My initial knowledge of Sagada was about the hanging coffins and Eduardo Masferre's black-and-white photos of Sagada in the olden days. Both intrigued me. So when an invitation to visit Sagada came in the summer of 2002, I never hesitated. The plan was to climb and camp overnight on Mount Ampacao, Sagada's highest peak. This was going to be my first trip to the place that I will soon be adopting as my personal nirvana. As they say, the rest was history.

The Discovery Of A Hidden Gem - My First Visit

Spelunking inside Sumaguing Cave (July 2006)

Long But Awesome Trip. Forget about the six-hour boring trip from Manila to Baguio. It was a night so there was not much to see. So I just slept. However, the views encompassing our journey from Baguio to Sagada, along Halsema Highway (the highest highway system in the Philippines), was simply breath-taking. Scenic Cordillera communities surrounded by beautiful mountain landscapes and rice terraces were common. If this is not yet, I thought with excitement, then our destination will truly be splendid! After a gruelling six more hours of zig-zag 'war' bus ride, we finally arrived in Sagada a little over 12 noon. Cool, crisp mountain breeze greeted all of us as we got off the bus. As I gazed around, I felt the relaxing and laidback ambiance of the place. Cool. Fresh. Green. Serene.

Holy Week Dilemma. Since Sagada was full packed at this time of year, we had a hard time finding accomodation. In fact, we spent the rest of the day looking for one. We ended up sharing a private two-storey house with a happy, easy-going German-Filipina couple.

Adventures Galore! The days that followed were full of actions. We hiked to Echoe Valley / Hanging Coffins, Bokong (or Small Waterfalls) and Kiltepan Peak to have a panoramic view of the Sagada Rice Terraces. Part of the Cordillera mountain range, Sagada has its share of the highly acclaimed ancient engineering marvel. Though not as elevated as those found around Banaue, the rice terraces here are equally stunning - beautifully crafted on a valley surrounded by picturesque mountains. The next day we found ourselves spelunking inside Sumaguing Cave. The underground river passing through it made caving more challenging and thrilling (and extremely chilling!). After the physically-demanding caving, we decided to drop the Mt. Ampacao camping plan.

There's still more to Sagada than just hanging coffins, caves, rice terraces, waterfalls and mountains. Today, Sagada ceased from being just a remote place up the Cordilleras. The town has evolved into an icon that stands for spiritual reflections, solitude, nature and culture preservation, clean and green surroundings, ethnic art and good food. Sagada, to me, is a precious gem. I felt a bit like Gollum of the LOTR fame when all of a sudden I murmured to myself that Sagada has become... 'm y p r r r e c i o u s !'

First visit: April, 2002
2nd visit: December 2004
3rd visit: July 2006
4th visit: December 2009

Sagada Rice Terraces (July 2006)

Pros and Cons

Pros:Caving, food, hanging coffins, laidback town atmosphere
Cons:11 hours bus ride from Manila!
In a nutshell:Magical place -- indeed, one of the Philippines Best Kept Secrets!

Last visit to Sagada: Jul 2006
Intro Updated Jan 7, 2010
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Reviews (23)

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Comments (11)

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OH_DK Nov 2, 2009 at 10:53 PM

Beautiful photos on your pages Manny - I will be back to look more. Greetings from Denmark
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vinc_bilb Oct 2, 2009 at 3:49 AM

Very usefull, salamat... I'm still dreaming about Sagada :)
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missmarianne Aug 12, 2008 at 4:09 AM

informative. ...
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GenuinelyCurious Oct 18, 2007 at 6:21 PM

Nice overview of Sagada. I'm reading good things... glad to have your pics.
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JessH Jun 28, 2007 at 3:36 AM

Hi Manny. Very informative page here on an interesting destination. My ratings are definitely with you! Greetings from Dubai :-) Jess (PS: I love your trekking sandals picture!)
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livethedream Jun 18, 2007 at 6:58 AM

huwaw! 3 times in sagada. ako naman nainggit. will be referring to your page again pag pupunta na ako
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lheera May 27, 2007 at 7:24 PM

hello..this very helpful...but one stupid question...how can i get to Autobus station if i'm from cubao..besides riding a cab..any landmark..thanks..please email me..lenieteruel@yahoo.com...thanks!!!
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cHeLLe28 Dec 14, 2006 at 5:34 AM

hi great tip sa pagpunta sa sagada. really helpful
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myspices Oct 18, 2006 at 12:08 PM

Hi Manny, thanks for dropping by my Sagada page. You have got yourself a truly beautiful Sagada page. I am sure you will share the same view as me.. Sagada is truly beautiful!
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luckyzen Sep 16, 2006 at 10:35 AM

It must feel wonderful to be surrounded by all these beautiful flowers. Thank you for sharing!