I could still remember when a foreigner made a comment on one of my photos in Instagram. I was dressed up in the picture, posing while I was submerged in seawater up to my knees. She was like, “I think you’re forgetting that you still have your clothes on.” Boy was I so tempted to respond but I just brushed it off. Just because you’re at the beach does not mean you should only be wearing swimsuits and it also does not mean that swimming is the sole thing you can do here. That’s too mainstream, old school and too typical. Sometimes, it actually bores me to the bones. I always try to broaden my imagination so I could make use of my surroundings as my backdrop for my pictorial. Others may roll their eyes and call me crazy for dressing up like this at the beach but I don’t care. Dressing up is not a game. It’s a lifestyle. After all, I am a lot of things and one of them is being extraordinary. 📍Saud Beach, Pagudpud
🇵🇭ILOCOS NORTE ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Ilocos Norte:
⏺ Ride a bus bound for Pagudpud (e.g. Florida Bus in Sampaloc; travel time is roughly 14 hours depending on traffic condition and number/duration of stop-overs). Alternatively, you may ride a bus en route to Laoag City (travel time: 10 – 12 hours) then transfer to another bus bound for Pagudpud.
⏺ Hire a tricycle or van for your tour.
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
⏺ Pagudpud
Patapat Viaduct
Kabigan Falls
Bantay Abot Cave
Timmangtang Rock
Blue Lagoon/Maira-ira Beach
Saud Beach
⏺ Burgos
Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
Burgos Wind Farm
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
⏺ Bangui Windmills
⏺ Laoag City
Sinking Bell Tower
St. William’s Cathedral
Provincial Capitol
Museo Ilocos Norte
Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel
⏺ Paoay
Sand Dunes 4×4 Adventure and Sandboarding
Paoay Church/St. Augustine Church
Malacañang of the North
Being one of the most famous tourist destinations in the country, especially since it is a family-friendly one, Ilocos is always flocked with loads of visitors from different parts of the county. Besides, you get to visit countless number of tourist spots even in just a few days. 📍Saud Beach, PagudpudWhen someone hears about Ilocos, one immediately thinks of Bagnet (deep fried crispy pork belly), longganisa (Filipino version of cured pork sausage) and of course, the windmills. There are other parts of the Philippines with windmills but Ilocos is probably the province where you can see wind farms as grandiose and picturesque as this. 📍Bangui WindmillsThere are a lot of travel agencies offering tours in Ilocos. But if you’re up for some adventure, get out of your comfort zone and explore Ilocos DIY-style. Commute from Manila all the way to the north and avail of land tours offered by tricycle drivers in each municipality. It’s also one way of helping the locals. 📍Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, BurgosIt was 2013 when I first set foot in Ilocos with my workmates. It was a hassle-free trip as we hired a van to tour us around the province. I didn’t have photos during that trip to include in this blog post though. 📍Saud Beach, PagudpudFast forward to March 2018, I was itching to go to the beach and I quickly thought of going back to Ilocos. Together with my friend, we hopped on a Florida bus one early afternoon en route to Pagudpud. Thank the gods the bus was not full and we were still able to buy tickets although we just showed up as walk-in passengers without any advanced reservations. Maybe it’s because it was a weekday. 📍Patapat Viaduct, PagudpudConsidering it’s a 14-hour drive from Manila, it wasn’t really a tiring travel since we were asleep most of the time as the bus made its way to the northernmost town of Ilocos. We arrived by 6:00 AM at the bus terminal in Pagudpud where our tricycle driver was already waiting for us. 📍Kapurpurawan Rock Formation and Burgos Wind FarmWe freshened up and quickly changed our clothes first. Isn’t it too much obvious that we’ve come here extra prepared? 📍Saud Beach, PagudpudThe town of Burgos was our first destination as it’s the farthest from Pagudpud but we had breakfast first along the way. Luckily, a small restaurant was already open even if it was still early in the morning. 📍Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, BurgosThe moment we reached the junction going to this tourist spot, we had to transfer to another tricycle because tourists are required to avail of the services of local trike drivers in this municipality. 📍Kapurpurawan Rock Formation and Burgos Wind FarmYou will be welcomed by these towering windmills as you traverse the road going to the jump-off point.A short trek will lead you closer to those rock formations from afar facing the West Philippine Sea in this photo.Holding the title as Southeast Asia’s largest wind farm, these windmills of Burgos make the perfect background of Kapurpurawan. There were no windmills yet in this municipality when I visited in 2013 so it was a surprise for me when I saw this change in the landscape.Kapurpurawan comes from the Ilocano word “puraw” which means “white”. The white limestone formation serves as the best backdrop for your photos.Visitors are no longer allowed to explore the side of the rock formation facing the sea. Aside from the treacherous waves that might endanger the guests, the rock formation has suffered from erosion and vandalism due to the huge influx of tourists over the years.It was extremely windy during our visit as the northeast monsoon was still at its peak, hence the crashing waves in this picture. At least it wasn’t raining and the sun gave us the perfect lighting for our pictorial.After quite a while, more and more people started arriving as if it was our signal to proceed to the next stop on our list.We walked back to the jump-off while taking photos on our way to our tricycle. You may also opt to ride a horse if you don’t want to trek. Available horses for tourists are stationed by the registration area.We traveled for about half an hour to reach these majestic windmills which made not just the town of Bangui famous but also the whole of Ilocos. The place dotted with small huts by the shore of Bangui Bay where one could buy souvenirs was virtually empty upon our arrival. We were the only visitors.The long stretch of these giant structures facing Bangui Bay was unarguably picturesque.The endless blowing of the wind made the scorching sun tolerable while we took our photos in the wind farm. Thanks to Mum Nature for giving us good weather.Thanks to our guide for bringing us to the farthest end of the wind farm. I was finally able to capture most of the windmills in my frame.Bangui Wind Farm was previously the largest in Southeast Asia until the town of Burgos took the title. But I still prefer Bangui’s windmills than those of Burgos because these structures were constructed in an orderly manner along Bangui’s shoreline which make the wind farm the perfect subject for sunset photography.Not only did we skip Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos but we also removed Kabigan Falls from the usual Ilocos Norte itinerary since we were on a day tour and we’re pressed for time. I already saw it in 2013 and my friend who was traveling with me has never been a fan of waterfalls anyway. We just headed right away here at Saud Beach in Pagudpud after visiting Bangui.Because it was almost lunch time, the water and sand of the beach sparkled as we played by its shoreline.The truth is, I was actually surprised to see this beach looking like this. I mean, it was not really appealing to me when I visited in 2013. Maybe because the weather was overcast back then making the water and sand look dull and boring.We would have wanted to stay longer but we still got a lot of spots to visit in our jam-packed itinerary, so off we went to our next destination.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:
DAY 0
3:00 PM Assembly at Florida Bus Terminal
4:00 PM ETD for Pagudpud
DAY 1
6:00 AM ETA Pagudpud
6:30 AM Breakfast
7:30 AM Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, Burgos Wind Farm, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse and Bangui Windmills
10:30 AM Kabigan Falls and Patapat Viaduct
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Bantay Abot Cave, Timmangtang Rock, Blue Lagoon and Saud Beach
4:00 PM Wash up
4:30 PM ETA Partas Bus Terminal
5:00 PM ETD for Laoag
7:00 PM ETA Laoag / check-in
DAY 2
6:00 AM Wake-up call / check-out
7:00 AM ETD for Paoay
8:00 AM Paoay Tour
11:00 AM Head back to Laoag
12:00 PM Laoag Tour
2:00 PM ETD for Vigan
4:00 PM Calle Crisologo Photowalk
6:00 PM ETD for Manila
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo traveler): Php 6,000 – Php 7,000
***Expenses may vary depending on the type of accommodation you will avail and personal consumption of food and other necessities. If traveling alone, you will solely shoulder the tricycle tour rates.
We drove up north to see the breathtaking view of Pasaleng Bay which can be viewed from this famous coastal bridge known as Patapat Viaduct.Built in the 1980s, Patapat Viaduct is the 5th longest bridge in the Philippines connecting Ilocos Norte to Cagayan Valley.Dark clouds from afar blocked the sunrays which we needed for our photos but at least it didn’t rain. Just be wary of passing vehicles though when you take your photos here. During holidays and long weekends, this bridge becomes crowded with tourists and the other lane turns into a parking lot of vehicles.We bid goodbye to Patapat Viaduct and hopped on our tricycle. We ate lunch at an eatery along the national highway before heading to Blue Lagoon.We passed by Timmangtang Rock and Bantay Abot Cave and made a quick stop here for some photos before heading to Maira-ira Beach.Some would say that Maira-ira Beach is Ilocos’ version of Boracay. Its sand may not be as powdery as Boracay but you won’t be able to resist the inviting turquoise water of this cove which is also dubbed as Pagudpud’s Blue Lagoon.There were only less than five tourists walking across the cove. Supposedly, our last stop would be Blue Lagoon and our original plan was to stay here before we take the bus en route to Vigan in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the huge waves proved to be a hindrance for us to enjoy swimming so we opted to go back to Saud Beach where the water was way calmer.We changed into a new set of clothes again for the second phase of our pictorial here at Saud Beach. I would have taken a dip but the heat of the sun was way too harsh.The grains of sand here may not be as fine as that of other beaches I’ve been to but what I like is its consistency. You won’t get to step on pebbles, sharp rocks or crushed corals. The sand of Saud Beach really feels soothing to your feet.This is really what I love about traveling on a weekday. You usually get the whole place to yourself! Being a popular tourist getaway, this beach gets crowded during weekends and summer vacation.I had to rethink again whether I should take a dip amidst the scorching sun as the water seemed really inviting but I resolved to just take pictures. Good thing I didn’t swim because when we were about to leave, I learned that there’s no water supply at the shower rooms of the resort which meant I won’t be able to wash up in case I swam.By 3:00 in the afternoon, we bid farewell to Saud Beach and asked our guide to bring us to the bus terminal of Partas where we also cleaned up before leaving for Vigan at 5:00 PM.We capped off our Ilocos day tour with a side trip to Calle Crisologo. We arrived in Vigan by 9:00 PM and after dinner, we commenced our night photowalk. It was the perfect hour as most tourists have already left and souvenir shops along the historical street are already closed. By midnight, we were already on the bus bound for Manila.
📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:
📌Allot at least two days for touring around Ilocos Norte.
📌Please note that buses bound for Junction Luna, Cagayan will pass by Laoag and Pagudpud.
📌You may spend the night in Saud Beach or Blue Lagoon since these beaches are dotted with lots of resorts. Just book your accommodation in advance especially if you will be visiting on a weekend.
📌It is advisable to be at Florida Bus Terminal in Sampaloc before 3:00 PM so you can secure a ticket bound for Pagudpud. You may also buy your bus ticket in advance to avoid the hassle especially during long weekends and holidays.
📌The last trip of buses en route to Manila from Pagudpud usually leaves between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM.
📌You may also do a side trip to Calle Crisologo in Vigan, Ilocos Sur before going back to Manila.
📌You can hire a van if you are traveling with a group to save on time.
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
☎️ Contacts:
📌Van/Car Tour Operator: Kuya Jomar Villaluz (09159074537 / 09203183945)
📌Tricycle Driver/Tour Guide in Pagudpud, Bangui and Burgos: Kuya Vhong (09121138591)
Fast forward to a few more months of the same year, I went back to Ilocos Norte to finish visiting its other tourist spots. I have seen these attractions in 2013 but I want to revisit them and take new photos for this blog. 📍St. Augustine Church / Paoay ChurchMy father always wanted to see the windmills of Ilocos in person so together with my parents and my aunt and uncle, we left Florida Bus Terminal at 6:00 PM. Because it was a Friday, we got stuck in rush hour gridlock before the bus finally entered the expressway. 📍St. Augustine Church / Paoay ChurchWe reached Florida Bus Terminal in Laoag before 4:00 in the morning. I contacted our tour guide and we waited for him at a 24/7 Jollibee in the city. Aboard our van service, we were already on our way to Pagudpud before sunrise. Our first stop was the municipality of Burgos. 📍St. Augustine Church / Paoay ChurchWhen we reached the designated parking spot of our first destination, we transferred to a tricycle that took us to the top where this lighthouse is. 📍Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, BurgosWe climbed up and took a peek at some of the rooms here in Cape Bojeador. The windy overcast weather complemented the creepy aura in some of our photos. Upon our descent to the parking area, my mum and aunt bought shirts from the souvenir shops.We continued our way to Kapurpurawan and the wind farm of Burgos before heading to Bangui Windmills. But our misadventure in Kabigan Falls was unforgettable. I only took five shots or so since the bad weather ruined my mood. The trail was slippery because of the mud. It was sunny in Laoag but it was windy and drizzling in this part of Ilocos. My guide told me that Pagudpud and the municipalities of Cagayan connected to Ilocos Province by Patapat Bridge always get this kind of weather during the northeast monsoon. I joked around that I finally found the cursed towns of the Philippines where it’s always stormy and raining. I shouldn’t be wondering at all because back in February of that year, I just visited Apayao and passed by Pagudpud and the neighboring towns of Cagayan and boy was the weather so stormy. 📍Kabigan Falls, PagudpudWe stopped by Timmangtang Rock then headed here at Bantay Abot Cave.We rested for a bit while savoring the strong blows of the windy weather at Bantay Abot Cave. We then agreed to have our lunch at a restaurant serving seafoods facing Maira-ira Beach.After enjoying our delectable meals of lapu-lapu dishes, squid and Ilocano pinakbet, we decided to return to Laoag where we would spend the night. And since I was so full from pigging out, I fell asleep right away on our way back to the city. 📍Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel, Laoag CityWe went straight to Laoag Cathedral upon reaching the city. Just across the church is where you’ll also find the Sinking Bell Tower. 📍Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel, Laoag CityIt was early in the afternoon when we checked in at our hotel. Good thing it was just beside the public market so after we freshened up and rested for a while, we went out to buy bagnet, chichacorn and other pasalubong items. 📍Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel, Laoag CityBecause we had to be ready by 6:00 in the morning the next day, we had to eat our dinner and sleep early as well. We asked the staff at the hotel where we could have Ilocano dishes and they recommended Rafael’s Garlic and Grilled Chicken along J.P. Rizal Street. Luckily, it was just within walking distance from our accommodation. We tried out their bestseller garlic chicken as well as their dinengdeng and binagoongang pinakbet. Boy was I so full again before crashing into bed. 📍Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel, Laoag CityOur first stop the next day was this hotel known as Fort Ilocandia. I’ve been here in 2013 so its interior design especially its brick walls was not new to me. We were the only outsiders taking photos inside the resort during our visit.We left Fort Ilocandia and made our way to Paoay Sand Dunes. I wasn’t really prepared to go on a 4×4 adventure with this outfit of mine. I thought my companions wouldn’t avail of the sand dunes tour. Surprisingly, they wanted to try it out.My friends and I in 2013 got to experience this nerve-racking off-road activity and we also did sandboarding. Unfortunately this time, we weren’t able to feel the adrenaline rush of this adventure sport because of our outfits.We rested for a while before going here at one of my favorite churches in the country, St. Augustine Church or commonly referred to as Paoay Church.Way back in 2013, I was not able to see up close the buttresses that can be found on both sides of this church. I’ve always been looking forward to having photos taken at this part.Welcome to the most photographed church in all of Ilocos Norte! I may be not a fan of churches but the baroque architecture of old ones like Paoay Church built during the Spanish occupation in 1700s really piques my interest.A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Paoay Church is one of the most mainstream tourist attractions in Ilocos Region.Some might wonder why there seems to be no crowd in my photos being it popular among travelers. Actually, there were quite a number of people, but considering there was a mass, all of them were inside the church.We went in the church so my parents and relatives could see what it looks like inside. My guide then accompanied me to the buttresses on one side of the church.Not only does this church have a picturesque facade but its architectural design is definitely Instagrammable as shown by these buttresses.Since the restaurant serving pinakbet pizza across Paoay Church was not yet open, we instead had our first decent meal of Ilocos longganisa at the eatery beside it.We continued our way to our last stop for our Ilocos Norte trip. We skipped the municipality of Batac because the remains of the late President Marcos enclosed in a glass crypt in Marcos Mausoleum was already buried. Besides, I have already seen it five years ago. 📍Malacañang of the North, PaoayWe were fortunate that most of our photo sessions especially the day before didn’t have a lot of photobombers but this time, it seemed as if all of the tourists in Ilocos gathered here at Malacañang of the North. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by loads of vans and cars in the parking area.Overlooking Paoay Lake, this is a two-storey mansion which served as the residence of President Marcos and his family during his regime.After being sequestered by the Philippine government when President Marcos was ousted, the mansion was then retrieved by the provincial government of Ilocos Norte and was opened to the public after it was renovated.This place now serves as a presidential museum that exhibits the achievements of the late president which are showcased in its rooms.If you are an enthusiast of history, you will be interested in the themes representing the historical events and milestones of the Marcos Regime that can be seen inside this museum.But for someone who loves photography, the architectural designs here reminiscent of the Spanish era produce beautiful pictures exhibiting a unique archaic aura.Being able to capture solo photos proved to be a huge challenge because of the non-stop arrival of tourists. Back then, there were very few people during my first visit here in 2013. I eventually gave up and headed back to our parked vehicle.We returned to our hotel in Laoag to check out and pick up our stuff. Our tour guide brought us to Florida Bus Terminal and we bid goodbye to Ilocos Norte by lunch time.
***For other destinations in Ilocos Region, you may visit this link.
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