How to Get There

Manila – Banaue – Sagada

1. The Autobus Liner has daily trips from Manila to Banaue. A bus leaves at 10pm, but during peak season as many as three buses are available. A ticket regularly costs Php462 and much lower during off-peak seasons.

AUTOBUS
1455 Loyola St. corner F. Cayco St., Sampaloc, Manila.
Contact nos.: 4934111 / 0921-2685526

2. The trip from Manila to Banaue lasts 9 hours with 3 or 4 restroom stops along the way. Don’t expect luxury from these restrooms. These are all public toilets and are poorly maintained.

You should take advantage of these stops, though, even to just stretch your legs.

3. There’s really nothing else you can do during the long trip but to sleep. Because you’re on the road at night, you won’t be seeing much view outside your bus’s window. So just recline your seat, pull up your blanket and dream away.

4. You will arrive in Banaue at around 7am. If you’re planning to return to Manila through Banaue, reserve a return ticket as soon as you got off the bus.

5. Jeepneys (and one time, a bus) are waiting right in the bus terminal for people going to Sagada. It will cost you Php250. Be warned though, that the drivers would only agree to take you to Sagada if he gets at least four passengers. Any less than that and he would ask that you hire him and his jeepney instead. If that would be the case, get ready to pay P1,500 at least.

6. If you leave the bus terminal at 8pm, expect that you’ll be arriving in Sagada at noon. The trip lasts that long only because the jeepney driver will take you to a restaurant where you can have breakfast and then to the view point where you can see the grandeur of the Banaue Rice Terraces.

Take note. You will find at the view point a group of old Ifugao people dressed in bright native costumes. If you want to have your picture taken with them, ask first before you shoot then give them a small amount. Php20 to Php50 should be enough.

7. Later you’ll be passing through the city of Bontoc, the capital of Mountain Province. From here it will be another 1 to 1 1/2-hour drive to Sagada.

Just wait for the air to get cold and you’ll know that you’ve finally reached your destination.

Additional note:

If you happen to have missed the jeepneys at the Autobus terminal in Banaue, again, you can hire a jeepney or van or you can go to the market and take the jeepney there to Bontoc. Keep in mind that there’s only one trip in the morning and the jeepney leaves before 9am.

In case you miss the ride, you can also wait for the bus going to Bontoc. It arrives at 11am. Just ask someone where is the best place to wait for it. From Bontoc there’s a jeepney that leaves for Sagada every hour.

And that’s all I have to say. I wish you a happy and safe trip. Sagada may sound a very far place, but I’m telling you (as others have claimed also) that it’s all worth the long trip.