Its summer and I can’t help the fact that the heat is conquering my whole body! I am very sure most people feel this as well. We all wanted to escape the hot humid of the metro and go some place, relax and feel the cool air or bath under the sun. There’s only one place that I would love keep coming back at any season of the year. Oh oh… not Baguio, though close to Baguio. Its Sagada dude. That’s why you are reading this!!! When I went there last 2011 I wasn’t blogging yet therefore my narrative on this blog about Sagada is very limited. Here I would like to share to you the ways on how to get to Sagada – my most favorite summer vacation of all time. 

There are two ways in which you can reach this majestic place. Each option gives you a more option to see other places aside from your target – Sagada.   You can either take the Manila-Banaue-Sagada Route or the Manila-Baguio-Sagada Route.Option 1:Manila-Banaue-Sagada Route   The best option probably is to take the Manila-Banaue-Sagada Route. I might be bias because this was the route we took when I went there. As per my experience this route offers a more scenic view of the Banaue Rice Terraces. Would you turn that down?  

  1. Take a Florida Bus (the pink one) in Espana Manila (near UST). Its in Lacson Street actually.Buses leaves at 10pm everyday. Better yet reserve your ticket one day in advance if you are travelling on a Thursday or Friday. Tickets are sold for Php550-600. Travel time is 8 hours. 
  2. Charter a jeep going to Sagada. Once you arrive in Banaue do not panic where will you go! There are people who will ask you if you are going to Sagada. These people eventually will ask you to charter them going to Sagada. The jeep going to Sagada from Banaue cost Php700. opps… Wait you don’t have to pay for the whole because I am very sure that if you are coming on a Thursday or Friday there will be other tourist to join the chartered jeep. We manage to get a handful of tourist and as a result we ended up paying less than Php70.00 each. Travel time is 4 hours.
    1. Another advantage of this is the jeep you hired will make some stop overs at the tourist spots in Banaue i.e. Banaue Rice Terraces, souvenir shops etc.
    2. Plus you can meet some friends who can be your travel buddy. This is quite an economical advantage since you can slip the tour guide fees in Sagada. Much better if can form a group of ten to fully maximize the tour guide.

Option 2: Manila-Baguio-Sagada Route  If you are coming from the north already like Tarlac or Pangasinan this route is the best for you. In this route you do not have to worry of the transportation because there are plenty of bus going to Baguio and the Sagada bound buses in Baguio has a frequent schedule of departure.   

  1. Take a bus bound to Baguio. It would be better to leave Manila or atleast arrive in Baguio early on the morning. Fare cost Php455.00 regular bus from Manila. Travel time is 6 hours. copyright www.gobaguio.com    
  2. Take a bus going to Sagada. Take the Lizardo Bus bound to Sagada in Dangwa Bus Terminal. Dangwa bus terminal is located in Magsaysay Ave in front of the public market. Its actually walking distance from Victory Liner Station. Walk down Session road towards the public market the turn right to Magsaysay Ave. Walk until you see a KFC then turn right. Walk and you will see the bus terminal. Travel time is 6 hours. Fare is Php200-250.
    1. Good thing about this route is that you will get to see and experience the Philippines highest highway. =)

Note: I would recommend that you use the two route I provided above. Manila-Banaue-Sagada-Baguio-Manila route. Why to experience and cover more!!! Plus if you take the Banaue route, I suggest that you buy what catches your eyes in Banaue such as wood carvings, bags etc. Everything in Sagada came from Banaue. Expect to double the price in Sagada and triple in Baguio.      Transportation Expenses Sample:   Manila-Banaue = Php550 Banaue-Sagada = Php100 Sagada-Baguio = Php200 Baguio-Manila = Php500 TOTAL = Php1,350.00     I hope this helps your vacation planning.   Happy Travels =)