The Philippines - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 616

and takes at least two days (P1800 per
group). Talk to guides in Kabayan before
you attempt any assault on the mountain.
he Visitors' Centre can arrange
accommodation for P100, but the best
way is to take a tent (P50 per person) and
expect to spend the night on top. he
next morning, wake early to watch the
sunrise and marvel at the whole of Luzon
at your feet.

of Eduardo Masferre a short way off the
Bontoc Road, past Sagada Weaving. Of
Spanish heritage, Masferre married a local
woman and was one of the earliest
photographers to document the people
and culture of villages throughout the
province in the 1930s and 1940s. He
passed away in 1995 but his wife still
lives in the house and animatedly tells
stories of the old days as she guides you
through the collection of photographs on
display in the small “gallery”. here are
also original prints, copies and photo-
books for sale. Ask at the Masferre Inn in
town (which also has his works for sale)
to arrange a visit.
A five-minute walk past the hospital on
the road to Bontoc takes you to Sagada
Weaving (Mon-Sat 7am-6pm), where
you can watch distinctive coloured fabrics
being produced using tribal designs, and
buy souvenirs.

SAGADA
In spite of its increasing popularity, the
village of SAGADA , 151km north of
Baguio, at an elevation of over 1500m,
still has charm and mystery to spare,
much of it connected with the hanging
co ns that can be seen perched high in
the surrounding limestone cliffs. Sagada
began to open up as a destination with
the arrival of electricity in the early
1970s, and intellectuals flocked here to
write and paint. hey didn't produce
much, perhaps because they are said to
have spent much of their time drinking
tapuy, the local rice wine. European
hippies followed and the artistic influence
has left its mark in the form of little boho
cafés and inns and a distinctly laidback
atmosphere, enhanced by the ready
availability of locally grown weed,
although a major bust in 2013 may have
put paid to this scene for a while. More
guesthouses and souvenir shops are
springing up as improved roads increase
the tourist influx, but for now, Sagada
remains one of the country's genuine
backpacker enclaves.
It can get very chilly, especially at night,
and the streets are poorly lit; bring a
sweater, scarf and torch.

8

Activities
Sagada's main draw is the outdoors. he
area's cool forest paths and extensive cave
network make for some great treks (it's
possible to hire guides; see p.620).
One of the most popular hikes, taking
two to three hours in all, is a loop around
the hanging co ns in Echo Valley , high on
the surrounding limestone cliffs. here are
dozens of sinuous paths leading off
through deep foliage in all directions, so a
guide is essential. A typical trek costs
P500-600 for a group of up to ten people.
Caving in Sagada's labyrinth network of
channels and caverns is an exhilarating but
potentially risky activity. A small number
of tourists have died in these caves, so don't
risk going alone. he highlight is
Sumaging Cave , an old burial cave whose
chambers and rock formations are an eerie
sight, a 45-minute walk south of town. he
set price for a guided tour for up to four
people is P500. A more challenging
underground adventure is provided by the
Cave Connection , linking Sumaging and
Lumiang, but this is not for the faint of
heart or claustrophobic and involves three
to four hours of squeezing through narrow
crevices and swimming, often to emerge in
enormous caverns eerily lit by the glow of
the guide's para n lamp. Other outdoors

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
For insight into Cordilleran culture, call
into the small Ganduyan Museum (daily
8am-6pm; entry by donation), next to
the new town hall where owner Christina
Aben will talk you through her
fascinating collection of Igorot artefacts,
some of which were still being used in
daily life into the 1990s. he museum
has sporadic opening hours. It's also
worth taking the time to visit the house