Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
early 1970s, and intellectuals - internal
refugees from the Marcos dictatorship
- flocked here to write and paint. They
didn't produce much of note, perhaps
because they spent, it is said, much of their
time drinking
tapuy
(the local rice wine).
European hippies followed, as did the
military, who thought the
turistas
were
supplying funds for an insurgency.
There isn't a lot to do in town, although
there are plenty of
activities
in the
surrounding area. Other than that there's
scope for just hanging out, settling down
in the evenings by a log fire in one of the
wooden cafés or restaurants. With so much
fresh fruit and veg grown nearby, the
food
in Sagada is among the best in the country,
with lots of veggie choices - something of
a rarity in the Philippines. A
curfew
means
you can't drink after 9pm, but almost
everyone has gone to bed by then anyway.
SAGADA
ACCOMMODATION
George Guest House
Masferré
Rock Inn
St Joseph Resthouse
Sagada Guesthouse
& Café
Sagada Homestay
6
5
1
3
4
2
SHOPPING
Sagada Pottery
Sagada Weaving
St. Theodore's
Hospital
2
1
Transport
Terminal
Tripple J
EATING & DRINKING
Gaia
Lemon Pie House
Log Cabin
Masferré
Sagada Brew
Yoghurt House
5
6
1
2
4
3
Police
Ganduyan
Museum
Commercial
Centre
Old
Municipal
Hall
Golinsan
Sagada
Rural
Bank
Market
3
St. Mary's
Episcopal
Echo Valley
Cemetery
N
Sagada Genuine
Guides ( SaGGAs)
Ganduyan Museum
Town centre • Opening hours vary • P25; 20min guided tours may be
available for a donation •
T
0921 273 8097
Set up and run by elderly Christina Aven,
the wonderful little
Ganduyan Museum
displays her collection of Igorot artefacts. It's worth asking her for a guided tour,
although given her frail health this is not always possible. Among the objects on display
are intricate strung-bead necklaces made with snake vertebrae, traditional kitchenware
and a collection of spears used for defence.
0
100
metres
,
, Demang, Sumaging Cave, Lumiang Burial Cave & Ambasing
Demang
If you have time then it's worth wandering down to the village of
Demang
, reached
from a turning on the right just beyond the
George Guest House
. The village is older
than Sagada and remains practically untouched by tourism. It's a quiet residential area
with several
dap-ay
(stone circles where community matters are resolved).
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
SAGADA
By bus and jeepney
The transport terminal is a small
market square opposite the commercial centre, close to
the main junction. GL Lizardo buses serve Baguio (hourly
5am-1pm; 5-6hr). Jeepneys run to and from Bontoc
(hourly 6.30am-1pm; 40min; P45). For Banaue, take a
jeepney to Bontoc and change there.
Environmental fee
All visitors to Sagada must register
and pay an environmental fee (P30), payable at the tourist
information centre.
Tourist information
There's a small tourist information
centre (7am-5pm;
T
0905 513 7626) in the old town hall.
Tours
The tourist information centre has a list of guided
tours with fixed prices, as does the privately owned Sagada
Genuine Guides (daily 6am-7pm;
T
0912 367 2150,
W
saggas.org) close to
Yoghurt House
(see p.176). In
addition to adventure activities (see box opposite), North
Luzon Outdoor Centre (see box opposite) offers excellent
custom-made and off-the-beaten-track tours in the region.
ACCOMMODATION
Most of the village's
guesthouses
- and restaurants - are on the main road, which runs through the town centre
past the market, the town hall, the municipal buildings and the police station. Guesthouses are on the whole
great value. The town gets packed out at Christmas and Easter, so if you're planning to visit at these times try to
book ahead.
