I’ve been fascinated by Mountain Province even before the hit film, That Thing Called Tadhana, made one of its municipalities, Sagada, a word-of-mouth for people of all ages. Some friends, either travelers or not, have already experienced the said Cordillera province and the common thing that they tell me about the place is that it’s beautiful, more so when it wasn’t yet bombarded with people. Anyhow, I’m still excited about going here especially that I was also planning to visit the beautiful terraces of Maligcong that is found in the capital municipality of Mountain Province, Bontoc. Despite the province’s very steep slopes and deep ravines, not to mention a lot of zigzag roads going in and out, a lot of people including foreigners still go here.

This blog post will show you a 3-day itinerary of exploring Mountain Province, covering Maligcong in Bontoc and the municipality of Sagada. I am with my Puge friends (Team Puge!) this time and we were six (6) in the group.

Where is Mountain Province?

Mountain Province is a province in the northern part of Luzon Island. It is part of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and is landlocked by the provinces of Kalinga and Abra in the north, Ilocos Sur in the west, Isabela in the east and Benguet and Ifugao in the south. It consists of 10 municipalities, 144 barangays with the municipality of Bontoc as its capital. Its land area is 2,239.9 sq km (less than half the area of Cebu Island) with 83% characterized as mountainous while 17% is made up of hills and valleys.

Mountain Province has an interesting history. The Spaniards had a hard time controlling the area of the Cordillera due to the rugged terrain and its hostile indigenous population. One of our guides in this Mountain Province trip said that the people didn’t like the aggressive means of the Spaniards compared to the Americans who were appeasing in their approach especially in advancing their faith. That’s the reason why it’s the Anglican Church brought about by American missionaries that thrived in the province (comprising 60% of the population) especially in Sagada (almost 100% as said by our guide).

How to go to Mountain Province?

Probably the fastest way of going to Mountain Province via commute is by riding the Coda Lines buses. Currently, their buses use the HM Transport Terminal in Cubao, Quezon City. We reserved our bus ride for a Thursday night trip (8:30 pm) and were able to arrive in Bontoc in Mt. Province at around 7 am.

I can’t say the same, though, with the ride home even though we also took the Coda Lines bus. It took us about 15 hours as there were many stopovers, each one taking about 15 to 45 minutes. The driver also tended to stop along the way to accommodate more passengers.

How to go to Maligcong?

*From town proper of Bontoc to Malicong

Daily jeepney rides going to Maligcong are available in Bontoc. The first trip happens at 8 am while the next one happens at 12 nn. Same thing happens when going back to the town proper of Bontoc from Maligcong. A jeepney passes by in front of Ate Suzette’s Homestay at 8 am.

How to go to Sagada?

Coda Lines buses are bound for Sagada. If you want to go straight so Sagada, just skip going to Maligcong. However, if you have decided to visit Maligcong and would go to Sagada afterwards, be informed of the following:

*From town proper of Bontoc to Sagada

There is a terminal of jeepneys bound for Sagada near the outpost of Bontoc. Jeepneys go to Sagada daily and they will go ahead when jeepney is already full.

Where to stay in Maligcong?

It is said that there are three homestays in Maligcong and our group decided to stay in Suzette’s Maligcong Homestay as two of my friends have already experienced the place months before.

Team Puge with Ate Suzette from left to right: Arvin (Instagram: @arvinrod), Eric (IG @i_amboneric), yours truly (IG @karl_olivier), Roel (IG @getshotbyme and @hulagway_), Sam (sadofi_) and Don (IG @xenxei)

I had a good time here in Ate Suzette’s homestay. Not only were we able to refresh, rest and eat meals for the duration of our stay, we were also provided a great view of the Maligcong Rice Terraces especially in the early morning where fog abounds the area. We were also greeted often by Ate Suzette’s dogs, Kuneg, Mako and Misty, especially during meals! Haha. But hey, don’t give them food even when they beg (see picture below) because they are trained to eat only when they are given food by their master. They’d try their charm and all but don’t give in! Haha.

This is Kuneg, one of Ate Suzette’s dogs, as he tries to woo travelers staying in the homestay to give him food. He’s so cute and all but don’t you give in! Haha.

Where to stay in Sagada?

We decided to stay in Indigenous Handcrafts and Inn along South Road in Sagada. Their contact number is +639216455679. There were two rooms given to us even though one was already spacious enough to accomodate us. The bigger room which was located on the 4th floor was spacious and complete with beds, tables, comfort room (with heater though it was malfunctioning during our stay) and toilet. There was a television on the wall for entertainment. The inn has a kitchenette at the ground floor and it can be used to eat your meals. The inn also has a nearby store where you can buy handwoven products as pasalubong. 

What to explore in Maligcong

Maligcong Rice Terraces

Probably the most recent must-see travel destination in Mountain Province is the stone-walled Maligcong Rice Terraces, the pride of the Maligcong people.

It’s admiringly beautiful, and one that matches the UNESCO World Heritage Site Batad Rice Terraces, which I am really fond of.

People say that the best time to visit is during the months of April and May as most of the rice fields here are already green.

Mt. Kupapey

It’s advisable to go hike the nearby mountain of Kupapey to really enjoy the view of Maligcong Rice Terraces. Not only would you be able to admire the beautiful scenery, you’d also feel one with nature as you get to experience fresh, cool air thanks to the pine trees that embed the mountainside. It would only take a few hours of climbing (mountaineers rated it as having 3/9 difficulty) but because we enjoyed taking pictures (see pictures below), it took us a whole day of touring Maligcong Rice Terraces and Mt. Kupapey. This is also the reason why we were not able to hike the nearby mountain of Parutan (Fato). Our guide, Gideon, said that it would normally take 2.5 hours just to reach the peak of Kupapey and 30 minutes going down.

Guide fee towards Maligcong Rice Terraces and Mt, Kupapey is P500.

We were complete with props and so we decided to take photo shoots while hiking Mt. Kufafey. Haha.

This one’s taken and edited by one of my Puge friends, Sam (Instagram: @sadofi_).

Portrait shot of yours truly atop Mt. Kufafey. 🙂

What to explore in Sagada

Important Reminder: Register first in Sagada’s Tourism Information Center so you can go and have access to its travel destinations. Registration fee is P35 for each person, and you have to carry it with you every time you tour.

Hanging Coffins

One of the most popular destination sites in Sagada is the Hanging Coffins. Placing the dead in hanging coffins has been an old tradition of the Igorot people, but it’s something not done often anymore. Our tour guide, May Joy, said that for now, the last coffin that has been placed here was done in 2010. As one can see in the picture above, the hanging coffins were suspended from the limestone cliff via ropes and wires (scaffolding).

Sinangadil: the Igorot tradition of laying down the dead in the hanging coffins. As seen in the picture, the dead person, assuming a fetal position was covered with white traditional blanket while being carried by family members towards the site of the hanging coffins.

Aside from educating us about the old tradition of burying the dead in hanging coffins, May Joy also taught us some other things about the Sagada people such as what were the costumes their elders used.

What was said to be a difficult hike towards these coffins before has now been made easier thanks to cemented pathways. Anyway, our travel guide said that the coffins used here are smaller than the actual size of the dead. She said that the dead person would assume a fetal position, a way of signifying that how they entered the world (the position a person takes inside their mother’s womb) is how they are bound to leave it.

The road to hanging coffins is actually home to Sagada’s public cemetery.

Our tour guide said that one of the soldiers in the SAF incident was a proud Sagada native.

Pine trees abound the Echo Valley where the Hanging Coffins can be found.

The path towards the hanging coffins is just around the town proper of Sagada but you would have to need a guide to get there. You can ask for May Joy Deyan (09151283742) as your guide. 🙂 Guide fee is P200. There is no environmental fee at the entrance but there is maintenance fee for the nearby Anglican Church at the cost of P10.

Lake Danum

Situated at the west side of Sagada, Lake Danum is a small lake that attracts the crowd especially in the late afternoon. Why? It is the place to be in Sagada if you want to witness the sun as its sets in this part of Mountain Province.

Other side of the lake.

Staying perfectly still makes a good reflection.

You’d have to walk for several meters away from the lake towards a higher patch of land to see the sunset.

The lake is located 4 km away from the town proper. It can be reached via van (transportation and guide fee is P550) or by walking for about an hour.

Kiltepan View Deck

Probably the most famous travel destination in Sagada not only because of its awesome view of the Sagada valley along with its terraces but also because of the popular scene of Angelica Panganiban and JM de Guzman in Antoinette Jadaone’s movie, That Thing Called Tadhana, Mt. Kiltepan is a must-see in Mountain Province.

When looking for a place to witness the sunrise over Sagada, head over here. The hike towards the peak wouldn’t take that long, especially when you’ve hired a van towards the view deck. Those who choose to walk from the town proper may have to endure a 3-km walk from the town proper and another 1-km hike towards the peak while feeling the cold temperature of Sagada in the wee hours of the morning.

We woke up at 3:30 AM to prepare. Our guide fetched us at around 4:30 AM. We were able to reach Kiltepan before 5 AM. Needless to say, there were already many people when we got there as many tourists/travelers wanted to see the sunrise (especially it was Easter Sunday). Well, we didn’t get to hear shouts just like what Angelica did in the movie while we were there (it would be funny, though, if we heard one, hehe). Thank goodness our guide knew another place in Kiltepan where we can still have a good view of the sunrise and the Sagada rice terraces without the crowd.

Bomod-ok Falls

Said to be the “big” falls in Sagada (its name means “big” in Bontoc), Bomod-ok Falls provided a refreshing dip after more than an hour of trekking. The falls is beautiful and the rocky formations surrounding it make it more scenic.

It would take about an hour or more of hiking when going to Bomod-Ok Falls. But the pathway towards it is already cemented, making it easier now to go there compared before when the path was still patches of land.

Our guide, Ate Grace Diawan, has been a really good guide here in Bomod-Ok Falls. she has provided us with cultural stories, facts and figures about Sagada. Ask for her when going here in Bomod-Ok. Here’s her number: 0935077467.

By the way, our guide fee here in Bomod-Ok is P550. Kuya Satur Segundo, our van driver has asked us to pay P550 for Kiltepan and P650 for Bomod-Ok transportation. However, we were able to ask him to lower it down to P1000. 🙂

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Here’s a detailed itinerary of our 3-day trip in Mountain Province:

Rough estimate of our Mountain Province trip (excluding pasalubong and food outside of Maligcong):

Some reminders and tips when traveling here in Mountain Province:

1. Wear jacket or other clothing intended for winter. Even though it’s summer, the temperature in Mountain Province can really go very low especially in the wee hours of the morning and at night!
2. Bring extra cash. As always, be thrifty but it’s best to keep extra money that you can use if ever you need to.
3. Having a trip in Mountain Province isn’t very cheap especially when you’re going solo. It would be better when you go here in a group.
4. Bring food that you can eat while on the move or on tour.
5. Get to know the locals. Don’t hesitate to ask questions to be informed. Be respectful, too, and obey their rules.

6. 

7. Buy their local products. It’s best to buy their products as your pasalubong for your family and friends!
8. Internet connection isn’t very reliable in Bontoc and Sagada but there are places where they are fast. It would be best, though, to just leave your phones in your pockets and just stay present to where you are and who you are with. 🙂
9. Bontoc serves as a junction in the Cordillera Region. You can either head to Ifugao or Kalinga or Baguio after your stay here.
10. While in Sagada, it’s best to try the lemon pie in the popular Lemon Pie House. And at night, it’s best to spend your time and just chill in Moonhouse!