They say that you will appreciate more a place the second time around, and undoubtedly we proved this right after our second visit in
the beautiful province of Sagada. We decided to spend our Christmas vacation (2013) here and this time we stayed at Sagada Homestay because our first choice GeorgeGuesthouse is already fully booked that time. Rate is 300/head/night for the duplex type
house with 2 rooms with double bed on the first floor and 4 beds upstairs.
Homestay also offers an outdoor kitchen (150/day) in their main house where you
can cook your own food and usage of cooking utensils. Usage of oil, salt,
vegetables, and liquid soap are all free of charge. If you don't want cooking they
also have their own restaurant (Home Stay's Diner) where they offer delicious
foods (lots of choices) with affordable price (not that pricey unlike other
famous restaus in Sagada) and service is excellent. They have great overlooking
view from the duplex house and you can also relax in their bonfire area at
night.
One of the BEST things we did in Sagada that you shouldn’t
miss on your visit is Spelunking in Sumaguing Cave. But first, contact a guide
from Sagada Genuine Guides Association (SAGGAS) ahead of time for your itinerary and they will served as your caring guide throughout the tour. Their blog site is also very helpful since every information you need is published on their site. Guide fee ranges from 300 to 1000 depending on
the destination and number of participants. Remember: The more participants, the lesser
is your expenses. Moreover, there are two ways to
explore the cave, one is Spelunking for beginners and the other one is Cave
Connection for more adventurous people. It usually takes 2 to 4 hours to
complete the whole spelunking experience depending on you or your group's
speed. Make sure to get certified guide from SAGGAS to assist you well during
the spelunking. We have to trek down slippery stones to see magnificent
stalactites, stalagmites and limestone formations. Down the cave you will find
cold waters and natural pool that make the cave so cold. It was quite
challenging trek, we need to pass by slippery stones, walk like a crab, rappel
through ropes, pass by waist deep cold waters, and climb up steep stones. But
we surpass all of those because of our caring Friend/guide/best photographer
Fred Mayocyoc from SAGGAS who always ensure our safety and serves as our big hand and
human ladder. He helped us with our footing and guiding us while holding a
camera and a lamp. I'm so proud of our group because we survived Spelunking in
Sumaguing cave. You wouldn’t feel that you’ve been in that cave for hours
already because you will truly enjoy the whole experience. You can actually see on our photos how happy we
are during the experience.
Here are some of our Spelunking shots in Sumaguing Cave.
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| Our guide/friend Fred from Sagada Genuine Guide Association |
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| Look up in Sagada |
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| Sagada's Sumaguing Cave |
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| Sagada's Sumaguing Cave |
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| Sagada's Sumaguing Cave |
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| Sagada's Sumaguing Cave |
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| Sagada's Sumaguing Cave while going down slopes |
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| Sagada's Sumaguing Cave |
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| Sagada's Sumaguing Cave King's Curtain |
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| water inside Sumaguing Cave (Sagada) |
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| Confined Spaces Sagada Sumaguing Cave |
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| Confined Spaces Sagada Sumaguing Cave |
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| Sagada Sumaguing Cave |
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| Fred ensuring our safety while Spelunking Sumaguing Cave (Sagada) |
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| Right foot, left foot as Fred guides our footings (Sumaguing Cave Sagada) |
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| Strike a pose Fred - our human ladder (Sumaguing Cave Sagada) |
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| Confined Spaces Sagada Sumaguing Cave |
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| Limestone formation inside Sumaguing Cave Sagada |
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| Limestone formation inside Sumaguing Cave Sagada |
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| Sagada Sumaguing Cave |
Other than the Beautiful Sumaguing cave, we also explored
other tourist spots in Sagada like as follows:
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| Sagada's Small falls (Bokong falls) |
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| Sagada's Small falls (Bokong falls) |
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| Sagada's Small falls (Bokong falls) |
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| Sagada's Small falls (Bokong falls) |
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| Sagada's Small falls (Bokong falls) |
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| Scenic view along Sumaguing Cave (Sagada) |
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| Hangging Coffins of Sagada Mountain Province |
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| Orange Picking at Rock Inn Sagada |
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| Orange Picking at Rock Inn Sagada |
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| Enjoying fresh oranges from Rock Inn Sagada |
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| Orange Picking at Rock Inn Sagada |
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| Breakfast at Rock Inn Sagada |
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| Breakfast at Rock Inn Sagada |
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| Lumiang Cave Sagada |
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| Sagada Rice Terraces along the way to Sumaguing Cave |
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| Echo Valley Sagada |
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| Sagada December 2013 |
If you are a backpacker, budget – traveler, and nature – lover,
you will surely love SAGADA just as how we fall in love with this province and
we will never get tired of coming back. Sagada never fails us to give fresh
air, picturesque scenery, lush greenery and amazing discoveries. Getting to Sagada is always an awesome and
fulfilling achievement. The best experience ever!!
