This is Part 2 of my Things to Do in Sagada series, you can check out what else to do in Sagada here. The short trek we did was our warm up before our spelunking adventure then the last two were good "oooh" moments that were perfect for our resting phase haha. Enjoy this sneak preview of Mt. Province! ;) Just a bit of info - Sagada in Mt. Province is a 5th class municipality and has a population of around 12500. Our guide said there was a tourism boom in the 1980s in Sagada. Caves, hanging coffins and burial caves became popular to foreigners first before locals =)
Suggested Activity #5 - Sagada Sunrise, Saturday Market and Sagada Wagwag
Okay I woke up a bit late because the sunrise trip didn't push through haha. There was one in the group who walked back to the town center and bought a mini Sagada Mais (sticky white corn) for around P5 and mountain tea for around P15! I was super inggit!!! Hahaha. So these are 2 activities I missed for next time! They say that the Sagada sunrise and sea of clouds are awesome!! The Saturday market happens every week until 12 p.m. and there's also what they call Wagwag (local for Ukay-ukay).
Guess what my dad told me when I went home??? "You should have bought a very cheap pack of Sagada Mountain Tea! It's so good." Haist..
Guess what my dad told me when I went home??? "You should have bought a very cheap pack of Sagada Mountain Tea! It's so good." Haist..
Suggested Activity #6 - Sugong Hanging Coffins
If we had walked a little farther the night before, we'll get to the Sugong Hanging Coffins viewing site.
Can you see it? This is an ancient burial practice of the local tribe people here. There are many more hanging coffin sites in Sagada. If you zoom in, there is more than one coffin up there (around 5-6).
Our guide said these coffins had been hanging here for 80 to 100 years. The Igorots bury their dead (who died of natural causes) with nature and to keep their spirits free. They used "baging" (vines) to climb up and carry the small empty box first then place the corpse in a fetal-position. You can perhaps learn more about Sagada's hanging coffins here in this post.
Suggested Activity #7 - Look for fresh Sagada Blueberries in Summer (around March they said)
Suggested Activity #8 - Trek to Lumiang Cave, Morning Warm Up!
There's a clear-cut trail and it's not a hard trek.
We got to the cave from the entrance in around 10 minutes.
There must be a hundred of piled coffins there..
For some - you can't even imagine how they put it up there..
Some coffins already fell into this dark pit.. This is also the entrance to the Sagada Cave Connection trail (Sumaguing Cave for beginners, this one for intermediate and more advanced).
Some went down to get a closer look.
I just stayed near the entrance and stopped taking pictures..
I just stayed near the entrance and stopped taking pictures..
It was a relief to head back
and think about the upcoming challenge.. I have never done caving as "spelunking" before. I mean caving was never a physical thing for me. I've been to caves with super set trails and neon lights for show. Easy-peasy. But the mere mention of spelunking scares me (sounds complicated and skills required). I've read around just now and came to a reasonable difference between "caving" and "spelunking" haha. Spelunking is for unskilled people who go into caves while caving is for regular cave-goers and explorers. Am I right? ;)
Anyway, near the highway next to the entrance to the Lumiang cave trek was another burial cave. This one is for mothers who died giving birth. It's interesting to see quite a lot of them and to know that they considered them dirty so they have separate graves..
Suggested Activity #9 - Sumaguing Cave Adventure
I'll wrote another post about this - inside the Sumaguing Cave and what we had to go through as well as what to bring (what I found effective) when I went spelunking in Sagada =)
Suggested Activity #10 - Visit Siegrid and other Ceramic Artists at the Sagada Pottery Training Center
Siegrid Bangyay
Danunoy, Sagada
+63919-6719875
sbangyay@yahoo.com
We had a van driving us around the whole day but I believe you can walk here from the Sagada Homestay. You'd think it's a simple looking hut.
But when you look inside, there's lots of pottery inside ;)
There was a brownout / blackout in the whole Sagada town when we went there so ceramic artist Siegrid Bangyay showed us how to make Sagada pottery - the traditional and manual way using a wheel! Serious foot-spinning and pottery skills, this lady!
They also sell their ceramic pieces. Some cups are worth at least P300 to P400.
Suggested Activity #11 - Experience the Mystic Lake Danum (also known as Lake Banao in Besao) and Sagada Sunset!
Besao, Mt. Province
Danum Lake is located at the boundary of Besao and Sagada. I heard you can also walk for a few minutes from Sagada Homestay to get here haha. Walking Sagada indeed! ;)
They say you can catch the best Sagada sunset and have a picnic here. When we went, there was this thick mist (which was also great hehe)! Very mysterious haha.
Suggested Activity #12 - Check Out a Sagada Map for more Activities and Ask Locals for Directions ;)
If I'd go to Sagada again, maybe I'll go end of March and starting on a Friday haha.
If I'd go to Sagada again, maybe I'll go end of March and starting on a Friday haha.
Hope you liked this post! Tell me below if you did any of this ;)
Check our my Sagada series:
Eat, Walk and Trek in Mt. Province - Things to Do in Sagada Part 1 and My Mojo Slippers - Sagada Weaving, Pine Trees, Food Trip, Lemon Pie, Yoghurt, Souvenirs and Many More!
Things to Do in Sagada Part 2 - Sunrise, Market, Hanging Coffins, Trek to Lumiang, Sumaguing, Sagada Pottery Training Center, Lake Danum, Sunset!
Things to Bring for Sagada Spelunking and What It is Like Inside the Sumaguing Cave Beginner's Trail!
Things to Do in Sagada Part 2 - Sunrise, Market, Hanging Coffins, Trek to Lumiang, Sumaguing, Sagada Pottery Training Center, Lake Danum, Sunset!
Things to Bring for Sagada Spelunking and What It is Like Inside the Sumaguing Cave Beginner's Trail!
