Traveling Morion | Travel + Photography

Badian, Cebu is one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines to visit—a 3rd class municipality with lots of lush greenery and nature. But the definite star of the show is the Kawasan Falls, a stunning three-layered waterfall which is a popular tourist destination, known both locally and abroad.

Located in Barangay Matutinao, the small paradise is hidden in an enclave within the jungles of Cebu, far from the city life. The waters are a beautiful aquamarine shade and the mere sight of it immediately relaxes the spirits—it’s even known to be one of the cleanest bodies of water in the entire country. Given this, it’s no wonder the falls have become an international—and Instagram-worthy—hit.

The refreshing aquamarine water of Kawasan Falls

Personal Notes

It’s around 7:00AM and we’re just having our complimentary breakfast in Uncle’s Tom’s Cabin. I know, we’re already late! We actually set our departure from Cebu City at 4:30AM - first trip by bus going to Bato in South Cebu. We’re scheduled for Kawasan Falls in Badian but i woke up late (6:30AM). Forgive me, it’s because of Airasia’s delayed flight. Our night flight from Manila was delayed for more than 2 hours. No hurt feelings, they treat us with 2 food packs of jolly chickenjoy!

After 30 minutes of waiting, we’re already boarded in a Ceres bus headed to Bato via Badian. Chicharon vendors in Carcar area transform wifey’s sleepiness into full smile! I hate the smell of pork chicharon, forgive me!

We only had 1 stop-over for more or less half an hour in Barili area to have our lunch. Our lunch : fried squid, 150 pesos- worth of lechon (yep, in Cebu, lechon is just a usual dish in a karenderya!), steamed shrimp and 2 cups of rice - all for less than 500 pesos.

After, more or less, 4 hours of “snoring” (correction: beautiful bus ride), we reach the junction in Barangay Matutinao where we started our 30-minute walk going to one of the most famous tourist destinations in the province, the Kawasan Falls.

It’s my 5th visit and wifey’s first time. BTW, I was assigned in Cebu (particularly in the south) for work for more than 3 years, but, my apologies i only have few posts - I was not a serious travel blogger during that time hehehe.

It’s weekend, so we expected the crowd – local tourists, Chinese, Koreans, Americans. I would love to visit and shoot some long exposure frames in the 2nd and 3rd tier but dark clouds warned us not to proceed...

Part of the river connected to Kawasan Falls

Kawasan Falls

The falls have a total of three tiers, all of them connected to the beautiful Kawasan river. The first tier is rather crowded, filled with locals, other tourists, as well as vendors selling goods and lots of food stalls. The second tier is a bit less filled with people. Finally, the third tier—while small, has a sparser crowd making for a very serene experience. Be sure to have some good shoes and energy when walking up the tier, however, since the road up can be rugged.

Travel Notes

Prepare for a little bit of hiking! In order to reach the falls from the road, you have to walk around 15-30 minutes. The walk is pretty easy, however—not to mention the smell of the fresh trees is rejuvenating.

Make sure to buy some coconuts from the locals as a refresher. At just 10 pesos each, they’re very cheap, yummy, and filling.

Take a swim at the hidden lagoons. The water is more calm here that at the actual waterfall tiers, making it more safe for children and those who struggle with swimming. Swimming is also completely free.

If you’re tired of swimming and just want to relax in the clear waters, you can rent a raft for a total of 300 pesos.

Changing rooms and restaurants are available at the location—be sure to have some change on you, however, since the entry fee can cost around 5-10 pesos per person.

Cottages are also available for rent, ranging from 1000-3000 pesos.

Canyoneering is also one of the most popular activities in Kawasan Falls.

Expect the crowd during weekends

The old stone bridge before the first tier of Kawasan Falls welcomes the visitors

HOW TO GET THERE

From Luzon

There are plenty of airlines that fly direct to Cebu from NAIA in Manila as well as Clark International Airport. Tourists also have the option to go to Cebu by ferry. 2Go travel offers this route, however the travel time lasts about 10 hours.

After arriving, take a jeep or taxi to the South Bus Terminal and take a bus heading to Bato (via Badian) —this costs around 150 pesos. You can ask the conductors to point you towards the correct bus.

Be warned, lines can get pretty long especially during the summer season! So, it’s best to get there off peak hours or early in the morning.

Get off the bus and follow the signage pointing words the Kawasan Falls and pay the entry fee (40-50 pesos)

From Mindanao, other parts of Luzon and Visayas
There are direct flights to Cebu from the following airports: Puerto Princesa in Palawan (Luzon); Dumaguete, Bacolod, Iloilo, Roxas City in Capiz, Caticlan in Aklan (Visayas) ; and Davao City, General Santos, Cagayan De Oro City, Butuan City, Surigao City and Siargao Island (Mindanao).

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With more than 7600 islands to explore, the Philippines is a country full of beautiful and scenic places. Its rich biodiversity features forests, lakes, mountains, beaches, and historic sites. Albay, found in the Bicol Region, is one province that boasts of tourist spots, interesting local dishes, and exciting activities. The province was declared as a Biosphere Reserve due to abundance of endemic flora and fauna. To enjoy the most out of Albay, tourists are encouraged to proceed to Legazpi City first. There are local tours around the capital city, which would be a great start of your Albay adventure. After the city tour, you can now explore scenic spots outside the city.

PERSONAL NOTES

This is one of the most beautiful trips I have ever done! A week before my scheduled trip back to Indonesia, I booked 2 seats on a “lazyboy” bus trip in Alabang going to Legazpi City in Albay. No itinerary, just a childhood dream to see “Daragang Magayon”- and it’s my first travel with my daughter! BTW, she convinced me to push for this trip “nabasa daw niya sa textbook nila ang Mayon Volcano.”

The pick-up time of DLTB’s lazyboy bus was originally scheduled at 9:00PM in Alabang (in front of the iconic Starmall) but there was quite a delay because of the usual traffic. It was around 10:00PM when the bus arrived. The long trip, literally a long journey starting from Alabang passing through Laguna, Quezon and Camarines Sur, took us more or less than 10 hours.

It was around 8:00AM when we arrived in Legaspi Bus Terminal. A kind tricycle driver named kuya Randy approached us and brought us to Embarcadero Hotel, our home for this 2-day Albay trip. On our way to the hotel, he offered us a good set of day tour for Php1200. No itinerary and no plan yet, without any doubt, I agreed. My introvert daughter just smiled and nod – that’s the best approval I got during that day!

Just walking distance from Legaspi Port, Embarcadero Hotel is located inside Embarcadero Complex where all the other commercial establishments are perfectly situated too. There are restaurants, beauty shops, salons, bars, even a grocery store and a kids place, but the best of them all is the perfect view you get of “Daragang Magayon”.

I realized it’s too early to check-in, we just ask the receptionist of the hotel to allow us to leave our things. Yes, they allowed us to do so!

So that’s it! We had a sumptuous breakfast to start our day tour of on the right foot.

We’re sharing to you the best places/spots to see and explore here; and things to do when you visit Albay. Oh, please take note that these recommendations were based only from our own tour experiences and the places we have visited. Enjoy!

Mayon Volcano

Albay is also home to the world-famous Mayon Volcano. Many tourists visit Albay to see the perfect cone-shaped volcano, which was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The famous Mayon Volcano is not only for sight-seeing, as various adventures around the volcano are offered for the brave people. Tourists may try the rough rides along various trials of rugged terrain, rivers, and rock formations.

Cagsawa Ruins

When Mayon Volcano erupted in 1814, a nearby town got buried in lava and volcanic ash. The only remaining sign of the town is the ruins of a church’s bell tower. You can also get a good view of the Mayon Volcano from the Cagsawa Ruins.

Mayon Volcano from Cagsawa Ruins site

Sumlang Lake

Another place to visit near Mayon Volcano is Sumlang Lake. You can enjoy an exquisite ride on top of a bamboo raft drifting through the crystal clear waters of the lake. While having a boat ride, you can relax and savor the luscious green surroundings and perfect view of Mayon Volcano.

Mayon Volcano from Sumlang Lake

Daraga Church

The Daraga Church, also known as Nuestra Senora de la Porteria is a symbol of rising though the ashes. It is a stone church made out of volcanic rocks, out of which sculptures and religious images are etched. The Daraga Church was built after the church in Cagsawa was destroyed.

The view of the perfect cone-shaped Mayon Volcano from Daraga Church

Camalig Church

A depositary of historical items, the St. John the Baptist Church or simply called as Camalig Church is made from volcanic rocks. It features a meaningful mural, similar to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican. There are also relics such as burial jars, ceramics, and other tools used during the early times displayed in the Camalig Church.

Quitinday Hills

Visiting the Quitinday Hills will require effort, but the view will be worth it. It resembles the Chocolate Hills in Bohol since it is composed of several green hills. To get to the top of Quitinday Hills, one must hike through the grassy slopes. Upon reaching the top, you can get a good view of the other hills - and the Mayon Volcano!

One of the amazing hills of Quitinday and the Mayon Volcano

Lignon Hill

Not really on top of the world, but the feeling while being on top of Lignon Hills is similar. From Lignon Hills, you can get a view of Albay and other famous landmarks. The PHIVOLCS observatory is also established in the Lignon Hill. If you dare, there is also a tunnel inside the hill which was used by Japanese forces during the World War II. Sunset and sunrise views are also spectacular to view from Lignon Hill.

Legazpi Boulevard, Coconut Juice, and Barbecue

After enjoying the sunset from Lignon Hill, you can go back to Legazpi City to enjoy the night life. The Legazpi Boulevard is a seaside road featuring various views around Albay and also robust shops including eateries and other shops. The Legazpi Boulevard is three kilometers long and perfect for sight-seeing or jogging in the morning. Lined along the road are eateries where one can buy barbecue and later grab a drink of refreshing coconut juice. It is a perfect opportunity for relaxing or taking Instagram-worthy photos.

Barbecue stalls at Legazpi Boulevard

Fresh Buko available at Legazpi Boulevard

Eat Pinangat and Kinalas

Traveling will not be complete if you will not taste the local dishes of the place. Pinangat is a famous dish composed of coconut meat, shrimps, and spices perfectly cooked in gata, or coconut milk. It might look like suman at first, but the mixture of blended flavors makes this delicacy unique. Together with Pinangat, another interesting dish is Kinalas. Kinalas is another version of mami, but the Kinalas has a distinct flavor that showcases the spices of Albay. It has the usual noodles, beef broth, and onion leeks, but with the addition of a thick sauce and beef strips (from cow’s face).

Must try when in Albay: Kinalas, noodle soup made from pansit bato, special sauce, meat from cow’s face and other spices.

Pinangat - originally from Camalig is a local dish made from steamed leaves of a root crop called “gabi” (in coconut milk) flavored with fish or shrimp or meat

Eat Tinapa Rice and Sili Ice Cream at 1st Colonial Grill and Restaurant

Located in Albay Pacific Mall, 1st Colonial Grill stands apart from other restaurants due to its Tinapa Rice and Sili Ice Cream. The Tinapa Rice is a bit pricey, but it combines smoked tinapa, salted eggs, green mangoes, and tomatoes in one plate. Like most Filipino dishes, the Tinapa Rice features a lot of different flavors in one dish, but these flavors are made to complement each other. After eating Tinapa Rice, you can also try the Sili Ice Cream. This ice cream entails three levels of heat or spiciness. It’s interesting how the owners were able to mix hot and cold at the same time. Both the Tinapa Rice and Sili Ice Cream are available in 1st Colonial Grill.

Tinapa Rice

The famous Sili Ice Cream of 1st Colonial Grill

Creamy Pili Ice Cream also available in 1st Colonial Grill

Buy Pasalubong

No Filipino would have a complete trip if they don’t buy pasalubong. You can always go to pasalubong shops around Albay. Pili nuts are the common delicacies available. Pili nuts have a distinct flavor and chewiness to it. Even other countries have a high demand for Pili nuts, not only due to its flavor, but also because of its health benefits. There are variants of Pili nuts such as roasted Pili nuts, honey-glazed, and Pili nut candy, and Pastillas de Pili.

WHERE TO STAY

Embarcadero Hotel - good location, overlooking Mayon Volcano, very close to the bus terminal, port area and food stalls. BOOK HERE

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day 0:

10:00PM: Depart Alabang

Day 1

08:00AM: Arrive in Legazpi/Early hotel check-in

09:00AM: Breakfast in a Pinangat Food Stop in Camalig

10:00AM: Camalig Church

10:30AM: Proceed to Cagsawa Ruins

11:00AM: Cagsawa Ruins

12:00NN: Lunch then travel to Sumlang Lake

01:00PM: Sumlang Lake – bamboo raft ride

02:30PM: Travel to Quitinday Hills jump-off point

03:00PM: Trek to Quitinday Hills

04:00PM: Quitinday Hills - going back to the jump-off point

04:30PM: Travel to Lignon Hills

05:00PM: Lignon Hills, sight seeing

06:30PM: Travel to Legazpi Boulevard

07:00PM: Legazpi Boulevard

08:00PM: Dinner at Colonial Grill and Restaurant

09:00PM: Travel back to the hotel

Day 2

7:00AM: Breakfast at the hotel

7:30AM: Travel to Daraga Church

8:00AM: Daraga Church

9:00AM: Travel back to the hotel, refresh then proceed to Pacific Mall area to buy pasalubongs; lunch

12:30AM: Travel back to Metro Manila

Manila to Legazpi map image (c)google maps

HOW TO GET THERE

From Metro Manila, you can travel to Albay by air or by land. There are daily flights from Manila to Legazpi City through Philippine Airlines. If by bus, one can ride from the terminals in Pasay or Cubao or Alabang.

From Visayas, you can ride by air or by sea. Daily flights from Cebu to Legazpi City through Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines are available. If by sea, the RORO trips from Visayas to Pilar, Matnog, and Bulan ports are available. From the port, a bus is available going to Legazpi City.

From Mindanao, you can ride by air or by sea. There are flights from Davao City, Cagayan de Oro City, General Santos City, Butuan City, Siargao, Surigao City, Zamboanga City to Cebu City (then follow instructions from Visayas). If by sea, you can take a bus ride to Cagayan De Oro, then ferry to Cebu (and then follow the instructions from Visayas).

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Only an hour away from the provincial capital of Albay, in the town of Camalig, is the place where you will find one of the hidden gems of the province. A prized possession of Camalig, it is a 400-hectare terrain which gives quite a similar impression of the famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol. However, its fame did not come from its similarity with the Chocolate Hills, but it comes from its uniqueness; it has its own distinguishing factors. With its beautiful mounds, it gives off a kind of charm that leaves you speechless. But more than this, actually, the backdrop of the Quitinday Hills is the strikingly perfect Mount Mayon.

In the area, the hills are most commonly known as the “Pili Nut Hills” by the locals. With an elevation of 100-130 meters, the hills just has the right height to offer great view of Mayon. This is good practice for beginner climbers. There are only two known peaks that are open to guests. But both peaks provide a 360 degree view of the breathtaking scenery. And these two peaks can be easily accessed because of the single track trail that connects both of them. It is about a 15 minute trekking.

What makes this a very beginner friendly climb/trek is that because of how well-established and maintained it is to be tourist friendly, you would not need to hire a guide when you go here. But of course, to continue properly caring for the hills, funds are needed which is why there is an environmental fee; BUT, it is only P20 for each visitor!

The best moments to appreciate the hills and Mount Mayon is during the golden hours; sunrise and sunset. Make sure to get there early in the morning or late afternoon. You are not only going to catch the best moments of the sun for the day BUT you’re also going to catch the best atmosphere for the day, you’ll clearly see Mount Mayon. The trail opens at 5:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

TRAVEL NOTES

Wear something comfortable – Just because it’s a relatively low and fast climb, doesn’t mean it won’t tire you out. So wear clothing you can easily move in AND something that can protect you from the sun.

Secure a permit (if you want to camp)- Want to camp there? Go to Camalig local government office and get a permit. Try to do this three or four days before your planned trip.

Follow the rules – Basic rules in the area is do not litter and don’t have campfires.

Reception for you mobile phone is no problem here. There are quite a number of areas with stable connection.

Don't forget your camera/smartphone - perfect place for selfie shots!

HOW TO GET THERE

From Manila

By Bus: Ride in a bus headed to Legazpi City from Pasay, Cubao or Alabang. Alight in Camalig Town Proper. From Camalig town proper, hire a tricycle or habal-habal that will bring you to Quitinday Hills – cost ranges from Php300- Php500 (back and forth). Rate depends on your haggling skills

If coming from Legazpi City, ride a jeepney with “Polanque” route and ask the driver to drop you at the Quitinday junction. From there, hire a tricycle/habal-habal for the round trip to Quitinday Hills. Travel time is, more or less, 45 minutes; and the cost ranges from Php300-Php500, depending on your haggling skills.

You can also hire a tricycle that will bring you to Quitinday hills directly from Legazpi City but the cost is a little bit higher – just use your haggling skills.

By Air: Take a flight to Legazpi Airport from Manila (then follow the instructions above).

From Visayas

Fly directly from Mactan-Cebu International Airport to Legazpi City (then follow the instructions above). Cebu Pacific Air and Philippines Airlines serve Cebu – Legazpi route daily as of this writing.

From Mindanao

Option 1: Fly to Cebu then take Cebu to Legazpi flight (then follow the instructions above).

Option 2: Fly to Manila then take a more or less 12-hour bus ride or take the less than an hour Manila to Legazpi flight (then follow the instructions above).

PERSONAL NOTES

On this Albay trip with my daughter, we chartered a tricycle for Php1200.00. The one whole day tricycle tour includes: Cagsawa Ruins, Daraga Church, Sumlang Lake, Quitinday Hills, Lignon Hills, and Legazpi Boulevard. Actually Hoyop-hoyopan Cave is also part of the tour but we decided not to continue because of our limited time. Fees and meals are not part of the tricycle tour.

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Interesting Spots and Things to do in Albay Province

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Albay is one of the hot spot tourist attractions in the Philippines because of the famous Mount Mayon. However, recently, a different tourist attraction has been catching the attention of many visitors of Albay. It is as breathtaking and as mesmerizing to see because it actually gives you a great view of Mount Mayon - the Sumlang Lake in Camalig.

Sumlang Lake is a 14-hectare lake that was filled with lilies in every angle in the past. But residents in the village saw its exquisiteness and potential to become a good spot for travelers. So the villagers, along with the support of the local government, had a massive cleanup, only three years ago, and that was when the lake’s true beauty surfaced. Additionally, the view of Mount Mayon on its back just gives it more of that picturesque scene.

What I love about Sumlang Lake is how it exudes a sense of peace and serenity throughout the whole lake. By the way, there are a lot of activities that can be done in the lake. And if you’re looking for a place to get your inner photographer out or maybe you just want to take some photos for your next instagram post, around the lake is where you will find some "instagramable" modern looking chairs and cottages. You can also see some unique art pieces that provide the artistic feel to the place.

When it comes to their available activities, you have quite a lot of them to choose from. You can choose from their balsa tour, kayaking, aqua biking, and the floating cottage. The balsa tour is just perfect if you just want to enjoy the scenery at peace. You can try out the kayaking if you want row around the lake and just feel the wind. If you want to break a sweat and kind of give your muscles an exercise, aqua biking should be something you try out. Now, if you are with a big group and you are all looking to do something to relax and just enjoy the view of the lake and Mount Mayon, and each other’s company, then go rent the floating cottage. Each of these activities has its own level of fun that it can give you. Find which activity bests suits you, your friends and your family, but surely any of those activities you will enjoy.

Beware though, given that it is getting more and more attention over time, expect to see a lot of visitors in the lake during the weekends, most especially during holidays. The best time to go to the lake is during sunrise or sunset. The golden hours from any part of the lake are absolutely magnificent.

TRAVEL NOTES

The best moments to appreciate Sumlang Lake is during the golden hours; sunrise and sunset. Make sure to get there early in the morning or late afternoon.

Lotus flowers bloom early in the morning!

Wear something comfortable - wear clothing you can easily move in and something that can protect you from the sun.

Follow the rules – Basic rules in the area is do not litter.

Reception for you mobile phone is no problem here. The area has stable cellphone connection.

Don't forget your camera/smartphone - perfect place for selfie shots!

After or before your trip to the lake you may want to stop by at other spots nearby. There are tons of other places that you can pass by in and take some photos.

Albay is such a beautiful place to go on a vacation to, and Sumlang Lake is a place in it that you should not miss!

HOW TO GET THERE

From Manila

By Bus: Ride in a bus headed to Legaspi City and alight at Albay Ethno Eco Village. From there, walk for about 15 minutes or simply ride in a tricycle to Sumlang Lake.

By Air: Take a flight to Legazpi Airport from Manila (then follow the instructions below, from Legazpi City).

From Legazpi City

Ride in a jeepney routing Polangui, Camalig or Guinobatan and ask the driver to drop you off the Albay Agri Ethno Eco Village (then follow the instructions above).

From Visayas

From Mindanao

Option 1: Fly to Cebu then take Cebu to Legazpi flight (then follow the instructions above).

Option 2: Fly to Manila then take a more or less 12-hour bus ride or take the less than an hour Manila to Legazpi flight (then follow the instructions above).

PERSONAL NOTES

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Sinulog Festival of Cebu is considered to be one of the most festive, most popular - the grandest festival in the Philippines. Sinulog Festival consistently brings together millions of people each year to commemorate one of the major events in the country’s religious history and celebrate in honor of the patron saint of Cebu, Santo Niño or Child Jesus.

Sinulog Festival 2019 Schedule of Events and Activities

The history of Santo Niño dates back to almost half a millennium ago when Ferdinand Magellan arrived on the shores of Mactan and presented the famed relic of the Child Jesus to the wife of Rajah Humabon as a baptismal present. But it was only in 1980 when the first Sinulog parade was organized and later on adopted to the festival we know today.

Sinulog came from the Cebuano adverb sulog, meaning “like water current moving”, hence the forward-backward step in the Sinulog Dance that seems to be mimicking water waves. According to historians, natives have been dancing the Sinulog even before the arrival of Magellan to honor their animist idols. However, it has evolved through the years to become the ritual-prayer dance honoring Santo Niño it is today.

Held every third Sunday of January, the festival showcases not only the deep devotion of the Cebuanos but also their rich culture and magnificent creativity.

How to Get There

As of this writing, Mactan-Cebu International Airport serves 25 domestic destinations and 22 international routes.

From Manila/Luzon : All major airlines in the Philippines offer direct flights from Manila to Cebu. The flight typically lasts around 1 hour and 10 minutes. Tourists also have the option to go to Cebu by ferry. 2Go travel offers this route, however the travel time lasts about 10 hours.

From Mindanao, other parts of Luzon and Visayas : There are direct flights to Cebu from the following airports: Clark in Pampanga and Puerto Princesa in Palawan (Luzon); Dumaguete, Bacolod, Iloilo, Roxas City in Capiz, Caticlan in Aklan (Visayas) ; and Davao City, General Santos, Cagayan De Oro City, Butuan City, Surigao City and Siargao Island (Mindanao).

***From the airport in Mactan, you can take a MyBus, metered taxi or Grabcar going to Cebu City.

Travel Notes

If you are from outside Cebu, make sure to book your flight early and not on the weekend of the festival. You might also want to be in Cebu before the main celebration if you don’t want to miss anything.

The festival is expected to attract over 2 million tourists around the world this 2019. With a large number of visitors like this, it is advisable to book hotel accommodations earlier to avoid any hassle.

During the grand parade, pay attention to your belongings as you will be packed in a huge crowd. Do not bring unnecessary items with you to avoid any hassle; a bottle of water, camera, and your wallet and other essentials is actually enough. Most importantly, keep calm; you will be pushed, stepped on, shoved, etc. given the huge crowd but they are all part of the fun.

What to Wear

There are actually no rules when it comes to choosing what to wear during the festival. It’s up to your personal taste and style but with the sheer number of attendees and the humid weather in the country, you may want to opt for more comfortable outfits. There will also be a lot of walking so put on your reliable walking shoes or slippers. Although there are no rules, remember that you are attending a religious celebration so dress appropriately.

Don’t forget to slather on your sunblock too! The sun can still be so harsh even at this time of the year.

Other Things to do in Cebu City/Cebu Province

Cebu is a beautiful province, bursting with both natural and man-made wonders, you will never run out of things to do or go.

Discover some of Cebu’s rich history by visiting the Cebu Heritage Monument, or travel back in time inside the 1730 Jesuit House, and most especially at the Basilica del Santo Niño which is the Oldest Catholic Church in the Philippines.

For nature-lovers, you can go on a side trip at the Jumalon Butterfly Sanctuary, and at the Terrazas de Flores Botanical Garden, or you can go waterfalling/canyoneering in Kawasan Falls of Badian.

Also make sure not to miss the wildest street parties at night and dance your hearts out.

Calendar of Activities and Events

The festival unfolds for nine days with the last day celebrated with the Grand Parade and a performance reenacting the introduction of Christianity in the country. However, the whole month of January will be filled with other fun-filled activities. This year’s expected date of the Grand Parade is on January 20, 2019.

Here’s the unofficial Sinulog Festival Schedule of Activities and Events posted in one of the FB Pages dedicated to Sinulog Festival. This will be updated once the official Schedule of Activities and Events was released by the festival organizers.

January 6, 2019 (Sunday)

5:00AM – Sinulog Fun Run by Philippine Sports Commission (Assembly)

6:00AM – Sinulog Dance Crew 2019 Elimination @ Cebu City Sports Center

– Kick Off ( Route: same as Sinulog Grand Parade)

January 10, 2019 (Thursday)

Opening Salvo: Walk with Jesus

4:00AM – Assembly @ Fuente Osmeña (Fuente Osmeña – Osmeña Blvd. – Basilica Minore Del Santo Niño)

4:30AM – Start of walk from Fuente Osmeña to Basilica Minore Del Santo Niño

5:30AM – Installation of Hermano & Hermana Mayores 2019

January 11, 2019 (Friday)

Sinulog 2019 Kick Off

10:00AM – Sinulog Trade Fair @ SM City Cebu by The Department of Trade and Industry

2:00PM – Solemn Mass @ Basilica Del Santo Niño – Opening Salvo Sinulog 2019

3:00PM – Sinulog 2019 Launching Parade (Basilica to Fuente Circle to Cebu City Sports Center)

7:00PM – Opening & Launching Program @ Plaza Independencia; Presentation of: Sinulog Festival Queen, Sinulog Idol, Sinulog Dance Crew)

8:00PM – Concert @ Plaza Independencia

January 12, 2019 (Saturday)

Sinulog sa Lalawigan

1:00PM – Parade of Participants from Capitol Grounds to Cebu City Sports Center

2:00PM – Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan @ Cebu City Sports Center

6:30PM – Cultural Show @ Plaza Independencia by Department of Education – Cebu Province

8:00PM – Sinulog Idol Elimination @ Robinsons Galleria Cebu

January 13, 2019 (Sunday)

Sinulog sa Barangay

12:00PM – Parade of Participants from Legaspi Ext. Plaza Independencia to Cebu City Sports Center

1:00PM – Sinulog sa Barangay @ Cebu City Sports Center

6:30PM – Cultural Show @ Plaza Independencia by Cebu Technological University & Indiana Aerospace University

4:00PM – Sinulog Idol Elimination @ Robinsons Galleria Cebu

8:00PM – Concert @ Plaza Independencia

January 14, 2019 (Monday)

6:30PM – Cultural Show @ Plaza Independencia by University of Visayas & University of Cebu

4:00PM – Sinulog Idol Elimination @ Robinsons Galleria Cebu

8:00PM – Concert @ Plaza Independencia

January 15, 2019 (Tuesday)

6:30PM – Cultural Show @ Plaza Independencia by Mandaue City College & Mandaue School for the Arts

8:00PM – Concert @ Plaza Independencia

January 16, 2019 (Wednesday)

6:30PM – Cultural Show @ Plaza Independencia by Salazar Institute of Technology and Cebu Doctors University

6:30PM – Cultural Show by Department of Education – Cebu City

8:00PM – Concert @ Plaza Independencia

January 17, 2019 (Thursday)

10:00AM – Sinulog Festival Queen 2019 Photo Shoot @ SM City Cebu Events Center

6:00PM – Sinulog Festival Queen 2019 Parade of Costumes & Runway Competition @ SM City Cebu Northwing Atrium

6:30PM – Cultural Show @ Plaza Independencia by University of San Carlos

8:00PM – Concert @ Plaza Independencia

January 18, 2019 (Friday)

4:00AM – Walk with Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe Church – V. Rama Ave. – left to B. Rodriguez St. – Fuente Osmeña-Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño)

7:00AM – Cebu – Mandaue – Lapu-Lapu Traslacion

9:00AM – Solidarity Meeting (All Competing Contingents, Floats, Higante, & Puppeteers) @ Cebu City Sports Center

6:30PM – Cultural Show @ Plaza Independencia by University of Southern Philippines Foundation, University of San Jose Recoletos, and Cebu Institute Technology University

7:30PM – Sinulog Festival 2019 Festival Queen Coronation Night and Sinulog Dance Crew Grand Showdown @ Cebu City Sports Center

9:00PM – Concert @ Plaza Independencia

— LifeDance 2019

January 19, 2019 (Saturday)

2:00AM – Mass @ National Shrine of St. Joseph

3:00AM – Mandaue-Lapu-Lapu Traslacion

6:00AM – Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of the Santo Niño

9:00AM – Re-enactment of the Baptism of Queen Juana & Rajah Humabon @ Basilica Del Santo Niño

1:00PM – Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of the Santo Niño

7:00PM – Sinulog Idol 2019 Grand Finals @ Plaza Independencia

– Sinulog Fireworks Competition @ SM City Cebu

8:00PM – Concert @ Plaza Independencia

— Plus63 Festival

January 20, 2019 (Sunday)

Sinulog 2019 Grand Parade

4:00AM – Mañanita Mass @ Basilica Del Santo Niño

6:00AM – Pontifical Mass @ Basilica Del Santo Niño

6:30AM – Holy Mass @ Cebu City Sports Center

7:30AM – Sinulog 2019 Grand Parade Kick Off @ Cebu City Sports Center

4:00PM – Sinulog 2019 Grand Finale @ Cebu City Sports Center

6:00PM – Parokya ni Edgar @ Plaza Independencia

7:00PM – Pyrospectacular Show @ SM City Cebu

9:00PM – Pyrospectacular Show @ SM Seaside City Cebu

January 21, 2019 (Monday)

Awarding Ceremonies

1:00PM – Awarding Ceremonies @ Cebu City Sports Center

January 25, 2019 (Friday)

“HUBO Mass”

4:00AM – Mass @ Basilica Minore del Sto.Niño Pilgrim Center

From Sinulog Foundation's Official FB Page, below is the Official List of Contingents as of November 26, 2018.
The list is subject to change without prior notice.

𝗦𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝘀𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝘆

1. Sapangdaku

2. San Nicolas Proper

3. Mambaling

4. Talamban

5. Basak San Nicolas

6. Mabolo

7. Suba

8. Sawang

9. Cambinucot

10. Cogon Pardo

11. Inayawan

12. Bulacao

13. Labangon

14. Guadalupe

𝗦𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝘀𝗮 𝗟𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻

1. Carcar City

2. Ginatilan

3. Consolacion

4. Bogo City

5. Talisay City

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆

1. Murcia, Negros Occidental (out of town)

2. Placer, Surigao del Norte (out of town)

3. Daan Bantayan

4. Toledo City

Check Sinulog Foundation Inc Official FB Page for recent Sinulog Festival news and updates. Enjoy!

READ MORE

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Every 4th Sunday of January, right after the celebration of Sinulog Festival in Cebu and Ati-atihan Festival of Aklan, the streets of Iloilo City are filled with colorful décor, joyous music and exhilarating dances. This marks the beginning of Dinagyang Festival, celebrated to honor the Santo Niño and commemorate the arrival of the Malays in Panay and the sale of the island to the settlers by the Aetas.

Dinagyang Festival 2019 Schedule of Events and Activities

Dinagyang began in 1968 as feast to honor Santo Niño, it was only celebrated within the parish at first, but it was adopted and grew to what we know as one of the most beautiful festivals in the Philippines today. It was voted as the Best Tourism Event for 2006 to 2008 and one of the few festivals supported by the United Nations for its promotion of the Millennium Development Goals.

Although it was patterned to Ati-Atihan of Aklan, Dinagyang has a unique rhythm and beat. The performances showcase the lives of the native Ati people – alive and colorful portrayal of their rich history and culture.

Travel Notes

With a celebration as grand as Dinagyang, it is expected that thousands, if not hundreds of thousands will pour into the city. Accommodation is expected to be higher than usual during this peak period so it is advisable to book your hotel earlier. The same applies to your flight booking if coming outside of Iloilo.

There are a lot of great hotels around Iloilo, but we all want to stay somewhere near all the action, but not too near that we will find ourselves stuck in the wave of people.

Bring only the essentials especially to parades and events with expectedly huge audience to avoid any inconvenience.

What to Wear

“Let’s party, right here and now!” is the trend in Dinagyang. You are expected to walk, run, strut, hop, and dance so make sure that you are wearing comfortable clothes and shoes. You can smear some body paint in your face/body to fully get in to the festive vibe.

Other things to do in Iloilo City/Iloilo Province

Never leave Iloilo City without trying a bowl of their famous La Paz Batchoy and Pancit Molo at the La Paz Market. Savor fresh seafood delicacies in eateries that you can literally find anywhere in especially in coastal towns.

Go church hopping in their century-old churches, including the Jaro Cathedral, San Joaquin Church, or at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Miagao Church.

If you have more time and want more adventure, you can go island hopping to their beautiful islands with coastlines that could rival the white sand beach of Boracay. The Antonia Beach and Gabugaw Gamay Island in Gigantes Group of Islands are among the best you could visit.

Calendar of Activities and Events

The main events of the Festival runs from January 25 to 27, 2018.

January 25, 2019 (Friday)

8:00 AM – Tambor, Trumpa, Martsa, Musika

3:00 PM – Fluvial and Solemn Foot Procession

9:00 PM – Luces in the Sky (Fireworks Display)

January 26, 2019 (Saturday)

8:00 AM – Fiesta Pilipinas (Kasadyahan Cultural Competition)

2:00 PM – Sponsors Mardi Gras Parade

6:00 PM – Floats Parade of Lights

7:00 PM – Grand Religious Sadsad

9:00 PM – Glitters in the Sky (Fireworks Display)

January 27, 2019 (Sunday)

6:00 AM – Concelebrated High Mass

8:00 AM – Dinagyang Tribes Competition

Schedule above is subject to change without prior notice. Check Dinagyang Festival's FB Page for recent Dinagyang Festival news and updates.

How to Get There

Whether you come from Luzon or other provinces of Visayas or Mindanao, the easiest way to get to Iloilo City is by plane.

From Manila

Take an airplane ride going to Iloilo City. All local airlines has direct flight from Manila to Iloilo City. Iloilo is part of Panay Island. Aside from Iloilo City International Airport, Panay Island has 2 other airports namely – Caticlan and Roxas airports.

Other option, if you come from Luzon you can even go by land (and sea) via RORO buses from Metro Manila to Iloilo City through Laguna-Batangas-Mindoro Oriental-Panay Island nautical highway.

From Visayas provinces/islands

If there are no planes directly going to Iloilo City from where you are, you can travel to Cebu. From Cebu, you can choose to travel by air or sea going to Iloilo City.

Bacolod City (Negros Occidental) is very close to Iloilo. Just ride in a fastcraft or RORO ship from Bacolod Port going to Iloilo City - more or less 1 hour sea travel.

From Mindanao

There are direct flights from Davao City, General Santos City and Cagayande Oro City going to and from Iloilo City.

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Considered to be one of the most visited destinations in Metro Manila for this year, since its official public viewing on May 18, the National Museum of Natural History has continued to receive much attention on and off the internet. It can clearly be seen that a lot of thought has been put into the establishment and curation of this now very famous museum. Right off the bat, visitors of the museum would see how astonishing the details of the building itself are.

National Museum of Natural History, Philippines

There are many reasons why a lot of Filipinos have suddenly become art enthusiasts after visiting the museum. The museum showcases various works that captures the eyes, minds and hearts of its visitors. Upon entering, visitors would immediately be welcomed by the DNA Tree of Life, a six storey high structure created by Dominic Galicia. This double-helix structure broadens near the roof, making it similar to leaves and branches extending in the canopy of the museum. The DNA Tree of Life is more than just a display, it also serves as an elevator to reach the different floors of the museum.

Volcanic rocks from the Mt. Mayon at the museum's ground facing Kalaw Street and UN Avenue;
this northern entrance serves as door and registration area for PWDs, senior citizens, pregnant and kids.

A typical Sunday morning line at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila, Philippines

The Tree of Life and the giant image of country's National Bird, the Philippines Eagle

This is a good place to bring kids. Kids can learn more about animals in the Philippine wildlife. In the central hall of the museum, kids will immediately see the giant images of the three animals native to the country: Bohol’s Tarsier, Mindoro’s Tamaraw, and the Philippine eagle. A stuffed Philippine eagle is also displayed in the hallway of the museum. The Philippine eagle is considered as national symbol. One of the reasons is because of its size. Sadly, this impressive animal is in the endangered list due to high deforestation, plus other harmful human activities.

Stuffed Philippine Eagle. A national symbol, the Philippine eagle is one of the largest in its group. Unfortunately, it is also considered as
critically endangered because of deforestations and other human activities.

Additionally, there are other interesting displays; a lot of national treasures found within the museum that highlights the rich biodiversity of the Philippines. More than just the three previously mentioned animals our kids learn in school, they can also learn more about Lolong. This gigantic crocodile from Bunawan, Agusan del Sur was once the largest crocodile in captivity in the world. The skeleton of this gigantic creature is taken care of and displayed here. A Conus gloriamaris, a type of marine mollusk, measuring 179 mm is also one of the interesting displays in the museum. It was recognized with an exceptional size compared to a regular sized one - probably the largest sea cone shell (of its kind) not just in the country, but also in the world. Other than creatures of the water/sea, another interesting exhibit is the fossilized bones of a (butchered) Rhinoceros recently excavated in the northern part of Luzon - in the province of Kalinga. Yes, there were Rhinoceros found here in the Philippines 709,000 years ago!

Replica of Lolong from Bunawan, Agusan del Sur , declared as the world's largest crocodile in captivity

LEFT PHOTO: Archive photo of Lolong in 2012 while at his cage in Agusan del Sur; RIGHT PHOTO: The skeletal remains of Lolong displayed
at the Philippines' National Museum of Natural History

Measuring 179mm, this Conus gloriamaris could be the world's largest

Bones of butchered rhinoceros excavated in the northern part of Kalinga Province suggest humans lived in
the Philippines as far back as 700,000 years ago.

More than educational learnings on animals, visitors can also learn about pre-hispanic Manila. How? Would you believe that the now crowded, noisy and polluted Manila was once a large mangrove filled with White Nilad Flowers which had its natural dwellers (animals). The museum made a recreation of it. Through this recreated mangrove, maybe many would be encouraged to help Mother Earth in our own little ways.

The fun and learnings does not end there, there are a lot of galleries throughout the whole museum. For example, in Gallery IX, other than the Nilad Mangroves, beaches and interidal zones is shown here as well. For those who wish to explore the waters of the Philippines, Gallery X showcases the Marine Realm. This gallery has a submarine replica and as well as of the large creatures of the sea like the whale and the shark. And in Gallery XI, visitors can learn more about our natural inheritance. Displays of petrified wood can be seen here.

A little trivia about the museum: did you know that in less than a week since the opening, the museum received around 20,000 visitors already! Through the teaser photos that were posted months before the opening, a lot of Filipinos have looked forward to its opening. This just goes to show how we Filipinos are proud and support our own!

TRAVEL NOTES

Entrance fee is FREE for all visitors, Filipino or foreigner.

Operating hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00AM to 5:00PM.

Regular Entrance is at the main doors facing Rizal Park - registration is required.

The door facing Kalaw Street and UN Avenue serves as entrance for PWDs, Senior Citizens, pregnant and kids.

HOW TO GET THERE

If you're using public transportation, if you're coming from any lines of MRT or LRT 2, just find your way to LRT 1. Once you're in LRT 1, get down at United Nations Avenue Station, then in a few steps you'll see the museum.

But if you're riding a car, just follow the route of LRT 1 till you find get to UN Ave. There is street parking available around the museum.

For more information, visit the National Museum of the Philippines Facebook page or call (02) 527-7889, or email cmvod.nationalmuseum@gmail.com.

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On the middle of the Tayabas Bay and Sibuyan Sea lies the heart-shaped and beautiful island of Marinduque. Its waters are located along the center of the center of world’s marine biodiversity. Not only a sanctuary for marine, flora, and other fauna species, Marinduque is also home to one of the oldest religious festivals in the whole Philippines.

For more than 130 years now, the province celebrates the famous Moriones Festival annually during the Lenten season. The festival features men and women dressed in costumes, masks, and helmets replicating the garb of the ancient Roman Soldiers during the biblical times.

The festival depicts the story of Saint Longinus who was a Roman Centurion and blind on one eye. It was believed that Saint Longinus was the one who pierced the side of Jesus during his crucifixion, and that the blood that spurted and touched his eyes restored his sight. This made him convert to Christianity but eventually led to his decapitation by his former fellow centurions.

Calendar of Activities

Activities are normally held during the Holy Week with the week-long festivities culminating with the Salubong on Easter Sunday. This 2019, it is expected to run from April 14 to 21 with Mass and other Religious activities filling the schedule.

The Via Crucis or the Way of the Cross on the Streets happens on Good Friday. This is followed by the Senakulo which depicts the beheading of Saint Longinus on Black Saturday. And lastly, the Salubong on Easter Sunday.

Travel Notes

Marinduque Province is composed of six (6) towns namely Mogpog, Sta. Cruz, Torrijos, Buenavista, Gasan, and Boac (the capital town). Take note that each town celebrates Moriones Festival; meaning festival can be watched in every town of the province.

Given its schedule coinciding with the Holy Week, it is expected that there will be an influx of tourists traveling so it is advisable to book tickets and hotel accommodation earlier to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

Bring enough cash- automated teller machines (ATM), located mostly in the town proper, are usually out of cash due to bulk cash transactions and long holiday.

Don't forget to bring your camera. Moriones Festival is one of the most colorful religious festivals in the Philippines!

Where to stay

There are a number of Hotels in the province but if you want to be near the center of the celebration during the Festival it is advisable to stay in Boac or Sta. Cruz and other neighboring towns. There are also a lot of island resorts and hotels in the province if you’re looking for the ultimate Holy Week vacation

What to Wear

The festival is held during the Holy Week and the Philippines being a tropical country, it is expected that the weather during those times will be scorching hot. It is advisable to wear loose or comfortable light colored clothes and bring water with you to avoid dehydration.

Other things to do in and Interesting Spots in Marinduque

Poctoy White Beach in Torrijos - Its approximately one (1) kilometer stretch of white-sand beach offers visitors a unique beach experience. One of the "heart of the Philippines’" gems, this public beach is colloquial to perfect summer get-away!

Ka-Amon Cave of Bonliw in Torrijos - If the beach or islands are not your thing, you can head over to Ka-Amon Cave and explore the natural wonders of the stalagmites and stalactite rock formations.

Tres Reyes Islands in Gasan - Go island hopping and sunbathing in these beautiful islands off the shores of the town of Gasan. The islands are named after the Three Kings: Balthazar, Melchor, and Gaspar. You can snorkel, swim, or just relax off the beach of these islands.

Beach Hopping (Poctoy, Cagpo, Kay Duke, Salamague - in Torrijos; Maniwaya and Mompong Island – in Santa Cruz; Ulong Beach in Mogpog) - Being an island, Marinduque is literally surrounded by beaches. Walk around the sand under the sun in some of the country’s most beautiful beaches. Moreover, most of their beaches are not yet oversaturated with tourists, so you can enjoy your vacation quietly.

Pasalubong

Aside form souvenir centurion masks, arrowroot cookies and pansit miki (from Sta Cruz); and hand loom-woven buntal products like place mats, table runners, bags, wallets, and curtains (from Bonliw, Torrijos) are the best pasalubongs from the province.

Must Try

Manakla is a local variety of crayfish abundant in Barangay Malinao, Bonliw, and Suha in Torrijos. Usually steamed, fried or cooked in soda/coconut milk, your visit to the "Heart of the Philippines" wouldn't be complete without tasting Manakla

Bibingkang Pinahiran is oven-cooked sticky rice spread on top with thick sweet sauce made from caramelized brown sugar. You can buy/taste the original recipe in Barangay Bonliw (Torrijos). This kakanin is also available in the public markets of Torrijos and Santa Cruz.

How to Get There

Marinduque can be reached via land + sea travel. There are no airline companies offering a trip to the province as of this writing.

From Metro Manila

Option 1: From Metro Manila, ride a bus bound to Grand Central Terminal of Lucena City (Quezon) where passenger jeepneys and tricycles bound to Talao-Talao Port are available.

Option 2: To avoid the hassle of transferring from one transport to another, better to find buses with direct route to Talao-talao (Dalahican) Port. Travel time from Metro Manila to Talao-talao Port is approximately 3-4 hours depending on traffic in Laguna and Quezon.

From Talao-talao (Dalahican) Port, there are RoRo vessels with regular trip to the island province. Travel time (from Lucena to Marinduque) ranges from 3-4 hours. There are no fastcrafts servicing Lucena-Marinduque as of this writing.

Option 3: You can also ride a direct bus trip bound to Marinduque. Jac Liner has regular direct RORO Bus trip to Marinduque departing at 4:00PM (3:00Pm boarding time) in Cubao terminal.
Check their latest schedules and updates here: https://www.jacliner.com/routes.html.

From Oriental Mindoro

A large outrigger boat leaves daily at 8:00AM in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro going to Gasan, Marinduque. Fare is Php250 and travel time is 3-4 hours depending on the weather.

From Visayas and Mindanao

Take an airplane ride going to Manila or Clark. Then follow instructions above.

*** Schedule of Events and Activities posted above are unofficial and was based from the previous year's events and activities. This will be updated once the official Schedule of Activities and Events was released by the organizers.

*** Photographs contributed by Richard R. Reynoso

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Sagada is one of the places in the Philippines packed with a lot of popular destinations. The Hanging Coffins at Echo Valley in Sagada, for example, is one unusual and unique spot.

Personal Notes

My Bomod-ok Falls trekking the day before literally revived my joints pain, so I woke up late today. It was already 8:30AM and I had to cancel my supposed sea of cloud tour. But forget about that Tito’s problem. Waking-up late, with breakfast on bed served with Sagada coffee made my morning special as equally heaven to sea of clouds. Also, I am also hesitant to attend the tour because of the crowd and too much hype. Next time, maybe.

Today is my second day in Sagada. After eating my breakfast, I decided to just trek and explore the Echo Valley which is the closest tourist spot around Poblacion. The starting point is more or less a kilometer from the Tourism Office.

While exploring, I decided to visit St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, an Anglican Church before I proceed to the entrance going to the Echo Valley trail. Ninety percent of the population in Sagada belongs to the Anglican religion. By the way, there is also this interesting old bell displayed within the church compound. It only shows how old the church is.

After I presented my receipt from the Tourism Office and paid the entrance fee, they assigned a tourist guide for me – Nanay Betty. In this tour we were going to visit the Calvary Hill or modern cemetery, which is the location of the annual “Panag-apoy.” We were also drop by a beautiful view deck called as the echo spot. Lastly, we were going to see the famous Sagada Hanging Coffins.

Nanay Betty Magalgallit, my guide, made the Echo Valley Tour an interesting walk of trivia and never ending beautiful stories. Our 2-hour tour was full of laughter and beautiful sharing of personal stories. She shared a lot of trivia and stories about Echo Valley and traditions in Sagada – from courting, marriage and death! Thank you Nanay Betty, salamat sa gamot sa lamig/rayuma, see you soon!

Nanay Betty, the tour guide and a local of Sagada

The Calvary Hill Cemetery and "Panay-apoy"

The Calvary Hill Cemetery is a patterned after the modern type of cemetery we commonly know of. You must pass through the cemetery to get to where the hanging coffins are. This is also considered a part of the tour when visiting the hanging coffins. It is located in a small hill that is completely covered in lush green grass and some fully-grown pine trees on the top. The place has a quiet and peaceful atmosphere to it.

The cemetery is also famous during All Souls Day because of their tradition called “Panag-apoy.” On the second day of November, the whole cemetery area turns into a mountain of fire. Taken from the Kakana-ey word, Panag-apoy means to “light a fire." Families light bonfires made of pinewood called locally as Saleng on top or near the tomb of their departed love ones.

The modern cemetery - location of the annual Panag-apoy

The Hanging Coffins, an Old Tradition

These hanging coffins originated from the beliefs of old folks that placing the deceased in an elevated crevice would bring them closer to the Gods they believed in. It still remains uncertain what are the details and specific requirements to do this, but what is clear is that not all are qualified to have a burial like this. One important rule, among all others, is that the dead, who is to be buried, should be married at the time of death and has grandchildren.

The bodies in these coffins are placed in a fetal position. Why? Because the elders believe that the ending of this life is the beginning of a new one. Another belief by the old folks in Sagada is that as the coffin containing the body is being hoisted up, those present would wish to get some blood sprinkled on them. This is because they believed that if one is sprinkled with blood of the mummy, one will achieve abundant harvest and a lot of success. This is why a lot of people would usually touch the body as a sign of good luck.

The location of the thousands of years tradition

It is clearly seen here how some coffins have the very traditional style or a bit modern type of burial. The traditional one has funeral chairs attached to the coffin. These chairs are chairs that were used to strap in the deceased while he was being mummified. As for the modern type of burial, the difference is that the coffins have crosses on them. This blends in the Christianity part of the folks in the area. It was in 2010 when the last burial in the Echo Valley Hanging Coffins was allowed. Currently, burials are now done in the Calvary Hill Cemetery.

The Hanging Coffins of Sagada

A few meters away from the Hanging Coffins is a cave burial site - another interesting burial tradition in Sagada

Other Things to do in the Echo Valley

If you still want to stay in Echo Valley and maximize the time you have there, there are other activities that you can do. On the other side of the rock where the hanging coffins are, there is another rock wall popularly used for rock climbing. There is a stall nearby that provides equipment and safety harnesses.

You can also opt to visit, before or after going to the hanging coffins, at the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, an Anglican Church – 90% of the people of Sagada belongs to this religion.

DID YOU KNOW that there is a spot along the trail to the coffins that produces echoes? Before, hikers are allowed to shout their worries here. However, this is not allowed now to respect the serenity of the area.

The "Echo Spot"

Fees

You first need to pay the tourism fee of Php50.00 at the Tourism Office before availing the tour at the Echo Valley. Keep the receipt – it will be checked in every tourist destination you want to visit in Sagada.

Entrance Fee at Echo Valley is Php10.00.

Tour guide is mandatory: Php300.00 for 1-10 visitors; Php400 for 11 visitors; Php600 for 12-20 visitors; Php700 for 21 visitors; Php800 for 22-30 visitors; Php900 for 31 visitors; Php1000 for 32-40 visitors; Php30.00 per head for 41 and above pax.

Travel Notes

January and February are the coldest months in Sagada.

Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are available in the town proper – one in the Municipal Tourism Office and the other one in the town’s cooperative’s office located at the 3rd floor of the market building.

LTE connection is available in Sagada Town Proper but poor mobile signal in some parts outside the town proper. Most of the cafes don’t offer free Wi-Fi connections.

Echo Valley is located within the town area – just a walk from the town center.

Your comfort and difficulty during the hike will depend on what you wear. Remember to wear appropriate hiking clothes, pack light but make sure to bring water, coffee and a small towel.

How to Get There

From Metro Manila

Ride in a bus bound to Sagada. Coda Lines semi-deluxe and super deluxe buses have a direct trip to Sagada via Nueva Ecija - Nueva Viscaya - Ifugao road. Fare for Semi-Deluxe buses (No CR) is Php760.00; and Php980.00 for Super Deluxe (with CR). You can book in advance through their online booking site: http://codalinesph.com/. The tickets get sold easily so book in advance. The terminal is located in EDSA, Quezon City, same as the terminal of HM Buses. See the schedule below (source: Coda Lines website, subject to changes without prior notice).

Other option, you can ride in a bus bound to Baguio City then transfer to a bus bound to Sagada. Busses going to Sagada is in Dangwa Station and the travel time is more or less 5 hours.

If you are coming from Banaue (Ifugao Province), you can ride in a van or Coda Lines bus – travel time is more or less 2 hours. Terminal is at site of the Banaue Tourism Office.

From Bontoc, Mountain Province, Sagada is more or less an hour travel. There are regular jeepney trips to Sagada from Bontoc.

From Visayas and Mindanao, fly to Manila then follow the instructions above.

(c)googlemaps, Quezon City - Sagada Route via Nueva Ecija -Nueva Viscaya-Ifugao Road

10 COMMANDMENTS FOR VISITORS AND TOURISTS OF SAGADA

Source: Municipal Tourism Office

Register at the Municipal Information Center. Pay Php 50.00 for the Registration Fee. Present your receipt at the sites you will visit.
Always get a guide for all your tours – engage the services of local guides. Never engage the services of children.
Respect all the sacred grounds and sites. Minimize your noise when you are visiting the sacred sites and PLEASE DO NOT SHOUT.
Do not take close photos of local rituals. Ask permission before taking photos of rituals and individuals.
No wearing of scanty clothes. No necking in public places.
Park at designated parking areas only.
No littering. Bring your own disposal bag and throw it’s contents when you see a garbage bin or when you get back to your lodging house.
Bring your own bag, preferably an eco-bag when shopping.
Minimize the use of plastic bottles. Bring your own water bottles that you can refill in water refilling stations.
Always inform your lodging house if you will not be back at your lodging house by 10:00 at night. Minimize your noise especially during nighttime.

SAGADA MUNICIPAL TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER
Poblacion, Sagada, Mountain Province 2619 Philippines
Mobile phone number: +639171345353
Email address: tourism.sagada@yahoo.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sagadatourism
Website: www.sagada.gov.ph
Open from 7:00AM up to 5:30PM DAILY

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The Mountain Province located in the Cordillera Administrative Region is, of course, known for its lush greenery, hanging coffins, cold high-altitude weather, and mountain ranges. But one of the most beloved gems in the province is the Bomod-ok Falls. The Bomok-od Falls can be found in the town of Sagada, nestled within the north of the Cordillera Mountains. It is a stunning 200-meter waterfall hidden amongst palay (rice) paddies and small towns. Tempting as it may, getting there isn’t exactly what you would call a walk in the park.

Personal Notes

I was not prepared arriving on a very early and cold morning of January in Sagada. I was wearing hiking shorts, long sleeve top and just slippers. Yep, forgive me, it’s my first time in Sagada. I arrived close to 6:30AM and the Tourism Office is still closed. I decided to checked in first in my hostel, at Isabelo’s Inn and Café, which was a little walk from the bus stop and conveniently located in front of the Tourism Office. Then I realized I booked a wrong date! Instead of January 16 I made it January 15, but nevermind! Thankfully, the owner gave me a discount on the same room I booked. He offered me a breakfast with the best coffee I’ve ever had and then I prepared myself for today’s tour. I don’t know where to go – come what may. I hate preparing itineraries these past few days.

I went back to the Tourism Office at 8:00 AM, registered and paid the tourism fee. Tour operators are also located in the same office for which I booked the Bomod-ok Falls tour.

An assigned van took me to the jump off point in Barangay Bangaan. I paid the Barangay Fee and a local guide, Ate Lorna, was assigned to me. We started to trek at around 9:00AM, fortunately the weather was good and we met some barking dogs along the way…

sun-dried, ready for roasting Sagada coffee

Journey to Bomod-ok Falls

It would take a lot of strenuous physical activity to get to the falls; however, you’re in for an amazing view! First and foremost, from the the Sagada Municipal Town Hall, ride a jeep/van going to the the Information Center drop-off point of Bomod-ok Falls. Afterwards, look for the well - defined hiking trail and be on your way. Remember to prepare all the essentials such as water, first-aid kit, and extra clothes before hiking. The 2-kilometer stone path is narrow and winding, going through rice fields and a small village – but the different views you see while walking are breathtaking! Once in a while you’ll get to see Sagada’s trees, paddies, and greenery in the distance as well as the colorful roofs of the tiny villages below.

Mountains, pine trees, clouds, and a lone house - one of the views going to Bomod-ok Falls

A community in between mountains and rice terraces- in Barangay Fidelisan

Barangay Fidelisan's cargo cableway system and rice storage facilities

Be sure to watch your step as the trail goes downwards and downwards. While you get nearer to the waterfalls, you’ll notice that the rice paddies are slowly replaced by large rocks and boulders, which mean you, are getting closer to the Bomok-od Falls.

A few meters of walk and finally, the falls! The Bomok-od Falls is not only beautiful, but also a great diving point to jump in the clear, cool blue waters and to take a swim to replenish your energy after that long walk. By cool, it means really cool – ice cold even – so be careful before you jump. Take a dip test first to gauge the temperature of the water. Without a doubt, the Bomod-ok Falls is one of the natural wonders in the world where the journey is just as terrific as the destination – you’ll be in a hurry to hike back to your starting point to catch more views of the local scenery.

The beautiful rice terraces of Barangay Fidelisan, one of the sceneries going to Bomod-ok Falls

Rice planting season, Fidelisan rice terraces

Trivia from Ate Lorna, the tour guide

Located in Barangay Fedilisan, Bomod-ok Falls, also known as the Mother Falls, was coined from the Kakana-ey word “Bod-ok” or the sudden strong current of water coming from the top of the mountain, which is its water source.

Travel Notes

Arrange your Bomod-ok Falls tour at the Tourism Information Center in Sagada Town Proper. Pay the Php 50.00 Tourism Fee and always remember to keep the receipt because it will be checked in every tourist spot.

After you arrange your Bomod-ok Falls Tour at the Tourism Office, a jeepney/van costing Php 500.00 (two way vehicle hire via Banga-an) or Php 650.00 (two way vehicle hire via Aguid) will be assigned to you.

Register and pay the Php 10.00 Barangay fee at the jump-off point. It is highly encouraged to always register at the designated tourist stations before going on a trip.

While the stone path heading to the mountains can be navigated without much help, it is mandatory to pay for a guide at the Information Center. The cost of one guide will run you Php 500.00.

The waterfalls is a 3-hour hike (back and forth) from Banga-an or Aguid, the jump off points. Trekking Bomod-ok Falls requires stamina – not for fainthearted!

Bring enough water and foods but there are also food stalls available along the way.

Bring along a camera - the views are amazing!

Try to avoid visiting during the monsoon months (August to October) as the area is prone to typhoons and dangerous landslides.

January and February are the coldest months in Sagada.

Your comfort and difficulty of the hike will depend on what you wear. Remember to wear appropriate hiking clothes, pack light but make sure to bring water, coffee and a small towel.

Mobile phone signal is spotty to no signal at all in most parts of Bomod-ok Falls area.

You can fly a drone but please ensure safety and respect the privacy of locals living in the community.

Please, NO LITTERING! Let’s preserve the cleanliness and beauty of Bomod-ok Falls.

Aerial shot of the Mother Falls (Bomod-ok)

Less-crowded view of Bomod-ok Falls

Aerial shot of the Mother Falls (Bomod-ok)

How to Get There

From Metro Manila

Ride in a bus bound to Sagada. Coda Lines semi-deluxe and super deluxe buses have a direct trip to Sagada via Nueva Ecija - Nueva Viscaya - Ifugao road. Fare for Semi-Deluxe buses (No CR) is Php760.00; and Php980.00 for Super Deluxe (with CR). You can book in advance through their online booking site: http://codalinesph.com/. The tickets get sold easily so book in advance. The terminal is located in EDSA, Quezon City, same as the terminal of HM Buses. See the schedule below (source: Coda Lines website, subject to changes without prior notice).

Other option, you can ride in a bus bound to Baguio City then transfer to a bus bound to Sagada. Bus going to Sagada is in Dangwa Station and travel time is more or less 5 hours.

If you are coming from Banaue (Ifugao Province), you can ride in a van or Coda Lines bus – travel time is more or less 2 hours. Terminal is at site of Banaue Tourism Office.

From Bontoc, Mountain Province, Sagada is more or less an hour travel. There are regular jeepney trips to Sagada from Bontoc.

From Visayas and Mindanao, fly to Manila/Clark then follow the instructions above.

(c)googlemaps, Quezon City - Sagada Route via Nueva Ecija -Nueva Viscaya-Ifugao Road

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The Hanging Coffins of Sagada

TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR VISITORS AND TOURISTS OF SAGADA

Source: Municipal Tourism Office

Register at the Municipal Information Center. Pay Php 50.00 for the Registration Fee. Present your receipt at the sites you will visit.
Always get a guide for all your tours – engage the services of local guides. Never engage the services of children.
Respect all the sacred grounds and sites. Minimize your noise when you are visiting the sacred sites and PLEASE DO NOT SHOUT.
Do not take close photos of local rituals. Ask permission before taking photos of rituals and individuals.
No wearing of scanty clothes. No necking in public places.
Park at designated parking areas only.
No littering. Bring your own disposal bag and throw it’s contents when you see a garbage bin or when you get back to your lodging house.
Bring your own bag, preferably an eco-bag when shopping.
Minimize the use of plastic bottles. Bring your own water bottles that you can refill in water refilling stations.
Always inform your lodging house if you will not be back at your lodging house by 10:00 at night. Minimize your noise especially during nighttime.

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2017. I knew it was going to be my year - it had to be. I had decided that working a standard, 9 to 5 job simply wasn’t for me. I wanted to give earning money with just a computer, an Internet connection, and a frenzied dream a try. However, I knew that creating a reliable source of income every month would be a significant challenge in itself.

While there are plenty of tutorials, videos, testimonies, and blog posts about how to generate reliable passive income overnight, the reality is that doing so takes some significant hard work. There is some truth to the methods these sources prescribe, but it definitely does not happen overnight - and it takes some targeted efforts to see results.

Yet I knew I had to give it a try. I have always had the goal in the back of my mind of traveling the world experiencing other environments and cultures, and I knew that in order for that to happen, I needed to make some significant changes to my current income streams. Unlike other people who have started blogs, I didn’t have years to wait for success to come, nor did I have thousands of dollars lying around to spend on strategizing.

Instead, I came up with a list of several online business plans that could offer a quick turnaround in producing a profit. I realized that, if I was successful, these efforts could help my dreams become reality in a relatively short amount of time.

Selling on Amazon

The first step I took was to research the Amazon FBA program. Becoming a seller through the FBA program (FBA stands for Fulfillment by Amazon), allows Amazon to take care of the heavy lifting in sales for you - they do the packaging, shipping, returns, and other customer service in exchange for a small fee. This frees up your precious time and energy, which you can then invest in other projects.

FBA participation entitles you to list your products as Prime eligible, which is very enticing to prospective buyers. You earn more sales, and thus more profit. To sell via FBA, you purchase products in bulk at a discount from overseas, then place your log on these products and ship them (also in bulk) to the Amazon warehouse. You create the product listing for Amazon, and every time a purchase is made, Amazon takes care of everything for you. This frees up so much of your time as a seller, allowing you to generate a mostly passive source of income every month.

I brought in over $5,200 in sales through the Amazon FBA program in just one month, and netted $2,200 worth of profit. Within a few months following my launch, I earned $23,000 in sales, with a total of $10,000 worth of profit. I absolutely took off, despite having zero e-commerce experience. I was making over $2,000 every month - while doing what felt like nothing.

And it’s not just me - I’m not a fluke. One of my good friends began selling on Amazon last year and was able to quit his job as a result. In just eight months of selling, he did nearly $120,000 in sales.

Website Flipping

After I started making money on Amazon, I was ready to progress to the next step in my master plan. Once I got things rolling with the FBA program, I had plenty of time to spend on another project. Although $2,000 per month is a nice income stream on its own, particularly if you are doing little to no work, I realized I needed an additional source of income if I planned on becoming my own boss and traveling the world.

I invested my time in researching online investments and quickly found the online brokerage Empire Flippers. Based on my research, I already knew that affiliate marketing is a great way to make money, with many people making thousands of dollars each month in passive income this way. Although I didn’t have the time to build my own affiliate website from scratch, I did have some extra cash from my Amazon sales. I invested that cash in purchasing a website that was already well-established and making money.

For those of you who aren’t yet familiar with affiliate marketing, it’s a simple concept. As a website owner, you place links to top retailers like Amazon and Best Buy on your website. These links direct people to those websites to purchase specific goods. If the consumer purchases that good, you earn a commission from the sale. It costs nothing extra for the buyer, and it’s a great way to make reliable, passive income.

The particular website I purchased was already making over $1,800 per month in profit. In January of 2018, I purchased the website for $49,000, working with Empire Flippers to make it happen. I realize that this was a significant investment, but I was confident in the risk since the website had many years of successful passive income generation.

And the risk paid off. Within just four months of purchasing the website, I learned everything I needed to learn about affiliate marketing, and then resold the website for $75,000. I sold the website in April of the same year I purchased it, bringing in $30,000 in sheer profit - all in less than four months.

Since that initial purchase, I have bought an additional website as an investment, and have also started to build niche websites from the ground up. I figure that these websites will provide me with additional revenue streams that will allow me to call myself my own boss. Truly, I can now bring in enough money to support myself each month, and these profits have allowed me to set my own schedule. As a result, I’ve met many of my travel goals, having been to places all over the world - like Cabo, Costa Rica, Tahiti, Panama, the Caribbean, Greece, Italy, many US states, Cancun, and more.

Here’s How You Can Get Started

Create an Amazon Sellers Central professional account.
Sign up for Helium 10. This tool allows you to research inventory on Amazon to figure out which products have high demand with minimal competition.
Decide which products you want to sell based on which ones perform well on Amazon. Go to Alibaba and search for the same products you found on Amazon. You need to find a manufacturer that can supply you with bulk products,that are similar to the ones you already found but have somewhat different features or colors.
Purchase these products. Add your brand name or logo to make them unique.
Ship the products to your home. Look over them carefully, making sure they are of high quality.
Create a product listing within Amazon Sellers Central. Ship your items in bulk to the warehouse (yes, you can do this before they even sell!).
Create a PPC ad campaign with the Amazon Sellers Central portal. This will allow you to advertise your product - while doing nothing.
Sit back and watch your sales come rolling in. You can repeat the above process as needed whenever you want to add new products to your inventory.

If you are considering investing in a website, as I did, I highly recommend you work with Empire Flippers. You can browse their website for offers or even sign up for their newsletter. Each Monday morning, they publish new listings, with offers from $20,000 to over $1,000,000. The website is flexible, offering compatibility with a wide array of budgets. If you can get yourself online every Monday morning, your odds of finding the perfect investment opportunity will be higher.

I also created a buyer’s checklist. This checklist, which is about four pages in length, can help show you what to look for when you are purchasing. This way, you can make sure you are making a sound investment. Check the guide out here in Amazon Drive.

As I said, I can’t recommend Empire Flippers enough. The company offers exceptional service and the support team is second to none. They can answer any questions you might have. Website ownership is a fantastic pathway to long-term wealth, and it can even allow you to escape the constrictions of a regular 9 to 5 job - just like I did.

The Investment Opportunity

While each of these ventures worked out well for me, if you asked me which one I preferred or recommended, I’d have to say website investing. Investors have been flipping websites for years, but investing in websites is still a relatively new concept. There is so much potential in websites, which have significantly lower risk than other kinds of investment. If you create a quality website, there will always be a potential buyer if you need to pull your money out for whatever reason.

Amazon selling is also a great way to save up money, particularly if you’re trying to save up enough cash to invest in a website. Remember, both of these ventures require only a solid Internet connection and a computer in order to see success. You can work anywhere you want, at any time of the day, to manage your assets. It is definitely possible to earn thousands of dollars each month - with minimal work and effort on your part.

What are your next steps in designing your own future? The opportunities in website investment and making money online are endless, but the pathway is up to you.

***

Writer: Zach Zorn of MoneyNomad.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this guest post featured on this site are those of the guest author/advertising partner and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of travelingmorion.com as a whole.

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For most people, the first thing that comes to their mind when they hear the word “Cordillera” is the Banaue Rice Terraces. It is a famous tourist spot known all around the world and was even called as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Officially, there are only Seven Wonders of the World which are must-see natural and man-made structures or places. The Eight Wonder is a place, structure, or natural creations comparable to the official Seven Wonders. The Banaue Rice Terraces has been nominated as an Eighth Wonder of the World because of its beauty, perfection, use, and antiquity. The Banaue Rice Terraces was built by hand almost 2,000 years ago by Ifugao ancestors. There are still debates as to the real age of the rice terraces because the stones used to hold the soil trace back to a much older date. The rice terraces cover several mountainsides, carved from the top down to the bottom of the mountain. It was an ingenious farming method devised by the Ifugao people due to lack of flat terrain to plant rice. It also makes watering more efficient as water from the top would flow down to every layer. Each layer is bigger than the layer before it, forming a staircase like pattern, which earned the Tagalog reference “hagdang-hangdang palayan.”

Banaue Rice Terraces is one of the declared Nation Treasures of the Philippines by virtue of Presidential Decrees 260 and 1505. It is a symbolism of the national heritage of the country and one of the areas being protected and conserved by stakeholders. Unfortunately, it is not one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

When you visit Ifugao, you will realize that Banaue Rice Terraces is not the only rice terraces in the province. Also located in Ifugao are the Bangaan Rice Terraces, Batad Rice Terraces, Mayoyao Rice Terraces, Hapao Rice Terraces, and Kiangan Rice Terraces. The Mayoyao Rice Terraces, Batad Rice Terraces and Kiangan Rice Terraces are included among the rice terraces declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Batad Rice Terraces is located 18 kilometers away from Banaue. The tail going to Batad Rice Terraces is strictly by foot, as there are limited vehicles going to the site itself. Batad Rice Terraces has a different formation as it covers only one mountainside, as seen from the view deck. However, the Batad rice terraces is nestled all around with mountains. At the bottom of the Batad Rice Terraces is a village.

89-year old Tundagi, an Ifugao warrior and one of the original workers of the rice terraces.

The first thing to do upon entering Banaue, Ifugao is to visit the Municipal Tourism Center to pay the Php20.00 pesos tourism fee. They also offer maps and other relevant information as to transportation routes, lodging, and tourism packages. An important thing to note when going to Banaue is to bring cash as there are no banks or ATMs in the town. Banaue is only a town, while Lagawe is the capital of the Province where the banks are located. Before visiting the rice the rice terraces you may also drop by the Banaue Museum. From the junction or the town proper, you can follow the road going to the Banaue Rice Terraces. The distance is 4 kilometers, but travel time may vary due to vehicular traffic.

Dried terraces - harvest season just ended in most parts of the famous terraces.

Banaue Rice Terraces Standard Tricycle Tour

From the main road, you will follow a road to the left. Along the way, you will see different signs indicating the designated viewpoint or view deck from which you can see the Banaue Rice Terraces. Currently, there are four (4) famous viewpoints to witness the beauty of this breathtaking Banaue Rice Terraces. Usually the tour starts from the first viewpoint located in the bottom part or closer to the town proper up to the fourth viewpoint, which is called the Main Viewpoint.

The first viewpoint is a view from the bottom of the mountain called the “Chango Viewpoint”. Actually there are 2 other vantage points here. The view here is famous for being featured in the current Philippine 20-peso bill. Depending on the weather, you might see the whole rice terraces or you might see the bottom portion only because the view from the middle to the top of the mountain is covered with fog.

The second viewpoint is the NFA - Aguian View Point. The second viewpoint has two views, from the roadside and another lower view deck. The viewpoint shows a comprehensive view of the Banaue Rice Terraces because you can see the top down to the bottom of the mountain.The old (demonetized) Philippine 1000-peso bill image was taken here.

The third viewpoint is the Dyanarra or Dayanarra View Point. This viewpoint was named after Dayanara Torres. The view is similar with the second viewpoint but from a higher vantage point. You’ll have to pass by several stores before arriving at the viewing spot. There are no railings here and you are literally standing on a mountain slope or cliff.

The fourth viewpoint, called the Main Viewpoint, is located beside the road going up. The viewpoint is hidden by a lot of stores selling woodcarving, souvenir items, woven fabric, and delicacies. From the fourth viewpoint, you can see the whole Banaue Rice Terraces. However, if the weather is not good, the whole rice terraces will be covered with fog.

Along the way there are several stores, souvenir shops, and picture-taking booths. There are allotted parking spaces for every view point, but if the parking spaces are full you can park on the road side as long you don’t obstruct traffic.

Dayanarra Viewpoint of the Banaue Rice Terraces

Stairway to Heaven and the waterfalls - from Dyanarra viewpoint.

Personal Notes + Sagada to Banaue Travel Journal

Still early for my 2:00PM bus trip to Banaue, I decided to walk from the terminal going to one of the famous local restaurants in Sagada, the Yogurt House. The Yogurt House is one of the famous restaurants or cafes in Sagada and known for its yellow building. I ordered beef cutlets with veggies and rice. The beef blends well with their red sauce mixed wth carrots, red bell pepper and Baguio beans.

BTW, per advise of a friendly local I met in the hostel where I am staying, I booked my bus trip in advance (1 day ahead). Actually, this bus trip is routing Quezon City but they accept passengers dropping by at Banaue Terminal. It is advisable to book in advance as the seats get filled up very fast. There are only 4 scheduled trips of Coda Lines everyday. Another option is to take a public utility vehicle routing Sagada to Bontoc then take another ride from Bontoc to Banaue. Of course, taking the direct air conditioned bus from Sagada to Banaue for a more or less 3-hour trip is less hassle and quite comfortable.

I spent more than an hour in the Yogurt House – not just for lunch but also for the beautiful exhibit of photos on their wall.

Our bus left Sagada at the exact scheduled time. The zigzag road, beautiful long river, and wonderful views along the road kept me awake. I took note of the two beautiful rice terraces we passed by before the town proper of Bontoc, which is another one of my reasons to go back to Mountain Province.

It was around 3:39PM when we passed by at the amazing Bayyo Rice Terraces. How I wish I could ask the driver to stop for a while. We had 2 stopovers before we reached Banaue. First is the 30-minute stopover in a vegetable market area (I forgot the name of the place) where some passengers bought fresh produce – mostly cabbages and carrots. I don’t have any clue on the name of the spot of our second stopover. It’s where the drivers and conductors fetch their drinking water from the natural spring along the road. It’s a memorable spot for me because of the beautiful view of a lone house in the middle of the mountains. The stopover is just 5 minutes and I forgot to take shots using my DSLR, but I hope my smart phone will do justice.

We arrived in Banaue Town at 4:30PM. The bus stop is actually in front of the Municipal Tourism Office of Banaue. I paid the tourism fee and asked if touring the terraces is still possible. The kind officer nodded and assigned me to a driver for a tricycle tour. The tour costs Php200.00 and includes the four famous viewpoints of the Banaue Rice Terraces. Unfortunately it’s already dark in Banaue at 5:00PM. I took pictures but it’s already dark specially when we arrived in the in “20 pesos bill spot”. I decided to reschedule my shoot the following day with a different plan…

Morning view from Uyami's Green Lodge.

DIY Banaue Rice Terraces Tour + Viewpoints

It’s officially my Day 1 in Banaue – exempt my failed (unscheduled) photo shoot the other day. I woke up at 7:30AM. Before heading to my main plan in the itinerary, I let myself enjoy the view of Banaue Town from the restaurant of Uyami’s Green Lodge. A typical Pinoy breakfast of fried rice, daing na bangus, sunny side egg and brewed coffee for Php140.00 set my mood for a different shooting plan in this foggy morning of January 18.

I checked out at Uyami’s at around 10:00AM and went back to tourism office to book for another tricycle ride. But this time it’s different. The very accommodating tourism officer remembered me and asked how my experience was the other day. I just smiled and asked her to book another tricycle ride going back to the main view point – this time just for a one way ride. I hired a tricycle for Php 100.00 up to the main viewpoint and I plan to just walk going back to the town proper. It’s a 7-km walk from the main viewpoint going to the town proper, yep, to reshoot and to try also unfamilliar vantage points.

Hopefully, there’s a good internet signal so I could catch also PIKACHU. No not Thanos, since he could be in Batad preparing for war versus the Avengers? Maybe!

The town proper and rice terraces from Uyami's Green Lodge.

The Main Viewpoint. I arrived at the main viewpoint around 10:00AM. The weather was not good! The rain started to fall. While waiting for the rain to stop, I had the chance to talk to two beautiful ladies, the 82 year-old Urtago and the 85 year-old Camote Kuyapi. They are two of the original workers in the rice terraces but due to old age and weak body they can no longer perform their old farm works. They agreed to be photographed.

I just stayed at the souvenir shop in the main view point, waiting for the rain showers to stop. After 15 minutes, the rain stopped, the other two foreign tourist decided to proceed with their trek up to the terraces. Two large groups of tourist arrived and left but I was still busy shooting and finding the perfect color and composition of the terraces.

Main Viewpoint of the Banaue Rice Terraces

Drone shot from the main viewpoint.

"The Banaue Rice Terraces has been nominated as an Eighth Wonder of the World because of its beauty, perfection, use, and antiquity. The Banaue Rice Terraces was built by hand almost 2,000 years ago by Ifugao ancestors..."

Urtago (82 years old) and Kuyapi (85 years old) - two of the original workers of Banaue Rice Terraces.

Dyanarra Viewpoint. After more or less an hour of staying in the main viewpoint, I walked going to Dayannara viewpoint. Locals call this as Dyanarra Viewpoint from the name of the 1994 Miss Universe Winner Dayanarra Torres. This viewpoint was made famous by Ms. Torres when an entertainment production team used this spot as background in one of her projects. An old man wearing traditional Ifugao dress smiled at me and he agreed for photos. Took some shots then walked down to the next viewpoint, the NFA viewpoint, which is the one I missed the other day.

Banaue Rice Terraces from Dyanarra Viewpoint

An Ifugao elder in Dyanarra Viewpoint

The NFA-Aguian Viewpoint. The location of the famous skating scene commercial of an energy drink is now dry. The two store owners told me that the harvest season just ended and preparing of the land will be in the coming months. For now, its just a garden of red leaf flowers and grasses. Anyway, I stayed in NFA Aguian Viewpoint for more than an hour- to reflect. Kidding! Just to enjoy the view and imagine the view of the whole area during planting or harvesting seasons. I ordered the 60-peso cup noodles and bottled water for lunch then a friend made a cellphone call.

NFA - Aguian Viewpoint of the Banaue Rice Terraces

A woman crossing the cemented pathway of the rice terraces - view from NFA-Aguian Viewpoint

After an hour of staying and enjoying the view of the rice terraces from the NFA-Aguian viewpoint, I realized that this is also the spot featured in the old (demonetized) 1000 Philippine Peso Bill.

The old (demonetized) 1000 Philippine Peso Bill image of the Banaue Rice Terraces.

I moved to the next spot. It’s around 1:30PM already when I arrived in the spot or not familiar viewpoint – I forgot the name of the location. I meet the famous Ifugao warrior named Tundagi. He’s already 89 years old but his smile is infectious! He’s full of joy and positivity. BTW, he’s actually famous – he already appeared in different international magazines, video ads and website pages.

Tundagi in his infectious smile.

The rain started to pour again; luckily, there is a wood carving shop along the road. The workers allowed me to stay and witness how they patiently carve these art pieces- the usual souvenirs from Banaue. Buy wood carvings or wood products here because they are sold cheaper.

A typical day for wood carving workers of Banaue.

The Tuwali Restaurant and the Viewpoints in Chango area. I had a short stop over in Tuwali Restaurant viewpoint. The view here is also good but no excitement at all for me since I already visited the previous viewpoints with much better vantage points.

After Tuwali, the next stop around 2:30 PM is the famous 20-peso bill viewpoint. The famous view of the Banaue Rice Terraces in the current Philippine 20-peso bill can be seen in the area called Chango. It is actually the second of the two viewpoints in the said barangay. I just took drone videos in the 20-peso bill viewpoint then walked for less than 5 minutes going to the first viewing point in Chango. I meet an elder again, Awan Tiya Umok. I forgot to ask for her age but I think she’s the oldest of all the elders I have met. She agreed for photos.

The image featured in the current 20 Philippine Peso Bill.

I assumed I already accomplished all the viewpoints and walked back to the town proper. I noticed a group of tourists staying in a local restaurant named 7th Heaven Cafe – I dropped my backpack and decided to have my early dinner. Their pork liempo is simple but sumptuous. The view of the town here is amazing! I stayed here until 4:20PM - reviewing my shots while SMILING. Then I rode a tricycle back to the tourism office, also the loading terminal of Coda Lines. I’m heading back to Manila at 5:30PM.

The fog is all over the town, the weather is chilling, and our bus leaves, I’m filled with beautiful memories!

The scenery from the first viewpoint in Chango.

Travel Notes

Arrange your Banaue Rice Terraces Tour at the Tourism Information Center in Banaue Town Proper. Pay the Tourism Fee.

After you arrange your tour at the Tourism Office, a tricycle for Php 200.00 (two way) or Php100.00 (one way) will be assigned to you.

The farthest viewpoint, the Main Viewpoint, is about 7 kilometers away from the town proper of Banaue.

Tricycle tour includes visit to the 4 official viewpoints – beginning at the bottom going to the main viewpoint. It usually lasts for more or less 3 hours.

If you have enough time and stamina, just like what I did, walking from the main viewpoint going down to the town proper is a 4-hour journey. The good thing is you’ll discover that there are a lot of good vantage points to witness the breathtaking Banaue Rice Terraces.Your comfort and difficulty of the hike will depend on what you wear. Remember to wear appropriate hiking clothes, pack light but make sure to bring water, energy drink and a small towel.

Bring enough water. Food staffs are also available along the way.

Bring along a camera - the views are amazing!

You can fly a drone but please ensure safety and respect the privacy of locals living in the community.

I explored the rice terraces in January, not a good timing though. During this month, majority of the rice terraces are dried – after a recent harvest season. June and July, according to the locals, are the best months to visit Banaue Rice Terraces – during or before the harvest season.

Mobile phone signal is good in the Banaue Rice terraces area – much better than in the hostel I stayed.

Please, NO LITTERING! Let’s preserve the cleanliness of Banaue.

How to Get There

From Metro Manila Manila

Take a sleeper bus from Manila. Some recommended liners are the Ohayami Trans Bus and Coda Lines which can leave at night and arrive at Banaue early in the morning the next day. Travel time is approximately 9-10 hours and the fare is around Php 450 - 500 for ordinary buses, and Php 500 - 600 for deluxe buses as of this writing.

From Sagada/Bontoc, Mountain Province

There are two options going to Banaue, Ifugao from Sagada, Mountain Province. First option is to take a bus routing Quezon City (Coda Lines) and ask the driver to drop you off at Banaue. The second option is to take a public utility vehicle from Sagada to Bontoc then transfer to a jeepney or van heading to Banaue. The schedule of trips from Sagada to Bontoc and Bontoc to Banaue is quite limited – usually starts early in the morning and the last trip is during lunch time.

From Visayas and Mindanao

Fly to Manila or Clark then follow the instructions above.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Twitter| @travelingmorion

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Yogyakarta, also referred to as Jogja, is an autonomous province located in the Southern Java Island of Indonesia. It is one of the most historically and culturally rich locations in region, known for its ancient Javanese artifacts and remnants of the Dutch colonial rule. If you want to experience the best arts and music scenes of Indonesia, this is the place to visit. Its history stays so strong that it’s still rules by a monarchy to this day! Jogja’s diverse past is influenced by the Western culture combined with Hindu and Buddhist roots, making it wonderful destination to visit and explore – the only question is, what to do first when the possibilities are endless?

PERSONAL NOTES

I had the chance to explore the Special Region of Yogyakarta last September 2018. As usual, I had limited time to spare because of work. I spent my weekend discovering this province-level autonomous region in Java Island with my Filipino and Indonesian workmates. Good thing they are always in for this kind of weekend adventures!

Our first day started with free breakfast courtesy of Luxston Hotel, which served as our accommodation in Yogyakarta City. Since renting a car is much cheaper than availing tours offered by tour agencies, we decided to avail one to travel around region. We’re six in our group, but the car was spacious enough to accommodate all of us. The name of the rent a car company is Rent Car Moo Yogyakarta - contact number: +6385743353536/ +6381393065812.

We visited the Prambanan Temples, Gunung Kidul, Patuk Hills, and Pinus Pengger on our first day. For our second day, we were able to witness the beauty of Borobudur Temple after our Yogyakarta City Tour.

There are a lot more interesting spots and things to do if you’re going to stay in this part of Java Island. However, due to limited time, our 2-Day DIY Tour was not enough to cover all. Now I have more reasons to get back to Jogja! Don’t worry, I’ll be adding to this post from time to time to keep you posted. If you have any suggestions on my next visit, just comment down below!

INTERESTING SPOTS and THINGS TO DO WHEN IN YOGYAKARTA

Yogyakarta City is the capital of Special Region of Yogyakarta. To help you out in your Yogyakarta adventure, here’s a list of some of the best activities to try when in Yogyakarta Region particularly in its royal Indonesian capital city.

Explore the Kraton – Royal Palace in Yogyakarta City [Address: Jalan Rotowijayan Blok No. 1, Panembahan, Kraton, Kota Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta]

The Kraton Royal Palace is where the main seat of the Sultan of Yogyakarta, as well as his family, is located. Since the 18th century, the title of Sultan is being passed down from father to son, rendering it extremely important to the culture of Yogyakarta and of the entire Indonesia. The palace features stunning European-influenced architecture which houses museums filled with ancient relics and gift from Kings and royalty all through the ages.

Inside the Kraton

Visit the Prambanan Temples [Address: Jl. Raya Solo - Yogyakarta No.16, Kranggan, Bokoharjo, Prambanan, Kabupaten Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta]

The Prambanan Temple Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It consists of 240 temples, all of which are founded in dedications to the Hindu Gods – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The group of temples were built to seem like they can reach the sky, offering a magnificent and picturesque scene to the visitors. You can also watch their beautiful evening ballet performances conducted by the Ramanaya ballet dancers.

Inside the Prambanan Temple Complex

The breathtaking Prambanan Temples

Visit the Borobudur Temple [Address: Jl. Badrawati, Kw. Candi Borobudur, Borobudur, Magelang, Jawa Tengah]

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Borobudur Temple, which is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. This temple has quite a veiled past – nobody knows the true purpose of why it was built, and what it was originally called. All that’s known is that it’s a Buddhist structure built during the 9th century. The temple is consists of 9 platforms stacked into 3 tiers with a large stupa at the top, built to form a pyramid-like structure. If you’re looking for the perfect viewing spot for sunset watching, you may want to consider climbing the topmost part of the temple!

Located in Magelang, Jawa Tengah (Central Java), Borobudur Temple is actually outside of Yogyakarta - more or less an hour travel if by private car and up to 2 hours if by public transport (commuter bus).

Inside the Borobudur Temple Complex - the stupas, sunset and the red lady

The Borobudur Temple

Visit the Museums in Yogyakarta City

There are many prominent and informative museums in Yogyakarta, one of which is the Ullen Sentalu Museum. The museum features Batik samples and ancient Javanese relics such as paintings and pictures. Ullen Sentalu is located at the foot of Mt. Merapi. Don’t worry, tickets cost as little as IDR 60,000 for adults and IDR 40,000 for children.

Walk around in Jalan Malioboro of Yogyakarta City

If you’re planning to buy some souvenirs for you and your friends, then don’t forget to roam around Malioboro Street. It’s the best place to shop for locally-made items like bags and hats. You may also want to check out items made from the famous Indonesian fabric – Batik. After a tiring day of shopping, head down the street to fill up with some delicious Indonesian street food.

Souvenirs from Yogyakarta

Nature Adventures in Goa Pindul [Address: Gelaran2, RT.03/RW.16, Bejiharjo, Karangmojo, Kabupaten Gunung Kidul, Special Region of Yogyakarta]

Yogyakarta has more to offer other than its rich depiction of ancient history and culture - it also has exhilarating and adrenaline-filled activities that is sure to get your heart pumping. Try the nature adventures at Goa Pindul in Southern Yogyakarta. Here are some examples:

Cave tubing in Pindul Cave and Underground River

Visit the Crystal Cave in Wonosari, Gunung Kidul

Go River Tubing in Kali Oyo Pindul

The three famous attractions in Goa Pindul - Crystal Cave, the Underground River and Oyo River

Inside the Crystal Cave of Goa Pindul

Enjoy the View and Take an Epic Photograph at Pinus Pengger [Address: Jl. Dlingo-Patuk, Pantirejo, Terong, Dlingo, Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta]

Are you a nature lover? Then take time to visit Pinus Pengger. It’s a nature tourism spot surrounded with trees (most of them pine), shrubs, greenery, and terrific photo locations! Take a dynamic shot at the “Giant Hands of Pine Tree”, which resembles a pair human hands stretching out into the vast Yogyakarta skyline. After a tiring day of exploring Pinus Pengger, pick a spot and enjoy the beautiful sunset. End the day by posing at the Pinus Pengger’s night photo studios, which feature the city lights in the background.

Pine Trees and Sea of Clouds in Pinus Pengger Park, (c) Galangwnie

Stunning view at Bukit Bintang in Gunung Kidul Patuk Hills

Bukit Bintang is a popular hill to hike up to, not just for the thrill of it, but also for the amazing panoramic views of the entirety of Yogyakarta from above - great for early morning pictures of sunrise or gazing the starry sky and twinkling city lights at night.

Yogyakarta City from Bukit Bintang at night

Mangunan Fruit Gardens [Address: Mangunan, Dlingo, Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta]

If you visit the Mangunan Fruit Gardens at the right time, you can witness its famous “sea of clouds” where a flurry of clouds will cover the sights below, making it seem like you’re on a high-altitude mountain. The high view on the hill makes the spot a good place to view the sunrise and sunset. Aside from the view, you can also learn a lot about the local produce and fruit nursery functions.

Sea of Clouds in Mangunan Fruit Gardens, (c) Galangwnie

Eat like a local!

Eat Gudeg for lunch. We took a GrabCar from our hostel to one of the most famous restaurants in Yogyakarta - the Gudeg Yu Dyum. Gudeg is one of the most popular dishes in Central Java. It’s a traditional Javanese cuisine that originated from Yogyakarta. The dish is made from young jackfruit that is stewed for hours, then flavoured and paired with chili, coconut milk, and palm sugar. Gudeg is best served the traditional way - with eggs and chicken.

Gudeg (below) best paired with traditionally-cooked chicken meat and eggs

Try Salak. Salak is a fruit abundant in Yogyakarta, as well as other areas in Indonesia such as Java and Sumatra. Locally named as “salak”, snake fruit is a small fruit with a prickly outside but a sweet-sour inside, akin to the longan fruit or rambutan.

Snake fruit/Salak

HOW TO GET THERE

From Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Jakarta to Yogyakarta Route

By Air

Fly directly from Jakarta City to Yogyakarta City – flight time is approximately 1 hour.
Cost: IDR 450,000 (approx. Php1700 or 32 USD) to IDR 1,200,000 (approximately Php4400 or 85 USD)
Below is the list of airlines and sample cost – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Jakarta to Yogyakarta

By Train

Train ride from the capital city Jakarta to Yogyakarata is approximately 8-9 hours.
Cost: IDR 300,000 (approximately Php1000 or 21USD).
Routes: Gambir Station to Tugu Station in Yogyakarta orPasar Senen Station to Lempuyangan Station in Yogyakarta
Below is the schedule of train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)google.com, Jakarta to Yogyakarta train schedule

By Bus

Taking a bus going to Yogyakarta from Jakarta is a 12-hour ride. Bus stops are located in Jakarta Barat and Jakarta Selatan.
Cost: IDR 150,000 (approximately Php550 or 10 USD) to IDR 230,000 (approximately Php 800 or 16 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Jakarta to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

Jakarta to Yogyakarta Bus Schedule from easybook.com

(c)easybook.com, Jakarta to Yogyakarta Bus trip schedule

From Bali Island to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Bali to Yogyakarta route

By Air

Fly directly from Bali to Yogyakarta City – flight time is approximately one and half hours.
Cost: IDR 600,000 (approximately Php 2200 or 42 USD) to IDR1,200,000 (approximately Php4400 or 85 USD)
Below is the list of airlines routing Bali to Yogyakarta – with sample cost – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Bali to Yogyakarta flights

By Direct Bus

There are regular trips of buses directly going to Yogyakarta from Bali – travel time is approximately 15 hours. Available bus stops at Denpasar Ubung Terminal.
Cost: IDR 180,000 (approximately Php700 or 12 USD) to IDR 350,000 (approximately Php1300 or 25 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Bali to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)easybook.com, Bali to Yogyakarta Bus schedule

From Bandung City, West Java to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Bandung to Yogyakarta route

By Air

Fly directly from Bandung (Husein Sastranegara International Airport BDO) to Yogyakarta (Adisucipto International Airport) –flight time is approximately 1 hour (direct flight).
Cost: Minimum of IDR600,000 (approximately Php2200 or 42 USD)
Below is the schedule of flight from Bali to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Bandung to Yogyakarta flight

By Train

Train ride is available from Bandung to Yogyakarta (vv) – see schedule and travel time below.

(c)google.com, Bandung to Yogyakarta train schedule

By Direct Bus

There are regular trips of buses to/from Bandung to Yogyakarta City –travel time is approximately 10-11 hours.
Route: Gedebage, Bandung, Jawa Barat to Banguntapan, Yogyakarta
Cost: Minimum of IDR 140,000 (approximately Php550 or 10 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Bandung to Yogyakarta from easybook.com – as of this writing.

(c)easybook.com, Bandung to Yogyakarta Bus schedule

Travel Notes

Make sure to allot enough time for each of the travel destinations - the structures, particularly the temples, are quite large. It will take time to explore the grounds and appreciate the sights and architecture. A few hours per temple is a good allotment.

Bring along a camera - the views are amazing!

Flying a camera drone is not allowed in Prambanan and Borobudur Temples.

Bring cash around as some of the best stalls and services in Yogyakarta are cash-based and does not accept debit/credit card.

Remember to wear appropriate clothes - the weather in Yogyakarta is generally hot and humid.

GrabCar is a safe and efficient way to get around the city.

I would like to say thank you to Indonesian colleagues and friends, Bu Sri, Bu Dahlya, Pak Priyono, Pak Bayu and Pak Sopono; travel buddies, Robin and Welland - for making this Yogyakarta weekend trip possible. Special thanks to Instagram friend Galangwnie (check his amazing Instagram profile @Galangwnie) - for sharing a lot of helpful information and photos about this beautiful city!

AGAIN, there are a lot more interesting spots and things to do if you’re going to stay in this part of Java Island. However, due to limited time, our 2-Day DIY Tour was not enough to cover all. Now I have more reasons to get back to Jogja! Don’t worry, I’ll be adding to this post from time to time to keep you posted. If you have any suggestions on my next visit, just comment down below. :)

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Twitter| @travelingmorion

Facebook Page| Traveling Morion

One of the most treasured and visited locations in Indonesia is a temple which holds a rich history and a thriving expression of culture; the Prambanan Temple, or also known as the Roro Jonggrang Temple in Indonesia, or also the “Temple of the Slender Virgin” is located in Yogyakarta. It is a temple that was built during the 9th century, which holds a mystical charm that entices its visitors and gives such an exotic atmosphere. It has eight shrines in total, three of which are the main shrines that are for Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.

Composed of more or less 240 magnificent temples, Prambanan is one of the four temple sites in Prambanan Temple Compounds. The other three temples are Sewu Temple, Bubrah Temple and Lumbung Temple.

Prambanan Temple has attracted many tourists all across the world. The archaeological greatness of the shrines is enough to awe its visitors, and even more so when two theaters were built in the temple complex. The one located in the southern area of the temple was built during the 1960’s, while the other, which is located in the western area of the temple, was built during the 1980’s. These temples hold amazing performances of Ramayana ballet from the months of May-October, to showcase and illustrate local culture.

Because of the many years this temple has stood, and because of the many things it has witnessed and survived, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) selected this temple complex to be labeled as a World Heritage Site. In order to be characterized as such, one landmark should have historical, cultural or scientific kind of relevance; the Prambanan Temple gave exactly just that. The UNESCO website describes this temple complex as place that display the complex culture of the country, but more specifically on the Siva art. It is one of the classical period masterpieces in the region of Asia, which articulates intricacy in design and built.

All year round, the temple gets a lot of visitors, but to maximize your visit and the experience, try avoiding the wet season. Even if Indonesia does not get a lot of heavy rainfall, during the months of January and February, light rain does occur. There are cases that it also happens during December but it is not as common. If you want to avoid having to experience a little drizzle, then avoid these months.

But just because you’re avoiding the rainy months does not mean that the other months are completely convenient. One thing that any tourist should expect when going to Indonesia is that it is usually hot. Since this is the best time to visit the Prambanan Temple, what you do instead to make it more comfortable is to prepare for the hot weather. So, this means you wear comfortable clothing when you go there-- wear a cap or a hat and bring sunglasses. You should also bring water to keep you hydrated.

Seeing the site of the Prambanan Temples is a treat in itself, but there are other activities that can be done. As mentioned earlier, you can watch the Ramayana Ballet, learn about Javanese culture through dance. Visit all the temples and take pictures of the uniqueness of each one. You can also dine at the restaurants near the temple after a long day.

Travel Notes

Prambanan Temple is open from 6:00AM to 5:00PM; visitors can stay until 6:00PM for the sunset.

Make sure to allot enough time - the complex is quite large. It will take time to explore the grounds and appreciate the sights and architecture.

Bring along a camera - the views are amazing!

Flying a camera drone is not allowed in Prambanan Temple Complex.

Bring cash around as some of the best stalls and services in Yogyakarta are cash-based and does not accept debit/credit card.

Remember to wear appropriate clothes - the weather in Yogyakarta is generally hot and humid.

There is a good mobile phone signal in Prambanan Temple complex.

Toilets/restrooms are available.

RATES / FEES

Entrance Fee (for foreign tourists) is USD 25 (around IDR350,000 or Php1300 - exchange rate as of this writing) for adult and USD 15 (IDR210,000 or Php780 exchange rate as of this writing) for child/student.

The child/student need to show their Passport or student ID at the ticketing counter to avail child/student rate.

Prambanan temple and Borobudur temple combined ticket is also available - more cheaper than buying each temple ticket. Combine ticket for Prambanan and Borobudur Temples is valid for 2 days.

HOW TO GET THERE

From Yogyakarta City center, you can book a Grab Car, GoJek, Taxi or take a public bus going to Prambanan Temple. In our case, since we’re 6 in the group, we rented a car for our 2-day DIY tour – a much cheaper way to explore Special Region of Yogyakarta.

From Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Jakarta to Yogyakarta Route

By Air

Fly directly from Jakarta City to Yogyakarta City – flight time is approximately 1 hour.
Cost: IDR 450,000 (approx. Php1700 or 32 USD) to IDR 1,200,000 (approximately Php4400 or 85 USD)
Below is the list of airlines and sample cost – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Jakarta to Yogyakarta

By Train

Train ride from the capital city Jakarta to Yogyakarata is approximately 8-9 hours.
Cost: IDR 300,000 (approximately Php1000 or 21USD).
Routes: Gambir Station to Tugu Station in Yogyakarta orPasar Senen Station to Lempuyangan Station in Yogyakarta
Below is the schedule of train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)google.com, Jakarta to Yogyakarta train schedule

By Bus

Taking a bus going to Yogyakarta from Jakarta is a 12-hour ride. Bus stops are located in Jakarta Barat and Jakarta Selatan.
Cost: IDR 150,000 (approximately Php550 or 10 USD) to IDR 230,000 (approximately Php 800 or 16 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Jakarta to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)easybook.com, Jakarta to Yogyakarta Bus trip schedule

From Bali Island to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Bali to Yogyakarta route

By Air

Fly directly from Bali to Yogyakarta City – flight time is approximately one and half hours.
Cost: IDR 600,000 (approximately Php 2200 or 42 USD) to IDR1,200,000 (approximately Php4400 or 85 USD)
Below is the list of airlines routing Bali to Yogyakarta – with sample cost – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Bali to Yogyakarta flights

By Direct Bus

There are regular trips of buses directly going to Yogyakarta from Bali – travel time is approximately 15 hours. Available bus stops at Denpasar Ubung Terminal.
Cost: IDR 180,000 (approximately Php700 or 12 USD) to IDR 350,000 (approximately Php1300 or 25 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Bali to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)easybook.com, Bali to Yogyakarta Bus schedule

From Bandung City, West Java to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Bandung to Yogyakarta route

By Air

Fly directly from Bandung (Husein Sastranegara International Airport BDO) to Yogyakarta (Adisucipto International Airport) –flight time is approximately 1 hour (direct flight).
Cost: Minimum of IDR600,000 (approximately Php2200 or 42 USD)
Below is the schedule of flight from Bali to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Bandung to Yogyakarta flight

By Train

Train ride is available from Bandung to Yogyakarta (vv) – see schedule and travel time below.

(c)google.com, Bandung to Yogyakarta train schedule

By Direct Bus

There are regular trips of buses to/from Bandung to Yogyakarta City –travel time is approximately 10-11 hours.
Route: Gedebage, Bandung, Jawa Barat to Banguntapan, Yogyakarta
Cost: Minimum of IDR 140,000 (approximately Php550 or 10 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Bandung to Yogyakarta from easybook.com – as of this writing.

(c)easybook.com, Bandung to Yogyakarta Bus schedule

Read More

Interesting Spots and Things to Do in Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia

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Twitter| @travelingmorion

Facebook Page| Traveling Morion

Indonesia is one of the must-see travel destinations in Asia. This country is filled with rich culture and beautiful sceneries, which feature the beauty of history, nature, and religion. One of the majestic tourist spots in Indonesia is the Borobudur Temple in Kedu Valley, Central Java.

Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Indonesia

Built during the 8th and 9th century, the Borobudur Temple is a Buddhist Temple representing the phases in attaining Nirvana. It is composed of three temples built on a pyramid base. Each temple represents history, architecture, and religion. The Borobudur Temple Compound itself is a mix of ancient and Buddhist way of worship. The monument is composed of 2, 672 panels and 504 Buddha statutes. Most of the materials used in the monument is stone, and was originally made without cement or anything to keep the panels together.

The stunning Borobudur Temple

Due to the significance of the Borobudur Temple to the culture of Indonesia, it was restored by the government of Indonesia and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The temple was included as a World Heritage Site later on due to its importance in Buddhist architecture and monumental arts. The design of the Borobudur Temple is also exceptional as it mimics the lotus flower, which reflects the creativity and intelligence of Indonesians during the 8th and 9th century.

Visiting the Borobudur Temple is similar to conducting a pilgrimage. You will not only view the artistic built of the monument, but also feel the dedication of the ancestors of Indonesia in the pursuit of attaining Nirvana. Well, the majestic temple itself was built to worship and to harmonize with the universe.

One of the statues of Buddha inside the temple

The Borobudur Temple journey requires footwork, for there is no better way to go around the 2,500 square meters monument other than walking. However, there are also handcarts and minibus you can ride in going around the monument.

From Yogyakarta City, the trip to Borobudur Temple is one hour through a car. The monument can also be reached through Semarang for those taking a cruise. There are paid tours to Borobudur Temple but you may also hire a tour guide on site. Aside from Buddha statutes, there are also intricate carvings along the temple walls, which reflect the historical and artistic significance of the monument. Tour guides will help you understand the meaning of the carvings and statutes within the temple.

Intricate details in the wall of the temple

Travel Notes

Borobudur Temple is open from 4:30AM up to 6:30PM.

The main attraction, aside from the temple itself, is the sunrise. Ticket price for sunrise visit is more expensive than the regular rate.

The best time to visit the Borobudur Temple? Early in the morning - for the magnificent sunrise or in the late afternoon - if you want to avoid the crowd and for the stunning sunset view.

Since the Borobudur is a place of worship, tourists are advised to be respectful and minimize noise during the tour.

Make sure to allot enough time - the complex is quite large. It will take time to explore the grounds and appreciate the sights and architecture.

The tour will comprise of long walks and stairs so be prepared beforehand.

Remember to wear appropriate clothes - the weather in Central Java is generally hot and humid.

It is best to bring hats and umbrella, wear protective and comfortable clothing against the hot sun, and bring water. If you forgot to, they are vendors near the entrance of the temple.

There is a good mobile phone signal in Borobudur Temple complex.

Bring along a camera - the views are amazing!

Flying a camera drone is not allowed in Borobudur Temple Complex.

Bring cash around as some of the best stalls and services in the area are cash-based and does not accept debit/credit card.

Toilets/restrooms are available.

After touring the temple, you can also visit the luscious gardens around or view the elephants in the area.

A tourist waiting for the sunset

Beautiful stupas inside the temple

Solemnity and love

Untitled

The view from the southern part of the temple

Mesmerizing sunset view from Borobudur Temple

Sunset and the red lady in Borobudur Temple

RATES/FEES

Entrance Fee (for foreign tourists) is USD 25 (around IDR350,000 or Php1300 - exchange rate as of this writing) for adult and USD 15 (IDR210,000 or Php780 exchange rate as of this writing) for child/student.

The child/student need to show their Passport or student ID at the ticketing counter to avail child/student rate.

Prambanan temple and Borobudur temple combined ticket is also available - more cheaper than buying each temple ticket. Combine ticket for Prambanan and Borobudur Temples is valid for 2 days.

The stunning Borobudur Temple+perfect sunset+ red lady

HOW TO GET THERE

Going to Borobudur Temple, Yogyakarta City is the most popular and convenient starting point. From Yogyakarta, you can book a Grab Car, GoJek, Taxi or take a public bus going to Borobudur Temple. In our case, since we’re 6 in the group, we rented a car for this 2-day DIY tour – a much cheaper way to explore Special Region of Yogyakarta and neighboring cities/towns.

From Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Jakarta to Yogyakarta Route

By Air

Fly directly from Jakarta City to Yogyakarta City – flight time is approximately 1 hour.
Cost: IDR 450,000 (approx. Php1700 or 32 USD) to IDR 1,200,000 (approximately Php4400 or 85 USD)
Below is the list of airlines and sample cost – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Jakarta to Yogyakarta

By Train

Train ride from the capital city Jakarta to Yogyakarata is approximately 8-9 hours.
Cost: IDR 300,000 (approximately Php1000 or 21USD).
Routes: Gambir Station to Tugu Station in Yogyakarta orPasar Senen Station to Lempuyangan Station in Yogyakarta
Below is the schedule of train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)google.com, Jakarta to Yogyakarta train schedule

By Bus

Taking a bus going to Yogyakarta from Jakarta is a 12-hour ride. Bus stops are located in Jakarta Barat and Jakarta Selatan.
Cost: IDR 150,000 (approximately Php550 or 10 USD) to IDR 230,000 (approximately Php 800 or 16 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Jakarta to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)easybook.com, Jakarta to Yogyakarta Bus trip schedule

From Bali Island to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Bali to Yogyakarta route

By Air

Fly directly from Bali to Yogyakarta City – flight time is approximately one and half hours.
Cost: IDR 600,000 (approximately Php 2200 or 42 USD) to IDR1,200,000 (approximately Php4400 or 85 USD)
Below is the list of airlines routing Bali to Yogyakarta – with sample cost – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Bali to Yogyakarta flights

By Direct Bus

There are regular trips of buses directly going to Yogyakarta from Bali – travel time is approximately 15 hours. Available bus stops at Denpasar Ubung Terminal.
Cost: IDR 180,000 (approximately Php700 or 12 USD) to IDR 350,000 (approximately Php1300 or 25 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Bali to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)easybook.com, Bali to Yogyakarta Bus schedule

From Bandung City, West Java to Yogyakarta City

(c)googlemaps, Bandung to Yogyakarta route

By Air

Fly directly from Bandung (Husein Sastranegara International Airport BDO) to Yogyakarta (Adisucipto International Airport) –flight time is approximately 1 hour (direct flight).
Cost: Minimum of IDR600,000 (approximately Php2200 or 42 USD)
Below is the schedule of flight from Bali to Yogyakarta – as of this writing.

(c)google.com/flights, Bandung to Yogyakarta flight

By Train

Train ride is available from Bandung to Yogyakarta (vv) – see schedule and travel time below.

(c)google.com, Bandung to Yogyakarta train schedule

By Direct Bus

There are regular trips of buses to/from Bandung to Yogyakarta City –travel time is approximately 10-11 hours.
Route: Gedebage, Bandung, Jawa Barat to Banguntapan, Yogyakarta
Cost: Minimum of IDR 140,000 (approximately Php550 or 10 USD)
Below is the schedule of bus trip from Bandung to Yogyakarta from easybook.com – as of this writing.

(c)easybook.com, Bandung to Yogyakarta Bus schedule

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I would like to say thank you to Indonesian colleagues and friends, Bu Sri, Bu Dahlya, Pak Priyono, Pak Bayu and Pak Sopono; travel buddies, Robin and Welland - for making this Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java weekend trip possible.

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Bandung, the capital of West Java, is a beautiful city sought as a refreshing getaway from the typical hot and humid weather. It boasts of a cool climate all year- round which makes it a popular tourist destination, especially for neighbors in the tropical region. Ciwidey lies within the southern portion of the city which is one of the coldest places in Bandung. Tourists know Ciwidey for being a host to a plethora of activities ranging from adrenaline-pumping adventures like river boarding to more laid back ones such as strawberry-picking.

However, the natural resources and plantations in Ciwidey are truly the highlights of the small town which you must definitely see if you find yourself in the highlands of Indonesia.

PERSONAL NOTES

Bandung, the capital city of West Java province, is more or less a 4-hour drive from Jakarta. Our starting point in this Bandung travel was Tangerang City, a neighboring city of Jakarta which is about a 45 minutes ride. We’re using a private car and began to travel at 4:00AM to avoid the usual traffic jam around Jakarta. A good decision, because we arrived in Bandung at 7:30AM. Yep, much faster than the usual travel time especially if you get caught in the 7:00AM-8:00AM traffic jam.

Our first day in Bandung was spent for work in Cimahi area. We finished the day looking for a sim loading station and a restaurant for dinner. We decided to wake up early, 5:00AM, on DAY 2 to take a sidetrip in Ciwidey’s famous destinations. We had to see the tea plantations and the famous Kawah Putih.

From our hotel in Bandung, Ciwidey is more or less an hour drive if there’s no traffic. Going to Ciwidey from Bandung, we travelled through the expressway then travelled the not so wide Bandung- Ciwidey road. The advantage of traveling early in the morning is (again) you get to avoid heavy traffic. We arrived in Kawa Putih’s admission entrance very early, at around 6:15AM I think. Sadly, the admission was still closed. The opening hour is 7:00AM. So we decided to drive a little farther to have our breakfast and visit first the tea farms. From Kawah Putih admission area, the Ciwidey tea farm is just a 5-minute drive. The view here is amazing!

With an extra time before 7:00AM, we decided to drive a little bit farther to look for a restaurant. Then a sign “Situ Patenggang“ caught our attention and we decided to make a short stop over. We paid the entrance fee and car parking fee at the gate (IDR 65000) then entered the lake zone. While going to the lake area we passed by a beautiful tea farm covered with morning fog. What a beautiful morning sight!

The surprises never end! I flew my drone and discovered that the view of the lake from the sky is totally mesmerizing! As much as we want to stay long in Lake Patenggang, we have no choice but to leave after 15 minutes.

We arrived at 7:05AM in the Kawah Putih admission area. We’re the first visitors! We paid the entrance fee – IDR 75000 for foreign and IDR 25000 for local plus the car admission fee of IDR 150,000. We then drove for less than 5 minutes from the admission area going to the Kawah Putih jump off point/area. By the way, there are coaster rides from admission area going to the jump off point for IDR 45000 (back and forth) if you don’t want to pay the IDR 150,000 car admission fee.

Situ (Lake) Patenggang

Situ Patenggang is a popular destination particularly for lovers because of an old legend stating that the lake was founded to commemorate the reunion between a goddess and her true love. It is even said that couples who visit the lake together will have their union blessed. Aside from the romantic legend behind Situ Patenggang, it’s also a great place for boating. You can either rent a normal wooden banana boat or a pedal boat to take you around the lake. You can also visit the island in the center of the lake called the Pulau Sasaka which translates to “Love Island” or “Amour Island”. Picnics and camping are among the popular activities to do within the vicinity.

Bird's eye view of Situ Patenggang (drone shot)

The mesmerizing sunset view of the tea plantations above Situ Patenggang

The northern part of Situ Patenggang (drone shot)

Calm and blue Situ Patenggang

Morning in Situ Patenggang

Tea Plantations

The cool climate and fertile soil of Ciwidey makes it a perfect place for tea plantations and it just so happens that the Lake Patenggang is surrounded by them. All around are tea plantations forming hedges upon hedges of greenery that seem to go on as far as the eye can see. Visitors are allowed to walk through the cut paths for pictures and you can even purchase some tea bags and leaves from the locals which are freshly hand-picked from the beautiful plantations. You can bring home the tea leaves to drink or bring home as souvenirs for friends and family.

Bird's eye view of Ciwidey Tea Farms

The tea farms as viewed from the sky (drone shot)

Kawah Putih

Kawah Putih, when translated in English, stands for “White Crater” which quite accurately describe Kawah Putih. The place is a beautiful mixture of light jade green blending into the white sand at the shore of the volcanic lake that sits atop Mt. Patuha. History states that birds and other creatures would usually avoid flying over this lake, and those that did would be found dead. Later on, it was discovered that this occurrence was due to the high sulfur levels in the body of water and because of this, visitors are not allowed to play or swim inside the lake. However, the stunning lake radiating a turquoise color is a sight to behold and makes the visit worth it.

Calm and beautiful Kawah Putih (drone shot)

The famous instagrammable rock in Kawah Putih crater

Western side of Kawah Putih

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I wish we have more time to explore Ciwidey. No worries, we’ll definitely come back here. By the way, there are more interesting spots and things to do in this part of Java Island. Aside from the highlights listed above, here are some other fun activities to do in Ciwidey: strawberry picking; camping or “glam” camping; river boarding and rafting at the Ciwidey River; and try some local snacks like “dodol strawberry” and “berondong jagung”.

TRAVEL NOTES

Kawah Putih is open from 7:00AM to 5:00PM while Patenggang Lake is open 24 hours. The Ciwidey Tea Plantations is just along the highway from Kawah Putih to Patenggang Lake.

It is recommended to wear a face mask when visiting Kawah Putih as the stench of sulfur can be quite strong and foul.

Vulcanic fumes maybe hazardous to health that’s why tourists with breathing problems, pregnant women, and infants are advised not to get close to the crater area.

For health reasons, visitors are advised to stay not more than 15 minutes in the crater area.

There are entrance fees to Lake Patenggang and the Kawah Putih, which can vary depending on the season and economic factors.

Lake Patenggang and Ciwidey Tea Farms are best to visit early in the morning – the fog and the sunrise is just perfect to create stunning views.

Camping is allowed in Lake Patenggang.

The best view of the tea farms of Ciwidey is from a simple parking area along the national highway.

The mobile phone signal in Ciwidey is stable.

Bring along a camera - the views are amazing!

Flying a camera drone is allowed in these three beautiful spots in Ciwidey.

It is advised to bring cash when going around as some of the best stalls and services in the area are cash-based and does not accept debit/credit card.

The weather in Ciwidey is cold specially in Lake Patenggang, so bring warm clothes.

HOW TO GET THERE

Option 1. There are direct flights from Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bali Island going to Bandung. Alternately, you can take a train ride from Yogyakarta or Jakarta going to Bandung. There are also vans and buses servicing Yogyakarta and Jakarta to Bandung route.

From the city center of Bandung, you can take the public transportation going to Ciwidey – travel time is more or less one and half hours. Grab (fixed rate or rental) is also a good option to avoid the waiting time and the hassle of public transportation.

Option 2. If you’re in a private car, Google Maps is a great help. From Jakarta to Bandung, take the Cipularang Toll Road (exit in Pasteur Toll gate) travel time is more or less 3 hours.

Option 3. There are lots of tour packages offered online (web/app) – for less hassle and relaxed Bandung getaway.

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One of the gems of the Philippine landscape is certainly the Batad Rice Terraces of Banaue in Ifugao Province. Its importance is not merely for the fact that it’s a sight for sore eyes, but that it represents so much of what the Filipino culture and heritage stands for. The terraces were built by the Ifugao ancestors two thousand years ago almost entirely by hand in order to combat the erosion brought about by heavy rains during the monsoon season. When rain falls, the water will flow gradually from terrace to another until the water is evenly distribute to all the rice plants. This irrigation system stands and lasts till this day – a testament to just how hardworking and innovative the Filipino people can be.

But standing at around 1500 metres above sea level, this fantastic man-made structure is not very easy to get to! There’s quite a journey to be had when getting to the Batad Rice Terraces - yes, it’s technically called the Batad Rice Terraces! Banaue is merely a starting point off to the village of Batad where the actual terraces are located. It’s located in the province of Ifugao, but going there will take time and energy also.

Batad Rice Terraces from the main viewdeck

PERSONAL NOTES

This is actually a follow-up of my Ifugao trip last January this year. I’ve felt that my Banaue trip was not complete if I haven’t explored Batad and the other equally stunning rice terraces in the area. Along with the famous Banaue Rice Terraces, there are five other magnificent rice terraces in Ifugao. I planned this trip while I was in Jakarta airport going back to the Philippines for my quarterly work vacation. Originally, I will be traveling with wife; sadly her work schedule doesn’t permit.

A day before this trip, I was not in a good mood to pursue this trip. You know hormones when you’re in 30’s. Then, I made up my mind the next and found myself riding in an overcrowded bus bound to Coda’s Edsa Terminal (also known as HM Bus Terminal). I arrived 2 hours earlier in the terminal only to realize that I haven’t completed the payment of my reserved bus ticket going to Banaue. Luckily, there are still vacant seats for 11:00 PM schedule and I scored the window seat on the last row.

Our bus arrived in Banaue around 7:00AM. I registered first at the Municipal Tourism Office and booked a tour going to Batad Rice Terraces – with side trips in other equally interesting rice terraces along the way. I took most out of the trip while I was in Banaue.

I paid the tourism and the tour fees and boarded the tricycle assigned to me together with Manong Romeo who was my tour guide. On the way, we dropped for a while at Uyami’s Greenview Lodge which I booked through Agoda - for breakfast and my early check-in (glad they allowed me). I left my things in the hostel and just brought enough cash, my camera, drone and mobile phone. Better to travel lightly for the trek.

The almost one hour road to Batad was already paved. My tour guide and driver were generous enough to drop me to other rice terraces along the way. We made a short stop at Poitan and Guihob Rice Terraces. They always remind me to just take time and enjoy my experience. What a pleasant day for me!

The view of Poitan Rice Terraces and the town of Banaue from the road going to Batad

Guihob Rice Terraces in Banaue, Ifugao Province

Guihob Rice Terraces, another beautiful sight on the way to Batad Rice Terraces

We arrived in Batad saddle point around 9:30AM. From the drop-off point, going to the viewing deck requires a 30-minute trekking. Half of the road going to the view deck is already paved and developed and the other half is still rough road for which I made a mistake of not wearing a trekking shoes. The trail going to the viewing deck (area where most homestays are located) is an easy trek. We stayed there for more than an hour.

I was in awe upon seeing the Batad rice terraces for the first time! The mix of green and gold colors is vibrant; the patterns and lines of the terraces is a sight to behold; and the authentic and charming smile of the locals is heartwarming. I wish I had more time to stay in this kind of comforting place.

A village in the middle of Batad Rice Terraces

There are sari-sari stores and restaurants in the area. While I was exploring, the locals were busy doing their usual daily activities. I flew my drone and kept on pressing the photo shot button. Meanwhile, my tour guide is enjoying his brewed coffee and he just keeps on reminding me to just take my time whenever I look at him asking if we’re still on the timeframe of the itinerary.

An Ifugao elderly in traditional costume

We left the viewing deck at 11:55AM. The trek going back to the jump-off point is not as easy as going down. From 30 minutes it became more or less an hour. My tour guide always checks on me and we always stop whenever my lungs give signs “to pause.” But the trek going up is full of good stories from Manong Romeo or maybe full of laughter moments. In one of our stops, he shared to me that he’s the tour guide behind the location hunting and shooting of the rice terraces scene in the box office hit “Avengers: Endgame”! Oh this famous tour guide, Manong Romeo – I forgot to make selfies with you!

Manong Romeo, my tour guide during this Batad journey

After Batad, my driver and tour guide then brought me to the beautiful Bangaan Rice terraces, also part of the clusters of rice terraces declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. The journey took more or less 20 minutes from the jump-off point in Batad.

Bird's-eye view of Bangaan Rice Terraces, another World Heritage Site in Banaue

A village in the middle of Bangaan Rice Terraces

Bangaan Rice Terraces from unknown viewdeck on the roadside

No other itineraries left and I assumed I already accomplished my short comeback in Banaue, I asked the driver and Manong Romeo to take me back to the town proper. At 2:45PM, I took my (late) lunch, roamed around the town for a photo walk and booked my trip ticket for the earliest bus back to Manila.

The fogs started to cover the beautiful town of Banaue around 5:30 PM. I am sipping a cup of tea while enjoying the priceless view of the western part of the famous Banaue rice terraces from the window of Uyami’s restaurant.

TRAVEL GUIDE and THINGS TO DO IN BATAD

Upon arrival at Banaue, Ifugao, register and arrange your Batad tour at the Tourism Center. The rates going to Batad Rice Terraces are standard and they will assign a tricycle/car that will take you to the Batad rice terraces. The cost for a one way trip going to the jump-off point is Php 500 or Php1000 for back and forth trip (chartered). The driver will drop you off at the main drop off point in Batad, the Batad Eco Saddle, after which your 30-minute trek into the Batad village proper will begin. The starting point is marked by a sign which says, “Welcome to Batad.” Once you arrive at the village, there are many local restaurants and homestays where you can spend the day or night to rest before you start your hike.

According to the locals, the best place to see fantastic views of the rice terraces is at the Awa Viewdeck. The trek to Awa Viewdeck will take a total of 5 hours from the village proper – yep, not for fainthearted! While the walk is taxing and tiring, there are natural springs where you can refill your water as well as shops along the path where you can purchase souvenirs and snacks. The view from the top is worth more than the physical exertion, however, with a delightful view of the entire rice terraces from above. I opted to do Awa viewdeck trekking because of my recent surgery. No worries, if you’re not physically ready also, the view from the main viewdeck is still mesmerizing!

Aside from the Batad Viewpoint, another great trek is the Tappiya Waterfalls which is a bit more easy on the knees. The trek to Tappiya Waterfalls back and forth will take 3 hours.

Batad Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

TRAVEL NOTES

Arrange your Batad Rice Terraces Tour at the Tourism Information Center in Banaue Town Proper. Pay the Tourism Fee. I availed the day tour package since I was booked at Banaue Town proper – yep, day tour is possible!

If you want to spend overnight, there are homestays in Batad. Transient price ranges from Php 300-Php 750.

After you arrange your tour at the Tourism Office, a tricycle for Php 1000.00 (two way) or Php 500.00 (one way) will be assigned to you. You can get a guide right away at the tourism office or upon arrival at the saddle point for Php 1200.00 (including Tappiya Falls). I opted not to include Tappiya Falls on my itinerary due to my recent surgery so I paid lesser.

Ensure you have enough cash because there are no ATMs or banks in the area.

The jump-off point is at the area they call saddle point, an hour travel from the Banaue town proper. From the jump-off point, its’ an easy 30-minute down trek going to the view deck.

From the main viewdeck, Tappiya Falls is more than an hour trek. According to my guide, Manong Romeo, going to and from the falls requires stamina – not for fainthearted!

Start your treks early so you can make it back to the village while the sun is still out.

Carry a walking stick to make your trek easier.

Bring enough water. Food staffs are also available.

Use sunscreen and bring umbrella and jackets to be prepared for the weather whether it's cold or hot.

Bring along a camera - the views are amazing!

You can fly a drone but please ensure safety and respect the privacy of locals living in the community. Ask advice from your tour guide or ask permission from the locals.

Go during the summer (March to June) to avoid muddy and slippery treks - this is also when there is an abundance of greenery and foliage.

I explored the Batad Rice Terraces in June, a good timing though. During this month, the rice terraces are colored yellow and green – a combined season of rice growing and harvesting period.

Be prepared because there is no phone signal in the trek site.

Do not haggle with the locals as the prices help support their livelihood.

Please, NO LITTERING! Let’s preserve the cleanliness of Banaue.

To return back to Banaue from Batad, you can take a jeepney which leaves at 9:30AM and 2:30PM daily or if you’re on a daytour (just like me), chartered tricycle is just waiting at the jump-off point.

HOW TO GET THERE

From Metro Manila

Take a sleeper bus from Manila. Some recommended liners are the Ohayami Trans Bus and Coda Lines which can leave at night and arrive at Banaue in the morning of the next day. Travel time is approximately 9-10 hours and the fare is around Php450 – Php500 for ordinary buses, and Php500 - Php650 for deluxe buses (as of this writing).

From Sagada

Take a bus or van headed to Banaue. Estimated fare of Php 150-Php 250.

From Visayas and Mindanao

Fly to Manila or Clark then follow the instructions above.

SAMPLE BATAD ITINERARY
*** This is a weekend getaway itinerary and was my actual Batad trip itinerary. I opted not to include Tappiya Falls and Awa Viewdeck due to my recent surgery.

Day 0 (Friday)

11:00PM - ETD from Metro Manila (Coda Lines in Quezon City)

Day 1 (Saturday)

07:00AM - ETA at Banaue/Register at the Tourism Office/Arrange tour

07:30AM - Drop bag at the homestay and breakfast

08:30AM - Tricycle ride (chartered) to Batad saddle point

08:45AM - Poitan and Guihob Rice Terraces

09:30AM - ETA at the saddle point/ trek to Batad Viewdeck

10:00AM - Batad main viewdeck

12:00NN - Trek back to the jump-off point

01:00PM - Arrival at the jump-off point/travel to Bangaan Rice Terraces

01:20PM - Bangaan Rice Terraces

02:00PM - Back to Banaue town proper

02:45PM - Arrival at Banaue Town proper/lunch/photowalk and chill moments in one of the café’s overlooking Banaue rice terraces/book bus ticket back to Metro Manila

Day 2 (Sunday)

08:30AM - Breakfast/Just me time at Uyami’s restaurant and enjoying the morning view of the rice terraces.

12:00PM - ETD to Manila via Coda Lines

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Tired of the daily grind? Why not breathe some magic into your life with a getaway trip to Marinduque? Lucky for you, Marinduque is now more accessible more than ever. Before, you would have needed an 8 hour-long trip through land and through sea to reach this place. Now it’s just less than one hour away via air travel. And when you arrive at this hidden gem, you’ll be spoiled with choices for all the things you can see and do. You can schedule your trip and attend the exciting Moriones Festival, unwind at the beautiful Poctoy White Beach, be one with nature at Mount Malindig, and many more!

But most of all, you’ll definitely want to go island hoping through the Tres Reyes Islands. As the name suggests, it’s made up of three islands namely: Gaspar, Melchor, and Baltazar. Tres Reyes translates to three kings or “tatlong hari,” hence the names of the islands have reference to the bible.

Gaspar Island

Of the three islands, Gaspar Island is the one you don’t want to miss. It’s the largest among the three islands and the most popular among tourists. Its main feature is that it has a beautiful area of coral beach which makes it perfect for bumming around and taking iconic vacation photos. And for the history buffs, you have to know that in 1981, a Chinese vessel was found near the island, which contained many artifacts worth millions of pesos. BTW, if you are interested you can see them at the National Museum’s Underwater Archeology division.

If you’re a little bit worried about going too far from land, you’ll want to visit Gaspar Island – a more or less 30-minute boat ride only from the docking area in Barangay Pinggan, Gasan. It’s the one nearer to the mainland of Marinduque. And unlike in Melchor and Baltazar islands, there are cottages made by locals on this Island. And of course once you’re settled in your cottage, you’ll definitely want to go for a swim. But just be careful and remember to not go too far off from the island because the locals say that the current is strong near this island. There’s a small community on the island from whom you can buy some snacks and souvenirs. And if you haven’t had enough of the place, you can even stay the night as long as you bring your own tent or rent the cottage.

Melchor Island

Melchor Island is located in between of Gaspar and Baltazar Islands. The island’s coastal area is a little bit rocky and docking of boat is a little bit challenging especially during rainy and habagat seasons. The area is also known for occurrence of unpredicted strong current of water so be extra careful. The beautiful cliffs, turquoise water, and abundance of marine life characterize the island. Coconut crabs are also be found in the island.

Baltazar Island

The last scenic spot is Baltazar Island. If you’re looking for something a little bit more adventurous on your vacation, you’ll definitely want to visit Baltazar Island since it has an exceptional dive spot which is also the most popular in the province. Even better, the dive spot gives you direct access to an underwater cave. Not only do you get an adventure, but also an amazing underwater view, all in one place.

Overall, you definitely wouldn’t want to miss out on the magical Tres Reyes Islands of Marinduque.

Bird's-eye view of shifting sandbar of Gaspar Island, one of the Tres Reyes Island in Gasan, Marinduque

PERSONAL NOTES

Our plane, as expected, arrived very early in Gasan Airport – that’s around 6:20 in the morning. It was an a good and short flight from NAIA Terminal 4 compared to usual transport by land and sea from Metro Manila via Lucena City. We immediately looked for the tricycle terminal that would take us to the jump-off point going to Tres Reyes Islands in Gasan - our first destination for this 3-day DIY Marinduque trip.

The tricycle driver brought us to Barangay Pinggan, the jump-off point to Tres Reyes Islands. He introduced us to Manong Ronel Saludes (+639396226765), the boat operator. Gaspar Island or locally called as “Pulo” is our first spot and the nearest island from the mainland which is more or less 20 minutes of boat travel.

The small but charming sandbar of Gaspar Island welcomed us. There is a community in the island with one of the most accommodating locals I have ever met. There are no restaurants or food stalls in the island but the locals are kind enough to cook for tourists. There is a small sari-sari store in the island in case you need to buy something. Also, you can buy fresh catch-of-the day from the fishermen.

Kids of Gaspar Island on a typical Saturday morning

Kids playing at the sandbar of Gaspar Island

I was actually surprised when I saw coconut crabs (locally called as Igod) caught in the island. It was offered to me for Php700 per kilo but I humbly declined realizing that coconut crabs may be on the list of endangered species.

Locally called as Igod, coconut crabs are thriving in Tres Reyes Islands

Species of purple land crabs in Tres Reyes Islands

As suggested by one of the locals from the lone sari-sari store near the beach, I walk a little bit farther going to the docking area of fishermen’s boats. There I meet 3 kids playing – they smiled and greeted me with good morning. This part of the island is a little bit rocky and windy. I flew my drone cam and witnessed the beautiful rock formations blending nicely with the clear turquoise water.

Small boats docking area in Gaspar Island

The heat of the sun began to rise at 10:00 AM and habagat waves started to roar wild. I asked Manong Ronel to drive us back to the mainland (dock area in Barangay Pinggan) as visiting Baltazar and Melchor Islands are not possible for now because of the habagat. I realized, maybe, it will be reason to set another schedule and go back to Gasan. BTW, according to the locals, March to May (summer) are the best months to visit the three beautiful islands of Tres Reyes.

We spent 3 hours in the island, just enough for me to take photographs and drone shots of the island. The bird’s eye view of the shifting sandbar is mesmerizing!

It’s only 20 minutes boat ride from Gaspar Island to the dock area in Barangay Pinggan. Manong Ronel guided us going to the lone karinderya (local restaurant) in the area. We ordered dinuguan and kalamares plus rice and softdrinks (that’s for less than 150 pesos) for our late breakfast and early lunch. My daughter, Nicole Audrei, joined me in this 3-day Marinduque getaway.

Stunning bird's-eye view of shifting sandbar in Gaspar Island

TRAVEL NOTES

There is a good mobile signal in Gaspar Island (3G to LTE)

Gaspar Island is the most accessible. Visit to Baltazar and Melchor depends on the weather.

Island hopping to these three islands may last for a minimum of 4 hours depending on your pace.

The islands are rich in marine life. During our visit we saw coconut crabs and species of land crabs. Be mindful of the sea creatures and avoid catching them.

Gaspar Island is inhabited and there is a small community – fishing is the main livelihood.

Talk and interact with the locals – that’s our best experience in the island. They’re warm to visitors and willing to help specially on giving tips on the best spots and where to buy food.

Bring food and water. There are also small sari-saristores in the island selling softdrinks, chips and biscuits.

You can buy fresh catch from the fisherman (if you arrived early in the island) then ask the local women to cook for you. Of course don’t forget to pay for the service.

Bring your camera because the views here are amazing! Flying of drone is allowed in the island just check the wind – it tends to get stronger during habagat season.

There is no entrance fee in the islands as of this writing

Take note that if you want to go island hopping across all three islands, it will cost you around Php1500-Php2000. If you only want to reach Gaspar Island, it’s only Php600-Php800.

There are also fees for camping with your own tent and the cottage rental on Gaspar Island, but the price varies.

Don’t litter!

Sandbar, boats and the turquoise water of Gaspar Island

Gaspar sandbar, cottages and the local community

Things to Do in Tres Reyes Islands and other interesting spots in Gasan, Marinduque

Swimming - enjoy the clear and turquoise water of the islands!

Snorkeling and diving

Take “instagrammable” photos at the beautiful sandbar in Gaspar Island

Take a glimpse of Bellaroca Island from Tres Reyes Islands

Enjoy the majestic beauty of Mount Malindig, the highest peak in the province, viewed from the Tres Reyes Islands

Visit the beautiful centuries-old Gasan Church

Witness the Gasang-Gasa Festival every Easter Sunday in Gasan

Witness the celebration of Moriones Festival every Holy Week

Head to Poblacion or market area of Gasan, look for restaurants or karinderyas and try local cuisines!

WHERE TO STAY

There are a lot of accommodations in the town of Gasan, mostly beach resorts. Since we don’t have any itinerary in Gasan in the afternoon, we decided to book our accommodation in Boac, the capital of the province and a neighboring town of Gasan. We booked a room for a night at Boac Hotel, heritage hotel located in the central area of the town where arrays of other heritage houses (Vigan feels) are also located. It is also a walking distance from another must visit in Marinduque, the Boac Cathedral. The ground floor of the hotel is a souvenir store and a restaurant serving famous Marinduque cuisines.

Heritage Houses in Boac

HOW TO GET THERE

From Metro Manila

By Air

There is a regular flight from Terminal 4 of NAIA (Manila) to Gasan Airport in Marinduque. Flight time is more or less an hour.

From Gasan Airport

Tricycle terminal is located outside the airport just along the national highway. Ask the driver to bring you to Barangay Pinggan (in Gasan). It will be a 20-minute ride from the airport and will cost you Php250.00.

You can also wait for regular public utility jeepneys from Boac routing Buenavista. This is a cheaper option. Then, ask the driver to drop you in Barangay Pinggan specifically in the jump-off point to Pulo or Gaspar Island.

At Barangay Pinggan, don’t hesitate to ask any local where to hire a boat for Tres Reyes Island hopping. Usually, the tricycle drivers from the airport have contacts of boat operators going to Tres Reyes Islands.

Hiring of boat will cost you Php600 to Php800 (Gaspar Island only) or Php1500-Php2000 for the 3 islands. You may opt to haggle but remember that you’re helping also the community when you pay the right price.

By Land

Option 1: By Land + Sea Travel (Grand Terminal in Lucena)

Metro Manila to Grand Terminal to Tala-Talao Port in Dalahican to Cawit Port or Balanacan Port

From bus terminal in Metro Manila, ride in a Bus bound to Grand Terminal in Lucena.

From Grand Terminal, ride a jeepney or tricycle going to Talao-Talao Port in Dalahican.

From Talao-Talao Port, take a 2-3 hours RORO trip going to Balanacan Port or Cawit Port.

There are 2 ports in the province now, Cawit Port in Boac and Balanacan Port in Mogpog. Cawit Port is nearer to Gasan but the schedule of trips here is limited as of this writing.

From Cawit or Balanacan Port, take a van or jeepney bound to Gasan or Buenavista. Tell the driver to drop you off at Barangay Pinggan. Then follow instructions above.

Option 2: By Land + Sea Travel (Direct Bus to Talao-talao Port in Dalahican)

Metro Manila to Talao-Talao Port in Dalahican to Cawit Port or Balanacan Port

From bus terminal in Metro Manila, ride in a bus bound to Talao-Talao Port in Dalahican, Lucena

From Talao-Talao port, take a 2-3 hours RORO trip going to Balanacan or Cawit Port. There are 2 ports in the province now, Cawit Port in Boac and Balanacan Port in Mogpog. Cawit Port is nearer to Gasan but the schedule of trip here is limited as of this writing.

From Cawit Port or Balanacan Port, take a van or jeepney bound to Gasan or Buenavista. Tell the driver to drop you off at Barangay Pinggan.

Option 3: Direct (RORO) Bus from Kamias Terminal in Quezon City to Marinduque Province

You can ride a direct bus trip bound to Marinduque. JAC Liner has regular direct RORO Bus trip to Marinduque departing at 4:00PM (3:00PM boarding time) in Cubao terminal.

If you’re coming from different towns of Marinduque Province

From Santa Cruz, take a jeepney bound to Boac (for more or less an hour). Terminal is at Santa Cruz Public Market and fare is Php 50.00 as of this writing. From Boac, ride in a jeepney bound to Buenavista then ask the driver to drop you at Barangay Pinggan. Travel time is more or less 2 hours.

From Torrijos, according to the locals, there is one jeepney routing Torrijos to Balanacan Port via Buenavista to Boac Highway but the trip is once a day. Other option is to ride in a jeepney or tricycle going to Barangay Malibago from Poblacion, Torrijos. From Malibago, there are jeepneys and tricycle plying Buenavista route; and then from Poblacion, Buenavista, ride in a jeepney bound to Boac. Alight at Barangay Pinggan. Travel time on this route is more or less one and half hour. There are also jeepneys from Barangay Malibago directly going to Balanacan via Buenavista-Gasan-Boac but this trip is very limited - usually in the morning.

From Boac, ride in a jeepney bound to Buenavista – fare is Php 40.00 as of this writing. Alight at Barangay Pinggan. Travel time is more or less 45 minutes.

From Poblacion, Mogpog, wait for one regular scheduled jeepney from Balanacan going to Buenavista. Alight at Barangay Pinggan. Travel time on this route is more or less one and half hour.

From Poblacion Gasan, take a tricycle or ride in a jeepney bound to Buenavista. Alight at Barangay Pinggan. Travel time is more or less 15 minutes.

From Oriental Mindoro

A large outrigger boat leaves daily at 8:00 AM in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro going to Gasan, Marinduque. Fare is Php 250 and travel time is 3-4 hours depending on the weather.

From Visayas and Mindanao

Take an airplane ride going to Manila or Clark. Then follow instructions above.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day 1

5:30AM – ETD, flight from NAIA 4 to Gasan Airport

6:20AM – ETA at Gasan Airport

6:30AM – Travel to Barangay Pinggan, Gasan, the jump-off point to Tres Reyes Island

6:50AM – 8:00AM - Breakfast at Barangay Pinggan/ETD to Tres Reyes Islands

8:30AM – ETA at Gaspar Island/swimming/roaming around/beach time

12:00PM- Lunch in Gaspar Island (can be arranged with the locals)

1:00:00PM onwards – Island hopping at Baltazar and Melchor Islands

3:30PM – Travel back to mainland (Barangay Pinggan)

4:00PM – 5:00PM - ETA at Barangay Pinggan/wash/ wait for jeepney bound to Boac

5:45PM – ETA at Boac/check-in at hotel

6:30PM – 7:30 PM – photowalk and visit to heritage houses in Boac

8:00PM - onwards- Dinner /lights-off

*** We explored Marinduque for three days. The continuation of this sample Marinduque Itinerary will be posted on the next article – thank you!

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My home province Marinduque is most famous for Moriones during Holy Week. However, not many people know that here lies an island which holds treasures that can bring joy and exhilarating feelings to any traveler. Maniwaya Island, despite being a new travel destination, has some of the most breathtaking and stunning shores, water, and rock formations I’ve seen here in the country. It brings a certain serene and quiet atmosphere because of its isolation.

Maniwaya Island is slowly gaining popularity now. A lot of accommodation options are now available on and near the area. Maniwaya is so breathtakingly beautiful that you need to keep your phone or camera fully-charged because of the endless sights of well-grown corals, white sandbars, and clear waters everywhere!

PERSONAL NOTES

Day 2 of our Marinduque getaway! We woke up later than our scheduled time to travel so very little time was spent on breakfast. My daughter enjoyed her tosilog and chocolate drink while I quickly finished my daingsilog.“Wag kang magmadali Papa”, she insisted. “Okay, I will just relax… Even if I’m pretty sure that we’re cutting too close and we might miss the 7:00AM jeep to Santa Cruz”, I replied with smile. There was an hour interval before the next trip, and if we don’t catch this early trip, our schedule will be ruined.

The terminal is just a walking distance from Boac Hotel, but we decided to ride a tricycle to manage our time. By a stroke of luck, the scheduled jeepney also arrived late. It was almost boarding time when we arrived. The hour ride from Boac to Santa Cruz felt like minutes, as we were asleep in the entire trip. Yep, that’s one of our father-daughter things: we can sleep anywhere, even in at uncomfortable position.

We arrived at the Santa Cruz Terminal at around 8:00 AM. The jeepney driver was still waiting for four more passengers when we arrived so I just offered to pay the remaining seats so we could leave the terminal ASAP. At this time I was smiling again – we were pretty sure that our main itinerary for the day was still on track.

From Santa Cruz, our Barangay (in Torrijos) was just half an hour travel. I decided to swing by and made the usual kumustahan with relatives for an hour. Finally, at around 10:00 AM, our boat operators arrived - we're heading to Maniwaya Island, our main itinerary on day 2 and 3 of Marinduque getaway. To clarify, this is not the usual route going to the island. It’s an additional +45 minutes sea travel compared to coming from the usual jump-off points: Buyabod Pier in Santa Cruz (Marinduque) or in General Luna (Quezon Province). But since I also wanted to visit my relatives while in Marinduque, and my barangay is also a fishing community and has a local docking area of big fishing boats, I decided to arrange and start the Maniwaya trip from there.

From our house, we walked through the now cemented pathway going to the fishing boat docking area called Lalao. Lalao, aside from being my childhood playground and having a special spot in my heart, is a rich habitat of different fauna and flora. It took us more than an hour from the boat docking station in our Barangay going to Maniwaya Island. We had a rough time traveling because of this year’s habagat.

Beautiful sight of thick mangrove forest - going to Maniwaya Island

First things first - we book our accommodation at Wawie’s Beach Resort. I availed the air-conditioned room for Php2500. Their non-air-conditioned rooms/cottages are for Php1200.00 and tents are also available for Php500.00. Power outages or “brownouts” are one of the known problems in the island but the owner assured us that they have a generator set and operational. Upon reaching the resort, I felt relieved to find our room was clean and comfy. The water supply was also good and the hot shower was a plus. The resort also has a restaurant and function hall for videoke sessions. Our cottage was conveniently located near the beach area so the relaxing sea breeze was our best consolation.

Aside from the resort’s restaurant, there were also a few local food stalls near the resort where you could buy chips, toiletries, bottled water and soda drinks. There is also a branch of Rico’s Inn Restaurant just beside Wawie’s Resort. Rico’s Inn is a popular food place in the town proper of Santa Cruz that served affordable pinoy dishes and snacks like litson kawali, pansit and their famous halo-halo.

Bird's-eye view of the northwestern side of Maniwaya Island

WHERE TO STAY

There are a lot of accommodations in Maniwaya Island, which you can easily book online. We stayed at Wawie’s Beach Resort, in the northwestern side of the island, famous for the long stretch of coral beach. The location of the resort is also near everything – most especially within walking distance from restaurants and the warf area going IN and OUT the island. They have a wide selection of room accommodations – from tents and cottages, to non-airconditioned and airconditioned rooms. Lastly, the good thing about their location is the beautiful sunrise and sunset views!

WAWIE'S BEACH RESORT

Maniwaya Island, Santa Cruz, Marinduque

Contact Numbers: Kuya Warlito +639213695359 / +639773314872

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/WawiesResort/

Below are the other recommended accommodations when in Maniwaya Island.

RESIDENCIA DE PALO MARIA

Location: Maniwaya Island, Santa Cruz, Marinduque

Contact Numbers: +639192375633 / +639228670312 / +639179540495 / (046)5172189

Email: residenciadepalomaria@yahoo.com

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ResidenciaDePaloMaria/

VILLA ATILANA

Location: Maniwaya Island, Santa Cruz, Marinduque

Contact Numbers: +639185594522 / +639954062027

Email: villaatilana@gmail.com

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/VillaAtilana/

PLAYA AMARA

Location: Maniwaya Island, Santa Cruz, Marinduque

Contact Numbers: +639285070362 / +639205556256

FB Page : https://www.facebook.com/Playa-Amara-Beach-Resort

MARIKIT NA BEACH RESORT

Location: Maniwaya Island, Santa Cruz, Marinduque

Contact Numbers: +639278789782 / +639219785565

3 BROTHER'S BEACH

Location: Maniwaya Island, Santa Cruz, Marinduque

Contact Numbers: +639214583462

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/www.3brothers/

The beautiful beach area on the northwestern side of Maniwaya Island.

Things to Do and Interesting Activities in Maniwaya Island

Enjoy the sunset and sunrise – perfect view from Wawie’s Beach Resort

Beach Bumming

Island hopping – Palad Sandbar and Ungab Rock Formation

Snorkeling at coral garden area (included in island hopping package)

Enjoy the long streets of coral sands near the Wawie’s beach resort area

Long stretch of cream sand beach

We grabbed lunch in one of the huts near the beach and got ready for our itinerary for the day – island hopping to Palad Sandbar and Ungab Rock Formation in the neighboring Mongpong Island.

Bird's-eye view of Palad Sandbar

Palad Sandbar is always a good place to go to because it’s not easily accessible; you can only visit it during low tide. The sand there had an off-white shade but it was surrounded by teal water, which made the sky and the sandbar itself look a lot brighter. Plus, it was fun to take photos here because there weren’t a lot of people. You and your friends, family or partner can take endless photos without having to be bothered by other people blocking the view.

Our next stop was supposedly Ungab Rock Formation. Unfortunately, the locals and our boat operators advised us not to proceed to it as the waves became quite big and dangerous. But to give you a bit of information about the place, the rock formation is more of a huge arch or a bridge-like formation. You can also climb it. So, if you have a brave heart, you can go rock climbing there. But for those who just want a chill visit, the breathtaking view will be enough to make all the expenses and time spent worth it.

Palad Sandbar

View of the stunning Palad Sandbar from the sky

TRAVEL NOTES

There is a good mobile signal in the island (3G to LTE)

Bring enough cash, there are no ATM’s in the island and credit/debit cards are not accepted as of this writing.

Maniwaya Island has two long beach areas of coral sands - the one on the eastern side of the island (docking area of the fishermen) and the northwestern side (Wawie’s Beach area).

Summer (March to May) is the best time to visit Maniwaya Island. Waves and currents are strong during Habagat and rainy seasons.

The island has now 24 hours electric supply (connected to the mainland) but be prepared for rotational brownouts in the province.

Take note that if you want to go island hopping (to visit the Palad Sandbar and Ungab Rock Formations), it will cost you around Php1500-Php2000.

There are also fees for camping with your own tent and the cottage rental on Maniwaya Island, but the price varies.

Polo, Mompong and Salamague are the other 3 other interesting islands of Santa Cruz close to Maniwaya – you may opt to include on your itinerary.

Maniwaya Island is inhabited and there is a local community – fishing is the main livelihood.
Talk and interact with the locals – that’s our best experience in the island. They’re warm to visitors and willing to help specially on giving tips on the best spots and where to buy food.

You can buy fresh catch from the fisherman then have it cooked at the restaurants/ food stalls for you. Of course don’t forget to pay for the service.

There are restaurants and sari-sari stores in the island.

Bring your camera – the views here are amazing!

Flying drones is allowed in the island but check the wind – it tends to get stronger during Habagat season.

Don’t litter! Please preserve the island for your next trip – and for the future generation.

Palad Sandbar

HOW TO GET TO MANIWAYA ISLAND

From Metro Manila

By Air

There is a regular flight from Terminal 4 of NAIA (Manila) to Gasan Airport in Marinduque. Flight time is more or less 1 hour.

From Gasan Airport and Boac

You ride in a public utility jeepney from Buenavista going to Boac. Regular PUJs are passing Gasan airport bound to Boac. Ask the driver to drop you off at the jeepney terminal going to Santa Cruz.

The usual jump-off point is the town proper of Santa Cruz

At Poblacion, Santa Cruz, ride in a tricycle bound to Buyabod Pier for Php120.00. For a cheaper fare option, look for the Santa Cruz jeepney terminal (also the location of the public market) then ride in a jeepney routing Torrijos then ask the driver to drop you off at Buyabod Pier Crossing – for less than Php20.00 fare. From Buyabod Crossing, ride a tricycle going to the port area.

There are only two (2) boat trips going to Maniwaya Island: early in the morning (7:00AM) and before lunch (11:00AM). Fare for passenger boat is Php80.00 and travel time is more or less 30 minutes.

There is only one trip boat trip schedule from Maniwaya Island back to Buyabod Port, and that is at 6:00 in the morning.

If you miss the scheduled boat trip, the other option is to charter a boat, with rate ranging from Php1000.00 to Php1500.00.

By Land

Option 1: Via Land + Sea Travel (Grand Terminal in Lucena)

Manila to Grand Terminal to Talao Talao Port in Dalahican to Cawit Port or Balanacan Port

From bus terminal in Metro Manila, ride in a Bus bound to Grand Terminal in Lucena.

From Grand Terminal, ride in a jeepney or tricycle going to Talao-talao Port in Dalahican.

In Talao talao Port, take a 2-3 hours RORO trip going to Balanacan Port or Cawit Port. There are two (2) ports in the province now: Cawit Port in Boac and Balanacan Port in Mogpog. Balanacan Port is the nearest port to Santa Cruz, the town covering Maniwaya Island.

From Cawit or Balanacan Port, take a van or jeepney bound to Santa Cruz. Then follow the instructions above.

Option 2: Via Land + Sea Travel (Direct Bus to Talao-talao Port in Dalahican)

Manila to to Talao Talao Port in Dalahican to Cawit Port or Balanacan Port

From bus terminal in Metro Manila, ride in a bus bound to Talao talao Port in Dalahican, Lucena

In Talao talao port, take the RORO trip mentioned above and go take the Cawit Port destination. Cawit Port is the nearest to Gasan but the schedule of trips here is limited as of this writing.

From Cawit Port (Boac) or Balanacan Port (Mogpog), take a van or jeepney bound to Santa Cruz. Then follow the instructions above.

Option 3: Direct (RORO) Bus from Kamias Terminal in Quezon City to Marinduque Province

You can ride a direct bus trip bound to Marinduque. JAC Liner has regular direct RORO Bus trip to Marinduque departing at 4:00PM (3:00PM boarding time) in Cubao terminal.

Option 4: General Luna Route to Maniwaya

Ride in a bus or van going to General Luna in Quezon Province. From there, there is a regular boat trip going to and from Maniwaya Island. The fare is Php180 as of this writing. Maniwaya Island is approximately an hour travel from General Luna Port. The boat leaves General Luna Port at 10:00AM. And the schedule of boat going back to General Luna from the island is at 6:00 in the morning. If you miss the daily passenger boat, you can charter a boat for Php1500-Php3000 (price varies on the size of the boat).

If you’re coming from different towns of Marinduque Province

From Torrijos, take a van or jeepney bound to Santa Cruz. Ask the driver to drop you at Buyabod Crossing. From there, ride in a tricycle going to Buyabod Port. Then follow instructions above.
From Poctoy White Beach in Torrijos, another famous tourist spot in the province, you can hire an outrigger boat going to Maniwaya Island – it’s possible but we have no idea on the rate but we’re pretty sure that you’ll save time but it’s a little bit expensive.

From Poblacion Mogpog, wait for one regular scheduled jeepney from Balanacan going to Santa Cruz. There are also jeepneys and vans from Balanacan Port direct to Torrijos – just alight at Buyabod crossing then from there, ride in a tricycle going to Buyabod Port. Then follow instructions above.

From Buenavista, ride in a jeepney bound to Torrijos. From there, ride in a jeepney bound to Santa Cruz then alight in Buyabod Crossing. From there, ride in a tricycle bound to Buyabod Port. Then follow the instructions above.

Sunset view at Maniwaya Island

The sun began to set, and I had to bid goodbye to my nieces and nephews. They had to go back home and so they left us at Wawie’s, where my daughter and I spent the night.

While we looked for a place to eat dinner at, I recognized a familiar face. We happened to see Bokal Norma Ricohermoso of Rico’s Inn Restaurant. I approached her and made a good conversation for an hour – from politics to health. After dinner, we headed back to the resort and called it a day, though it was just 9:00 in the evening. Yep, that’s my bedtime whenever I travel with my strict daughter. Oh btw, this happened on Father’s Day!

Early Morning at Maniwaya Island

We woke up early the next day (day 3) to catch the early trip back to Buyabod Port. There was a regular passenger boat scheduled at 6:30 in the morning from Maniwaya to Buyabod for Php80. The travel time was more or less 45 minutes. From Buyabod, it was a 15-minute travel to Poblacion, Sta Cruz, with a fare of Php120. From Sta Cruz, we hopped on a van stationed in front of the town’s parish church going to Balanacan Port. Travel time was more or less an hour for Php80. We arrived in Balanacan just in time for the 11:00AM scheduled trip of the Montenegro Shipping Lines. We paid Php195.00 (half promo fare) for more than 3 hours of Marinduque - Lucena sea travel. Before the RORO ship left the port, I managed to take a photo of the iconic Our Lady of Biglang Awa beautifully standing on the eastern side of the port, as if waving us goodbye and blessing our trip home.

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The Masskara Festival is the celebration that defines Bacolod City as the City of Smiles. This month-long celebration of the happiest and most colorful festival in the country is filled with parties, concerts, food, and merry-making. Every year in October, when the fourth Sunday falls, the streets are filled with dancers that are enamored with bedazzling costumes, colorful masks, and bizarre headdresses.

History of Masskara Festival

Despite the cheerful atmosphere that is fostered by this event, the Masskara Festival started during a time of tragedy for the people of Bacolod. It began in 1980 when the city's economy was facing its challenges due to the dropping prices of sugar, which was their primary agricultural crop and source of livelihood. During this time, other tragedies struck the city, such as the colliding of the tanker Tacloban City and an inter-island vessel MV Don Juan. Those vessels that sank carried families from Bacolod, resulting in numerous deaths and missing victims.

In this dark period, the mayor at that time, Jose Montalvo, decided to appropriate funds for a festival to help the people recover from all the depressing events. And so, the first Masskara Festival was held on October 19 in the year 1980, which was the same day as the city's charter day. The event served as a symbol of the strength of the spirit that the people of Bacolod had and still have up to this day.

2019 Schedule of Activities and Highlights

There are a lot of thrilling activities in store for you this 40th celebration of the Masskara Festival. The main event will be held on October 26-27, 2019. Expect street dancing competitions such as the Electric Masskara where dancers compete not only with their moves, but also their colorful lighted masks. Besides that, there will be the Masskara Queen beauty pageant and mask exhibits, which are also looked forward to by many tourists and locals.

October 26 - School Category

October 27 - Barangay Category

Other events would be musical concerts, drum and bugle corps competitions, and other sports-related games. There will also be organized fairs relating to agricultural trade, food, and garden shows. More than that, concerts will also be held to fuel your party spirits.

TRAVEL NOTES

If you are a first-timer, here are some travel tips you may want to consider:

Wear comfortable clothes that are appropriate for the weather

Arrive at the venue an hour before the street dancing event starts, which is around 2 pm

Find the best view to watch the events and competitions especially if you want to take good photos

Do a little research on the food, culture, and top places you need to visit

Don't be afraid to explore! Be a part of the parties and concerts. Try out new restaurants and the city's delicacies.

HOW TO GET THERE

There are several ways to get to Bacolod. You can take a plane from Metro Manila, Cebu, Pampanga, Cagayan De Oro City, or Davao. If you are flying from Manila, you will most likely take 50 minutes before reaching Bacolod. Once you get to Bacolod - Silay Airport, you can take a taxi or a shuttle to your hotel. There is also the option of sea travel through RORO vessels.

INTERESTING SPOTS NEAR BACOLOD CITY

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