Things to Bring for Sagada Spelunking and What It is Like Inside the Sumaguing Cave Beginner's Trail!

It was my first time to do spelunking in Sagada and my first impulse was to bring everything that I might need in the trip. Good thing I thought of ways to protect my body, arms, legs and feet! Haha. You'll find that most of the shots here are from somebody else in our group. This is because I know a camera on my neck will only weigh me down. I knew I must focus my energy on caving (for the first time haha) and one small slip or mistake might lead to something serious. I also know that my camera can't handle super dark places and my hands are shaky especially after a workout. I might also bump it on a rock with icky bat poop or it might fall in the water. Plus, I don't have the skill yet and time to play with the manual setting like the professionals with me ;) Lastly, I just wanted to have fun and not thinking about it too much coz I had no clue on the details of the trail and the cave haha. The end result of thinking that ahead and knowing your limits was great!  It was one of my most memorable trips ever and it was just AMAZING inside. I got so close to the formations and even hang on some for my life haha. Just look at my pic below. I was psyching myself before I strategically climbed down a humongous wall of limestone hehehehe.

Some Images from Kuya Boyd of ATI

Things to Do in Sagada Part 2 - Sunrise, Market, Hanging Coffins, Trek to Lumiang, Sumaguing, Sagada Pottery Training Center, Lake Danum, Sunset!

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 =)

Eat, Walk and Trek in Mt. Province - Things to Do in Sagada Part I and My Mojo Slippers

It's my second time in Sagada actually but I consider this the first because we only a had a few hours here to walk the last time before heading to Baguio. After our pinikpikan lunch and organic Sagada coffee farm tour with Mr. Osenio Lay-os in the afternoon, these are the little things we did until the next morning before our super spelunking at Sumaguing Cave haha. It made such a difference in my first Sagada impression that there's nothing there. Thinking about this experience again actually makes me want to go back and do these activities slowly in around 3 or 4 days haha. I'll probably also stay in Sagada Home Stay again.

Also got to walk around Sagada with my Mojo Slippers. You can squeeze this itinerary in an afternoon and a morning though if you're only in Sagada for the weekend =) Of course, everything is a lot easier if you have a car for some areas. This is a list of suggested activities to do in Sagada - some of which I missed and you will beat me to it haha.

Sagada Homestay Review - If You're Looking for a Cheap Place to Stay in Sagada, Mt. Province! Also Packaged Sagada Tour from Manila!

If you're looking for a place to stay in Sagada and you're in a budget, you can stay at Sagada Home Stay. This used to be a homestay place but they've expanded the place and the name was no longer changed so that travelers can find it again when they come back. The owner Ms. Karen Fiar-od is still there to attend to your needs but you eat at the diner and you get accommodations that are good for big groups and for transient stays.

 

On the Way to Sagada from Benguet to Mt. Province, Awesome Rice Terraces Views, Bontoc Museum Sidetrip, Optional Tours and the Teng-Ab Retreat House

I'm really falling in love with my Panasonic Lumix GF1 - after 3 years haha. I find myself shooting more pictures and I want to show as much of my trip as possible to you. Because sometimes, there are no words good enough to describe what I see (esp. when we talk about Mother Nature). We were on our way to Sagada, Mt. Province from La Trinidad, Benguet when we saw a sea of clouds, like that of Pulag, rice / veggie terraces and made a brief stop at the Bontoc Museum to check out a little bit about the tribes and their way of life before in the Cordilleras =)

Organic Coffee Farm Tour with Mr. Osenio Lay-os in Sagada

When I think of Sagada before, I see me hanging for my life "spelunking" in Sumaguing Cave haha. Today, thanks to this OA (organic agri) experience with the ATI-CAR of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, I think of cold days sipping-all-you-can organic coffee and fun times walking or caving. We were given the chance to go to the organic highlands coffee farm of Mr. Osenio Lay-os - another Magsasakang Siyentista (farmer scientist, a recognition for outstanding Filipino farmers who shared successful application of science and technology based on indigenous technologies in their municipalities) awardee (2011).