Archive for January 2015

After an hour long hike to Bomod-Ok Falls or touring and sightseeing around the Echo Valley, or an extraordinary caving experience in Lumiang and Sumaguing caves, time to reward yourself a good meal. Here are some food establishments that you can try in Sagada.

Salt & Pepper Diner

The restaurant is located upstairs on the second floor, which also have a balcony. They offer American and traditional dishes, sandwiches, steaks as well as vegetarian dishes. They cooked their food in a very homey style and have a big serving for each plate.

Location: 2619 Sagada South Road. Besides SAGGAS' (Sagada Genuine Guides Association) office
Restaurant Hours: 6:30 am - 10:00 pm
Price Range: PhP 90 - 200
Personal Rating: 4/5

Stir Fried Veggies with Rice

Rosemary Inutom

Lemon Pie

Kimchi Bar & Restaurant

A Korean restaurant and bar with a reggae vibe. Restaurant walls are filled with recycled displays like empty bottles and bottle caps. They have a wall where you can write something. Besides Korean dishes, they also serve Filipino dishes. We didn't try the Korean dishes since it will take a while to prepare so we ordered something easy to cook. The food tastes average. The place is perfect to chill out and have some drinks.

Location: Sagada South Road
Price Range: PhP 150 - 300
Personal Rating: 3/5

Bottle caps and cigarette boxes

Fast order, Chicken Curry

Pork Adobo

Masferré Restaurant

We haven't tried their specialty which I read is sandwiches and subs since we were leaving soon so we just ordered what is already cooked. Their breads is also a must try here.

Location: Sagada South Road
Price Range: PhP 100 - 200
Personal Rating: 3.5/5

Spam, egg and Melon breakfast

Their breads

Pretzel and chocolate bread

YOGHURT HOUSE

Aside from yogurt, they also serve rice meals, sandwiches, and salads. The place has a nice ambiance. It's a 2-storey house with a balcony, but still it's always crowded. You'll also need patience while waiting for your food. The food was great, but their yogurt was just okay.

Location: Sagada South Road, near Yellow House Inn
Restaurant Hours: 8:00 am – 8:30 pm
Price Range: PhP 90 - 200
Personal Rating: 4/5

Soup of the day: Corn soup

Roasted eggplant in basil pasta

Chicken cashew favorite

Fruits in Season Yoghurt

Sagada Lemon Pie House

Your Sagada trip won't be complete if you didn't try this place. This place is popular, of course, because of its lemon pie. But aside from lemon pies, they also serve rice meals and other desserts like egg pies and seasonal fruit pies. The place has a nice wooden interior that makes you feel you're inside a cabin. A must try here also is the lemon tea. Btw, if you are ordering a whole pie, you need to reserve it a day before.

Location: Sagada South Road, 5-7 minute walk from Yoghurt House
Restaurant Hours: 6:00 am – 9:00 pm
Price Range: PhP 25 - 200
Personal Rating: 4/5

Cozy cabin feel

Onion and cheese omelete with longainsa

Lemon tea and pie

Sagada Brew

Recently opened in 2013, Sagada brew serves excellent coffee. The place is not that big but has a cozy ambiance. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. You will just need to wait to be seated since this place is always jam-packed. The food is great and it's worth the wait. They also sell coffee beans, cakes, and cookies.

Restaurant Hours: 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Price Range: PhP 100 - 200
Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Peppermint chocolate

Coffee

Longanisa with egg and mountain rice

Corned beef with mountain rice

Forgot the name of this cake, but it's really good

Log Cabin

If you're looking for a buffet, then here's the place you can go. Log Cabin has a Saturday night buffet (yes, Saturday night only) that starts around 7 pm until 10 pm. For 500 PhP, you can have different types of dishes. Just make sure you make a reservation ( +63 915 671 7949) or you will have to wait to be seated. The restaurant has a cozy log cabin ambiance. The place has a lot of antique decorations, candles on the table and a nice fireplace. The food and service were great. It's really a must try restaurant in Sagada.

Location: Sagada West Road, near Ganduyan Museum
Restaurant Hours: 7:00 am - 9:00 pm (Mon-Fri) / 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm (Sat) / 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm (Sun)
Price Range: PhP 150 - 500
Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Restaurant interior

Our very accommodating and friendly waiter

Veggies

Carrot bread

Chicken stuffed with something

That is just a few of the food places you can try in Sagada. There are several others that I haven't tried yet, but hope this gives you an idea where to eat in Sagada. You may also check out my travel guide for tourist spots and places to stay in Sagada. Thanks for reading!

Cheers from Sagada!

The town of Sagada in Mt. Province is a tourist friendly destination. Yes, going here from Manila is quite a challenge, but I assure you that it is all worth it. Sagada has a rich culture and traditions, rich with breathtaking scenery and natural wonders. The cold weather and some delicious local treats will surely captivate you.

View from Mt. Kiltepan

How to get there

Sagada is around 275 KM from Manila. You can reach it by bus through the following routes:

Probably the easiest and most convenient way going to Sagada from Manila would be the Baguio route. From Pasay or Cubao, ride a bus bound to Baguio. When you reach Baguio, you can either walk or take a cab to Dangwa Terminal and ride a GL Liner bus that is bound to Sagada. Earliest trip starts 6 AM until 1 PM. The bus leaves every 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending on the passengers. Total travel time would be around 12 hours. You can also go to Bontoc, then ride a jeepney going to Sagada for less than an hour.

Direct Baguio/Sagada Route:
- Pasay/Cubao-Baguio: (Victory Liner Bus for 5-6 hours) PhP 455.00/445.00
- Baguio-Sagada (GL Liner Bus for 6 hours) PhP 220.00

Alternate Baguio/Sagada Routes:
- Pasay/Cubao-Urdaneta: (Five Star Bus for 3-4 hours) PhP 306.00/298.00
- Urdaneta-Baguio: (UV Express Van for 1+ hour) PhP 110.00
- Baguio-Bontoc: (GL Liner Bus for 6 hours) PhP 200++
- Bontoc-Sagada:(Jeepney for 45 minutes) PhP 45.00

GL Liner Bus Schedule

A direct trip from Manila to Banaue which will give you a chance to see the Banaue Rice Terraces. Ohayami Trans and Dangwa Tranco (a subsidiary of GV Florida) have trips going straight from their terminals in Sampaloc, Manila to Banaue. Trip schedules are posted on Ohayami Trans website while you can inquire at Dangwa Tranco through this contact numbers (02) 731-2879 or (02) 410-1991.

Manila-Banaue: (Ohayami Trans Bus for 9-10 hours) PhP 450++
Bus Terminal-Banaue Town Proper: (tricycle for a few minutes) PhP 30.00
Banaue-Bontoc: (Bus or Jeep for 2-3 hours) PhP 100++
Bontoc-Sagada: (Jeepney for 45 minutes) PhP 45.00

Mountain Province

Where to stay

There are no hotels in Sagada but there are a lot of homestays and inns which is nice because it's cheaper. Rates start from PhP 250.00 - 750.00 per night for each person. The most popular among bloggers is the Residential Lodge, but we didn't stay there since it was fully booked. We stayed at Sagada Homestay and it was nice. Here are some inns and homestays you can choose.

Residential Lodge: 0919-672-8744
Sagada Homestay: 0919-702-8380
Bagalima Riverside Inn: 0947-704-6613
Mary Hillz Homestay: 0915-379-4860
Shamrock Tavern: 0930-195-5680
Sagada Kanip-aw View Lodge: 0928-284-7507 / 0929-816-2233
Yabami Bed and Breakfast: 0975-256-7447
Rock Inn: 0920-909-5899
Saint Joseph Rest House: 0918-559-5934
Sagada Guest House: 0918-938-5601 / 0919-300-2763
Hidden Hill Inn: 0910-796-7073
Ligaya's House and Cottages: 0918-343-8415 / 0920-784-9633
Rocky Valley Inn: 0918-403-6018
Billy’s Haus: 0921-603-2745
Ganduyan Inn: 0921-273-8097
Alfredo’s Inn: 0918-588-3535
Alapo’s View Inn: 0918-311-3161 / 0921-327-9055
Alibama Inn: 0920-813-5797
George Guest House: 0918-548-0406 / 0920-607-0994
Travelers Inn: 0920-799-2960 / 0919-517-1833
Masferre Country Inn: 0918-341-6164
Hilltopville: 0912-901-4749

Tours and Activities

There are a lot of activities you can do in Sagada. From sightseeing to extreme activities.

Tourist Registration Area and Information Center

Caving and Extreme Activities

Short Course Caving - Explore one of Sagada's caves, Sumaguing Cave. About an hour and a half to two hours of spelunking with rappelling and boulder climbing and crawling and reward yourself with beautiful rock arts and formation. Sumaguing entrance is around an hour walk from town. See some sights like rice terraces and hanging coffins along the way to the cave entrance. You need a guide to do this and fee is around PhP 600+ per person.

Cave Connection - If you're looking for more challenge, then take this one. This activity is around 4-5 hours, depending on traffic inside the cave. You'll be exploring Lumiang Cave and Sumaguing Cave. The entrance is at Lumiang Cave, which is connected to Sumaguing which you will be exiting. Guide and entrance fee is PhP 800+ per person.

Balangagan Cave - Another cave exploration with fine pure white flowstones and stunning stalactites. Just be sure not to touch any rock formations since it is very delicate and sensitive. Around 5 KM from the town center, you can reach this either by vehicle or just walk.

Crystal Cave - You won't see this offered in tours at the tourist center since they want to preserve this, due to some vandalism and chipping of those centuries-old speleothems. You can ask your local guide for this activity. It costs PhP 2000.00 per person.

Rock Climbing and Rappelling - Climb a 30-meter high rock wall and rappel down at Echo Valley. It costs PhP 800.00 for one person and PhP 400.00 per person for 2 or more. The activity has no time limit and all equipment are provided.

White Water Rafting/Canyoneering - Both activities will last a whole day and cost PhP 3500.00 per person, including the equipments and guide.

Spelunking in Sumaguing Cave

Waterfalls

Hike to Bomod-Ok Falls - One of Sagada's famous waterfalls, this activity requires you to hike for about an hour and a half (3 hours back and forth). Beautiful rice terraces are seen along the way. You can check my post here for Bomod-Ok.

Pongas Twin Falls - The falls is located in the southern part of Sagada. It is around 45-minute hike and a vehicle is required to get to the jump off point. A vehicle rental costs PhP 650.00 and guide fee is PhP 600.00.

Bumayeng Twin Falls - Another twin falls, drop point is also in Brgy. Bangaan but the hike is 3 hours just by going. It costs PhP 2500.00 for 5 pax, with a packed meal included.

Bokong Falls - A small falls but has a very nice pool located in Central Sagada, It is the most accessible waterfall among others. You can hike to this by yourself, but it's a little tricky, so I suggest to have a guide for PhP 200.00 or better if you would take the tour below.

Bomod-Ok Falls

Hiking and Sightseeing

Central Sagada Eco Tour - Sightseeing along the most accessible tourist spots in Sagada. The tour starts from St. Mary's Church then to Echo Valley, Hanging Coffins, Sagada Underground River and Bokong Natural swimming pool. Tour costs PhP 600.00 (max of 10 pax) or you can DIY like we did here.

Mt. Kiltepan - Watch the sunrise at Mt. Kiltepan. The best time to do this activity is summertime, since the chance of a cloudy weather is lower. It also offers a magnificent aerial view of rice terraces and mountain ranges. You either walk going here or rent a jeep for PhP 500.00.

Lake Danum - End the day with a sunset it Lake Danum. It is around 20 minutes away from the tourist center. You can drop by Sagada Pottery and Sagada Weaving along the way. Vehicle rent is PhP 550.00.

You can also do some trekking:
- Mt. Ampacao Traverse - PhP 800.00 (max of 10 pax)
- Grassy Land/Marlboro - PhP 600.00 (max of 10 pax), 2-3 hours of back trekking
- Langsayan Danum Traverse - PhP 1000.00 (max of 3 pax), 3 hour hike or more
- Mt. Sisipitan - PhP 2000.00 (per pax)
- Mt. Polis - PhP 1500.00 (max of 3 pax)