Ilocos Sur to Norte
Hi there! 👋 I’m @benjtupas and welcome to another Travel PH82 Guide 🇵🇭 where I write DIY and budget-friendly guides for group and solo travelers on how to visit all 82 provinces of the Philippines!
For today’s guide, allow me to share our Ilocos road trip with Team LBM (Leo, Benj, Martin). We acknowledge that the group name sounds shitty. 💩😆 Leo and Martin were my previous colleagues before I stepped down as a Co-founder and Head of Engineering from our previous crypto venture for a gap year to focus on other things.
How to Get There
We decided to avail of an exclusive tour with Lady, Max, and Bie of Lakwatserong Bata through our travel community so everything is taken care of. They are really good hosts and we enjoyed the trip from start to finish because it was well-organized.
Traveling from Metro Manila to Pagudgud (the northern part of Ilocos) is a 22-hour road trip. 11 hours going there and 11 hours going back. You can divide the journey into 3 days and cover 3 cities: Vigan, Paoay, and Pagudpud. Hence, we highly recommend you hire an agency so you'll have the energy to enjoy the tourist destinations of Ilocos.
It was an exclusive trip for the 3 of us. We paid around P25,500. This includes the van, driver, guide, accommodation, and entrance fees but the food was excluded. This is okay so you can choose where you'll eat. There are many options along the way and the assigned guide will give you recommendations.
Day 0: Drive to Vigan
We left Metro Manila at 09:00 PM in the evening to drive to Ilocos Sur. Vigan was our first destination.
Day 1: Vigan to Paoay
Morning: Vigan
📍 Calle Crisologo It's gonna remind you of Intramuros. You can buy pasalubong here but better if you do it on the way back so you can still buy the famous Ilocos longganisa and check-out other pasalubong centers. 📍 Hidden Garden A beautiful garden and cafe where you can eat breakfast. You can roam around the garden while your food is being prepared.
📍 Another pasalubong shop along the way They sell wooden dicks. You'll see wooden dicks in most pasalubong centers in Ilocos. I don't know why. 😆
📍 Baluarte Zoo This is owned by Chavit Singson, a successful businessman and politician based in Ilocos. In the zoo, you’ll see lions, turkeys, reindeers, goats, zebras, ostriches, reptiles, 3 HANDSOME GUYS 😆, and many others. 🎥 Watch the Baluarte Zoo video
Afternoon: Paoay
📍 Paoay Church 📍 Malacanang of the North + Chinese Garden 📍 Paoay Sand Dunes (4x4 Ride & Sand Boarding) This is my favorite part of the trip! 😍 🎥 Watch the 4x4 Ride video 🎥 Watch the Sand Boarding video
Sunset: Check-in at Century Gardens
It was a very long drive and we conquered 8 destinations. Perfect time to chill and drink alcohol but not too much coz tomorrow will be another jam-packed day.
Century Gardens serves food and drinks. They also have a swimming pool inside the resort so you don't have to go out. As an alternative, there's also BBQ and karinderya just outside of the resort if you don't like the menu.
(Let me know if you noticed the Minecraft character in the photo. 😆)
Travel Essentials for the tour:
Nice to have:
Day 2: Pagudpud
📍 Blue Lagoon Beach Very beautiful beach with turquoise blue water. We enjoyed playing with the strong waves and I wish we have surfing boards during that time.
I tried to snorkel around the beach but there was no underwater world there. Just clear water and white sand. Still beautiful. 🎥 Watch the Blue Lagoon Beach video 📍 Bantay Abot Cave A popular rock formation in Pagudpud. You can climb towards the hole and you'll discover that it's a view deck facing a beach and a beautiful resort.
📍 Patapat Viaduct (We missed this spot coz it was raining) This is so beautiful but the weather wasn't in our favor. This is the first spot I'll go to when I plan to revisit some time in the future.
📍 Bangui Wind Farm The farm is composed of 20 windmills that are 230 feet high and used to convert air into electricity. 🎥 Watch the Bangui Wind Farm video 📍Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
Another favorite! It's a beautiful natural limestone formation. I can't believe this place exists. There's an option to ride a horse but I don't recommend it coz it's not that far from the jump-off point.
Also, here's why I prefer to walk. There's a rock formation midway and if you position the camera properly, it would look like you are sitting beside the clouds. (See first photo above) I think you'll take another route if you ride the horse.
Once you reach the main rock formation, there's a secret view deck above facing the sea with water that's so blue. (See third photo above) Most tourists don't go here and this is not advisable for old people as you need to climb.
📍Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Perfect spot to end the day. You can enjoy watching the sunset from the lighthouse.
🎥 Watch the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse video
Travel Smarter with these Essentials 😍
Day 3: Side Trip to La Union and Go Home
📍 Kaivigan Longganisa (Pasalubong buying) 📍 Calle Crisologo (Pasalubong buying) 📍 Side trip to La Union Their recommendation is to visit a grape farm but we chose to visit Urbiztondo Beach in San Jaun.
That's it! I actually stayed in La Union for more than a week right after our Ilocos trip. Check the La Union PH82 Travel Guide here.
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SEA you on the next one. 👋
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Travel Dates: November 25 to 27, 2022
Last updated
