Sagada Travel Forum

Hi! Have been scouring the net for Sagada,and found this as the most recent. Help pls? My family is going to Sagada this Holy Week. We're travelling by two 4x4 suvs, originally Manila-Baguio-Sagada-Banawe-Manila route. But because its peakest of the peak, we'd like to avoid Baguio and go via Banawe both ways. Is this adviseable? Roads not too rough? Heard via Baguio there is a smooth hiway, but then traffic will be a nightmare...Approx distance in kms so we can compute fuel expense?
One member of our party is sendentary. Though still in her 30s she virtually has no excercise. Can she make it through the Sagada experience - especially the challenge of the Sumaguing cave?
Grateful for your tips re road trip / in-Sagada must-see places =;) - Many thanks!

Hi! I went to Sagada once before by bus so I'm not too sure which route is best. What I can do is suggest-- true about the possible heavy traffic, but what you can do is take off the night before you originally planned to leave the city. (That's why my bus trip was at night, and there was no traffic.) Travel time is 12-15 hours, depending on your stopovers. Yup, it's that long but the trip's worth it if you're the nature-loving type. And so about your friend, I would think she'll survive and enjoy the trekking part. But the cave-- maybe she'll survive, but not enjoy it. It can be tiring and actually very dangerous for someone who's not in the best shape. The cave's pitch black and slippery. (Your only light is the lamp held by the guide.) 5 minutes into the cave is a point of no return. But it's amazing! Definitely not to be missed!

thnx ainee_dg, will discuss it w/ her, she might just chill-out in one of the cafes.

gawis ay aghew!

first off, whichever route you take, manila-baguio-sagada or manila-banaue-sagada, you will have a at least 2 hours of dirt road or rough road to navigate. to explain further, manila to baguio until mt. data is all good road, its concrete and from mt. data to sagada, its dirt road although there are some parts which are now concrete. same with manila to banaue, its all concrete until you reach the army camp after passing banaue, and from there its once again concrete.

since you're traveling with 4x4 suvs, i don't think those dirt roads will pose too much problem.

by the way, i noticed that by going through manila to baguio at night is alot better as compared with travelling during the day. and even when going to sagada from baguio, there are very few vehicles travelling the halsema highway. be warned though that the halsema highway is foggy at night. as for the manila banaue route, i observed that it is always clogged with traffic, especially those long hauler trucks, at any time of the day. approximate distance either way is 300++ km.

as for your friend there, i think if you make your case with the tourist guides in sagada, i'm sure they would accomodate your friend.

Thanks, Ichurya-a! Will keep that in mind!

my mistake...i didn't see, it should be:

when you reach the army camp after passing banaue. its all dirt road from there. although there are parts which are now concrete