A Perfect 3 Days Sagada Itinerary

A Perfect 3 Days Sagada Itinerary

Have you tried visiting the Cordillera, Region of the Philippines? The northern Philippines has a lot to offer and today we’ll tell you more in our 3 days Sagada itinerary. We had amazing time hiking, spelunking and we already covered everything in our Sagada travel guide.

The Philippines is a diverse country and there’s more to it than just its beautiful, pristine beaches. This is one of the top reasons people visit Sagada, apart from the destinations inside the province itself.

Read here where to stay in Sagada

BOOK YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE

You can read Heymondo Vs Safetwing cheapest travel Insurance. You can get for $135 USD your Heymondo Travel Insurance with Heymondo discount code valid for 90 days. Read our full Heymondo Travel Insurance Review

You can get Safetywing Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads valid for 28 days Safetywing for $50 USD per month with kids until 10 years old included

HOW TO GO TO SAGADA

MANILA TO SAGADA

From Manila to Sagada buses are leaving from Cubao Bus Terminal with Coda Lines. There is a bus at 9 pm and it takes 12 hours to get to Sagada. The fare is around 750-850 PHP  you can book online. You can also go via Baguio from Manila and get a bus to Sagada.

Read here how to get from Manila to Sagada

BAGUIO TO SAGADA

If you want to get from Baguio to Sagada by bus. You should know that Baguio to Sagada travel time is 6-7 hours by bus. Even is only 150 kilometers distance and the bus stops 1-2 times it takes so long the journey. The bus to Sagada 220-235 PHP for 6-7 hours journey.

There are buses from 6 am to 1 pm with GL Trans and 3 am and 5 pm with Lizardo Trans.

Read here full information how to get from Baguio to Sagada.

CLARK TO SAGADA

There are buses leaving DAU during the day and even at night time. There are jeepneys going to DAU from Angles City. And if you are coming from the airport you will have to get Grab or a taxi.

Clark to Baguio travel time is 4-5 hours depending on the traffic especially when entering in Baguio. Clark to Baguio bus fare is 325 PHP. There are also P2P Bus Services from SM Clark to Baguio.

Once in Baguio you have to ride a bus to Sagada 220-235 PHP for 6-7 hours journey. Check above the part Baguio to Sagad to know prices and schedule of the buses.

BANAUE TO SAGADA

If you want to get from Banaue to Sagada. You will have to ride a bus to Bontoc. The travel time from Banaue to Bontoc is around 3 hours. The fare from Banaue to Bontoc is 150 PHP.

Once in Bontoc you will have to catch a jeepney as we mentioned above. It will take one hour and it will costs 50 PHP. Jeepneys are leaving every 30-40 minutes from 6 am to 5 pm from Bontoc to Sagada.

Read here full blog psot how to get from Banaue to Sagada.

BONTOC TO SAGADA

If you want to get from Bontoc to Sagada. There are jeepneys leaving every 30-40 minutes from Bontoc to Sagada. From 6 am to 5 pm there are jeepneys available. The travel time Bontoc to Sagada is around one hour. The jeepney fare from Bontoc to Sagada is 50 PHP.

SAGADA TRAVEL TIPS-THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE TRAVELING IN SAGADA

If you’re looking at seeing more of the Philippine culture and how the tribes lived before and see the life in lower level municipalities (like provinces), these are things you can expect in Sagada. It became popular in the last decade, especially after the release of the movie Tadhana and thru the help of social media.

Usually, it’s a destination you partner with traveling in Banaue and Bontoc, both places also located in the Mountain Province.  

ATMS IN SAGADA

We recommend you to bring cash to Sagada. Since cash is always the king in the Philippines and not many places accept cards. But there are a few ATMs in Sagada. You will find one in the Tourism Office. Check here the exchange rate before your trip.

INTERNET AND WIFI CONNECTION IN SAGADA

We got surprised the internet connection and Wifi was working great in Sagada much better than we expected. Sometimes was intermittent but in general was good. We could also fine 4G with Globe and Smart in most of the places.

Read here Philippines sim card for tourist and best Philippines eSim

TRANSPORTATION/ENTRANCE FEES AND TOURS IN SAGADA

For transportation around Sagada there aren’t tricycles to move around. From the town to the accommodation will be no more than one kilometer distance usually so you can go walking. If you want to get a jeepney to visit Bontoc where you will find almost everything that you need is 50 PHP one way.

First thing in Sagada you have to register in the Tourism Office 50 PHP. And you can get information of prices of transportation, guides and tours around Sagada.

For the tours transportation around the area goes between 400-700 PHP return for a group. If you go on a group can be cheap but if you go alone or with 2-3 people is little bit expensive for the short distances. Anyway most of the places are walking distance if you like trekking!

DAILY BUDGET TRAVEL IN SAGADA

For daily budget travel in food in Sagada. It will be little bit pricey comparing with other destinations in the Philippines. Local carinderias charge 120 PHP for a meal with rice. In most of the restaurants will go from 150-250 PHP. You can always go cheaper buying street food and barbecue around the town.

Also remember you will have to hire guides for the activities to do in your Sagada itinerary. Sometimes the activities will require transportation around 400-700 PHP for two ways for a group. Guides are usually around 600-800 PHP for a group of 10 people.

For accommodation prices start from 600-1500 PHP for a room. If you want more luxury starting from 2000-4000 PHP. Almost all the places have hot water and most of them they don’t allowed you to cook your own meals.

Book your accommodations in Sagada through Agoda or Booking.

SAGADA ITINERARY

DAY 1 SAGADA ITINERARY

For the first day in your itinerary in Sagada. We recommend you to visit the Hanging Coffins. You have to register first in the Tourism Office as we mentioned before. And hire guide to do the trekking to Echo Valley. It’s close to the town so you will be able to see the local market. If it’s weekend you will have to take time to visit the Saturday market since its great!

In the afternoon you can go for a walk and visit the hanging coffins outside the town is 30-40 minutes walk and you can combine that with spelunking Sumaguing Cave and Lumiang Burial Caves (you can’t skip if you don’t have enough time for this).

These activities can last 2 hours and you can go on your own walking but for sure you are required to hire a guide before entering the caves. Keep reading more about these details below.

On the way to Sumaguing Cave there is a popular restaurant Gaia Cafe where you can have lunch or dinner if you finish your activities late. Also the views are so impressive of the rice fields. We took a few shots with our drone of Kapay-aw Rice Terraces.

At the end of the day for dinner if you didnt visit Gaia Cafe. You can check other restaurants in town. Log Cabin Cafe and Masfarre Country Inn will be a great option.

TREK ECHO VALLEY

The most popular activity is Trek Echo Valley where you will be able to see the Hangling Coffins.The Echo Valley can take 40 minutes to 1 hour to have a close-up view of the coffins.

The guide will costs 300 PHP valid for 10 people and 10 PHP entrance fee to see the coffins.

You can get the Adventure Trail where you will see the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hangging Coffings, Latang River. You will enter the Underground River and ending at Bokong Waterfalls.

The guide will costs 800 PHP until 10 people and you will have to pay 10 PHP entrance fee each place that you visit.

HANGING COFFINS

The hanging coffins in Echo Valley is the top Sagada tourist spots. This is closely followed by the Sagada caves, the waterfalls and of course the rice terraces that line up the province. 

There are two places where you can see the Hanging Coffins in Sagada. The ones that you can see close and far distance. You can go walking distance from Sagada town around 30 minutes and it’s close to Sumaguing Cave.

LUMIANG BURIAL CAVES

Lumiang Burial Caves have more than 100 coffins that have been buried over 500 years. If you want to get to Lumiang Caves from Sagada town is 30 minutes walking distance.

Price for the guide is 500 PHP for 4 people. It can be visited with Sumaguing Cave in the Cave Connection. If you get transportation it will cost 400 PHP two ways.

KAPAY-AW RICE TERRACES

Kapay-aw Rice Terraces are very close to Sumaguing Cave just behing Gaia Restaurant. You will see a beautiful view of the rice fields. If you walk down from the road you will be able to get amazing views.

We didn’t go down but we flew our drone to get nice shots. It’s 30 minutes walking distance from Sagada town.

SPELUNKING AT SUMAGUING CAVE

Sumaguing Cave was our favorite activity in Sagada. It can take 2-3 hours depending how busy is the cave. You will need to get a guide before the entrance. They will guide you around with a torch and the experience is great going down and climbing back.

You will be able to see rock formations walking around water. We can advise you as travel tip for Sumaguing Cave to go early morning to avoid the crowd. It can be so busy during the afternoon and the waiting time is so long. The spelunking can take up to 4-5 hours.

The guide will costs 800 PHP for 10 people and the transportation to get there will cost 400 PHP two ways for 10 people. If you join a group you can go down with the expenses. Otherwise it will be more expensive but you will enjoy the tour guide for yourself.

For the activity we booked in advance with Discover Sagada and they planned everything great. A perfect time to visit Sumaguing Cave.

CAVE CONNECTION IN SAGADA

If you like adventure you will love the Cave connection. You will have to hire a guide and it will cost 1000 PHP for 2 people. For every person joining you have to add 500 PHP extra. The activity can last 3-4 hours and it requires to have good phissical condition. For the transportation it costs 400 PHP two ways.

GAIA CAFE AND CRAFTS

It’s located outside the town close to Sumaguing Cave. You will have to walk 30-40 minutes to get there from the town. The design is so beautiful from outside. And from Gaia restaurant you will have a beautiful views of the rice fields. We took nice pictures with the drone from this restaurant.

LOG CABIN CAFE 

We visited Log Cabin Cafe one of the most popular restaurants in Sagada. We tried burgers and sandwiches. During the weekends is popular the buffet at night for 400 PHP. One of the best places to eat in Sagada.

We tried burgers and coffee and it was great! It’s so cozy and we loved it the design.

MASFERRE COUNTRY INN

Apart from local food in Sagada. You can also find pasta and pizzas. Rachel loves pizza and we tried in Sagada. Apart from the pizza we order pancit and it was delicious. It’s one of the most popular restaurants in Sagada.

DAY 2 ITINERARY IN SAGADA

There are a few places that you can visit in your day 2 Sagada itinerary. You can wake up early to watch the sunrise. You can go to Mt Ampacao for hiking. Kiltepan Viewpoint or Marlboro Hills are other options for trekking.

It will take you a few hours this activity. And all the trekkings are required to hire a guide. As always all the information in the Tourism Office. Or you can also hire tours with a company in Sagada and they will plan and organize for you these activities.

If it’s not rainy season you can even go for camping. It will be cold so you make sure that you are ready for this!

At night you can try local restaurants around the area like Yoghurt House where you will find local options and Western options for dinner. Yoghurt is a popular dessert to try in Sagada too.

Also you can go and try desserts since Lemon Pie is so popular in Sagada. You can go to Lemon Pie House but almost all the restaurants offer this dessert. If you like wine we will recommend you below a winery in town to have a drink in Sagada.

HIKING MT AMPACAO

Mt Ampacao is the highest peak in Sagada almost 2000 meters. It will take more 2-3 hours to hike and go back to the town passing by to Lake Danum. You will see the views of Sagada. It’s popular to hike and camping.

A guide for 10 people costs 800 PHP and the transportation 2 ways to start the hike costs 650 PHP.

KILTEPAN VIEWPOINT

Kiltepan Viewpoint is a popular trekking in Sagada for the sunrise. It’s also popular for camping. The transportation fee is 500 PHP two ways. And right now is closed. We will update if it’s opening soon.

BLUE SOIL AND MARLBORO HILLS

Marlboro Hills became the most popular Sagada tourist spots for the sunrise. You can do both at the same time. The fees for the guide is 1600 PHP until 5 people. If you do only Marlboro Hill is 600 PHP for 10 people the guide.

The trekking is around 2 hours and the transportation fee for two ways is 650 PHP for Marlboro Hills and 1300 PHP two ways if you add Blue Soil.

YOGHURT HOUSE

Yoghurt House is a must to try in Sagada. It’s popular because of the homemade yoghurt with strawberry. There are two floors and in the second one you can enjoy a coffee with a view. Apart from the yoghurt they serve Filipino dishes and Western food. It’s busy almost all the time.

LEMON PIE HOUSE

Lemon Pie House is one of the most popular restaurants in Sagada. It’s a must to try their Lemon Pie. It’s a two store restaurant located at the end of the town. Apart from the desserts they also serve regular dishes.

SAGADA WINE BAR

There is a very cheap wine refilling station in Sagada and if you’re into tasting wine, we’ve tastes some of the delicious sweets wines here made from grapes and wild berries. 

A friendly lady will explain you more about the wines and you can buy them too! It’s not a place where to eat in Sagada but for sure you have to try their wines.

DAY 3 SAGADA ITINERARY

For the day 3 in your itinerary in Sagada. You can go for a hike or visiting waterfalls. Pongas Falls trekking can take until 3 hours including the transportation. You can combine with Bomod-ok Falls and Lake Danum if you have time.

Also you can combine walking around the town with activities like visiting the Pottery House and the weaving where you can learn about the ceramic. and weaving process.

These activities are great to check. Since they make Sagada a special town. Also if you are interesting to buy souvenirs and pasalubong. They are the perfect place!

PONGAS FALLS

Pongas Falls is a beautiful hike around one hour to reach the waterfalls around local village and rice terraces. There are two waterfalls and it can be until 4 waterfalls in rainy season.

You will have to hire a guide 600 PHP for 10 people. There is an entrance fee of 10 PHP before entering the village.

For this tour we booked with Discover Sagada and we loved that we didn’t find anyone else around the area. Pongas waterfalls is great and it will become so popular soon.

BOMOD-OK FALLS

To visit Bomod-ok Falls is a long walk of 3 hours back and forth. It’s one of the most popular waterfalls in Sagada.

You will have to hire a guide 500 PHP until 7 people and there is an entrance fee of 10 PHP in the Barangay. For the transportation there is a fee of 650 PHP two ways.

LAKE DANUM

Lake Danum is 5 kilometers far from Sagada town. It’s one of the Sagada tourist spots popular for the sunset. The transportation fee two ways to the lake is 550 PHP good enough for 10 people.

POTTERY HOUSE

The Pottery House and the weaving make Sagada a traditional town. They are a few minutes walking distance from the town. It’s a perfect place to buy a souvenir or pasalubong.

SAGADA WEAVING

Sagada weaving like visiting the Pottery are the traditional Sagada tourist spots. These places are perfect to buy souvenirs or pasalubong. It’s always interesting to listen and learn how they make it.

MORE DAYS SAGADA ITINERARY

If you decide to stay more than 3 days in your itinerary in Sagada. You will have many plans to do. Since there are many hikes, waterfalls and caves to visit. You can visit Balangagan and Cave Bokong Falls.

If you like hiking you can visit Aguid Rice Terraces. You can go for a day trip in Bontoc and visiting beautiful places like Maligcong Rice Terraces. It can be done in the same day if you wake up early you will be on time to get the jeepney back to Sagada town.

In the town you can visit St Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church and Ganduyan Museum. If you are visiting in the weekend you can’t miss the Saturday Market in Sagada.

You can extend your trip in Sagada more days and after this you can visit Banaue, Bontoc or even going to Baguio.

BALANGAGAN CAVE

Balangagan Cave is 30 minutes drive. It will take 1 hour and a half to 2 hours to explore inside the cave. The guide will costs 650 PHP until 4 people. The transportation will cost 650 PHP for maximum 10 people.

ST MARY THE VIRGIN EPISCOPAL CHURCH

St Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church is one of the historical Sagada tourist spots. The church was built during the American era. You will pass by in the Trek to Echo Valley before the hanging cooffins. It’s only 5 minutes walking distance from the town.

GANDUYAN MUSEUM

Ganduyan Museum is the perfect place to know about the history in Sagada. It’s one of the free Sagada tourist spots. You can’t take pictures inside and they accept donations.

ROCK CLIMBING AND RAPPELLING

It’s around 30 meters high the activity. You will have to hire a guide or a tour agency to prepare everything for you. The fees one person are 800 PHP and 400 PHP for every person extra joining. You can spend a few hours.

BOKONG FALLS

The waterfalls are very close to Sagada town you can access by walk. You will have to hire a guide 300 PHP until 10 people. The transportation fee is 250 PHP for 2 ways.

AGUID RICE TERRACES

Aguid Rice Terraces is closed to Bomod-ok Falls. You cant miss it especially if you are visiting around this area. It’s always a special place for taking pictures.

SAGADA’S SATURDAY MARKET

If you are staying in Sagada for the weekend. We recommend you to pass by early morning for the Saturday market. You will find street food, souvenirs, pasalubongs, clothes, vegetables and fruits. It’s in Sagada town and you can combine with other activities close to the town.

WHERE TO STAY IN SAGADA: HOTELS IN SAGADA

SHAMROCK TAVERN EXTENSION

Our choice was Shamrock Tavern Extension is a very humble place yet clean. It is a simple accommodation with the necessities. Shamrock Tavern is homey because of its simplicity. The staff is also very pleasing and friendly, they know how to make their guests happy.

A Basic Triple Room costs $32 USD per night, $71 USD for Standard Double Room, and $71 USD for a family room with a mountain view.

Shamrock Tavern Extension is located at South Road, Shamrock Tavern Extension Building, Makingking, Barangay Demang, Sagada Mountain Province, 2619 Sagada, Philippines.

Click here now to book with discounts!

AGAPE LOG CABIN AND RESTAURANT

A standard double room with a shared bathroom costs about $21 USD per night, and  $14 USD for bed in a 10-bed mixed dormitory room.

Agape Log Cabin and Restaurant is located at South Road, Dagdag, 2619 Sagada, Philippines.

Click here now to book with discounts!

ISABELO’S INN AND CAFE

Isabelo’s Inn and Cafe is conveniently located and is close to public markets, pharmacies, and restaurants. It has a perfect location when travelling to Sagada.

Also, it is close to Sumaguing Cave which is about 2 km far only. They also offer excellent breakfast. The staff are very friendly and accommodating to everybody. Great value for your money indeed.

A twin shared bathroom costs $14 USD per night, $14 USD for double economy shared bathroom, and $15 USD for a twin room, $20 USD per night for Standard Double Room with Private Bathroom.

Isabelo’s Inn and Cafe is located at Poblacion, Sagada Mountain Province, Sagada, Sagada, Philippines, 2619.

Click here now to book with discounts!

ALICIA’S HOMESTAY

Probably the cheapest option here for groups is Alicia’s Homestay. It’s far from other options but it gives the most return. The whole house has 1 double bed & 1 single bed & 1 single bed & 1 single bed and 1 double bed & 1 single bed. There are also trekking experiences nearby.

A night costs about $10 USD.

Alicia’s Homestay is located at Bontoc, Bontoc, Philippines.

Click here now to book with discounts!

SAGADA FOOD TO TRY AND SAGADA RESTAURANTS

Always a good point of travel, especially for the foodies. Locals love to do food trips too. The more good food a place has, the more tourists it can attract.

We love seeing how big the lemons are (plus how cheap they are) in this part of the Philippines. A little heads up – although Sagada is a 5th municipality (big cities like Manila are the 1st types), food can be expensive here.

Here are the food to try and some of the best restaurants we’ve discovered in Sagada: 

ETAG 

A Sagada speciality, this for of pork meat preservation has been passed down thru Sagada’s old generations. 

Etag is the process of preserving meat through treating with salt, drying with sun, or smoking. Color of the meat is dark brown, with some white yellow parts for the fat color. 

The taste can differ slightly depending on what form of preservation is used. And etag can be used as an additional ingredient to other dishes, like the very popular chicken dish, Pinikpikan. 

PINIKPIKAN 

Pinikpikan, another one of Sagada (or the whole Cordillera’s) main dish that has been passed down thru generations. It is quite controversial, although there is a lot to learn from a culture thru its food. is chicken cooked with coagulated blood.

It is one of the most controversial food in Sagada, because of the ritual-based way of cooking the chicken which is followed until now. 

In short, to make the chicken tastier, it’s been beaten so that not a lot of blood is spoiled during the cutting process. This is one of the special dishes in Sagada, in addition to Etag, which are considered almost endangered. 

LEMON PIE 

Because of the weather in Sagada, lemons are easy to course which makes for a perfect reason to have Lemon Pie. These can be bought for less than a dollar per piece in local markets and local shops and as fast as we’ve tasted, they are very good. 

If you’re into visiting restaurants to taste the delicacy, Lemon Pie House is the easiest place to taste lemon. Although we’ve heard a few stories that because of the high demand of lemon pies, that they started using concentrates, instead of pure lemon, but that remains to be tested by the people who actually visit there.

As far as experience goes, we’ve tasted the ones in the local markets and you can really taste the zing of the lemon – yum! 

YOGHURT 

Another food to taste when in Sagada is their yoghurt, which are home made here. They sell it with different flavors and some specialty shops sell it with fruits. We’ve tasted with Pandan and Cookies and cream. 

BANAS COFFEE 

A multi-awarded restaurant for their coffee, Banas is one of the best place to try coffee which also sell their own lemon pies and coffee bans. You can try the uqie Civet coffee in their shop too. 

Civert coffee ha partially digested coffee beans gathered from the feces of the civet. This coffee h very unique taste. 

WINE 

There is a very cheap wine refilling station in Sagada and if you’re into tasting wine, we’ve tastes some of the delicious sweets wines here made from grapes and wild berries. A friendly lady will explain you more about the wines and you can buy them too!

RED CABBAGES

It’s not usual to find red cabbage in the Philippines. But in Sagada you will find a lot of them especially in the Saturday market.

BINATOG 

This is a corn desert, steamed and flavored with milk and freshly grated coconut. It also comes with butter and salt and is served for deserts in the afternoon and can be found in the market in Sagada.

Which one of this list of this Sagada itinerary do you like the best? Share with us your thoughts about our itinerary in Sagada in the comments below.

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Happy travels!