Bontoc Transportation

Cable Tours schedule:

Departure from Manila: 8:00PM
Departure from Bontoc: 3:00PM
Bus fare: P500/pax
For manila reservations please contact Mr. Jun Cue at mobile number 09298194688 or land line number 774-1290.

If you wish to visit the beautiful Banaue Rice Terraces and try spelunking on the caves of Sagada, better take the CABLE TOURS Bus going to Bontoc via Banaue-Solano Road. The bus leaves at 3pm from Bontoc and arrives at Manila at 3am. For the Manila trip, the bus leaves at Manila at around 8:30 in the evening and arrives Bontoc at 8:30 in the morning the next day. Cable Tours is located #269 E. Rodriguez Sr. Quezon City. Infront of Trinity Universtiy of Asia formerly Trinity College and Shakeys Pizza. Besides Metrobank and Garcia's Supermarket. Near St. Lukes Hospital. Aside from the everyday trip of the bus, the bus also caters for educational field trips or on any occassion that requires renting a bus. For Manila reservation pls contact Mr. Jun Cue at cel.no. 09298194688 or landline no. (074) 774 1290. For Bontoc Reservation pls contact Mrs. Catalina Cue at cel. no. 09185216790 or any of the following mobile numbers: 09295011871, 092986267293, 09067619676 and 09202153445. Or e-mail us at cabletours@yahoo.com for more inquiries.

From Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, you can take the Kasilen Transport if you're planning to go straight to Bontoc or other parts of Mt. Province. The bus terminal in Manila is located across from the Trinity University of Asia (formerly Trinity College). The bus leaves nightly at 9pm. The fare (as of 01/01/08) is 500 pesos. It is an 11-hour trip via Banaue, Ifugao. You may also stay overnight at Banaue if you wish to view the famed Banaue Rice Terraces. However, if you want to cover Baguio City before heading to Bontoc, you can take the bus to Baguio. You may take Victory Liner, Dagupan Bus Liner, Dangwa Bus, or Philippine Rabbit buses. The fare varies depending on your desired bus company. Buses leave hourly to Baguio. From Baguio City, you can ride buses to Bontoc such as the Rising Sun or GL Tans. Trips are scheduled every hour from 5am to 3pm daily.

D' Rising Sun runs regular trips to Bontoc from Baguio and vice versa. Their station is located in the area of Slaughter House in Baguio en route to La Trinidad, Benguet. Their trips start early in the morning and lasts till after lunch (1:00 p.m.). It takes 6 hours travel to get to Bontoc from Baguio about the same length of time it takes to travel to Sagada. :)

The fare is P220, i think, give or take a few pesos. We reserved our tickets thru the nephew of my friend so we got student fare which is P175!

Manila-Baguio-Bontoc is one route you can take if you plan to visit Bontoc. Dagupan Bus Line is a cheaper alternative than the other bus lines. Since it is less popular than the other companies there is shorter queue even during peak travel season. The fare is cheaper too as it only costs P325.00 inclusive of insurance each way. The bus station is located near the Victory Liner station along EDSA in Cubao.

Dagupan Bus Lines
Location: New York Street, Cubao, Quezon City, Manila

2 more images

The bus journey from Bontoc to Banaue is about 2hours. When we arrived at Bontoc, we took the Von Von liner which was parked at the "station" along the main road, opposite side of the road where the jeepney from Sagada to Bontoc stopped. Do not know if any other bus companies ply the Bontoc-Banaue route. As we were not particular of the bus liner and we were in a hurry to get to Banaue, we just boarded the Von Von liner which was about to leave for Banaue. The seats were almost full and lots of luggages were already on board. We paid 100pesos each for fare. The bus was really old and the seats were real bad, so were the tyres!, but the driver and the attendants were friendly and helpful.

Note: earliest bus to Banaue is at 6.00am and the last bus is at 2p.m. (Frequency is hourly)

See more pictures on conditions of the bus..

Also see travelogue on Road Trip : Bontoc to Banaue Part 1 and Part 2

From Sagada, if you wish to go to Banaue, you somehow have to go to Bontoc to catch the bus to Banaue as there is no direct bus from Sagada to Banaue. You can catch a jeepney at Sagada bus stop, near to the market area. There are a number of jeepneys stationed there. The earliest jeepney from Sagada to Bontoc is at 6.00am and the last bus is at 12noon sharp. Frequency is either half hourly or hourly. Fare is 35pesos and the journey is about 40mins.

Notes:
1) Be punctual when boarding the jeepney. They follow the time of the church bell and not the time on your watch (think the time is about 10mins earlier). Sometimes the jeepney will leave before designated time if it is full.
2) If you are catching the bus to Banaue at Bontoc, you need to note that the last bus to Banaue is at 2pm. (earliest at 6.00am, frequency : hourly, fare : 100pesos)

To get to and from the other small towns and villages in the area you can ride a Jeepney. To be sure you pay the right price watch how much the locals give the driver to get to your destination. Or better yet learn a little of the local language. There are different spots around town where each destination leaves from. So if your going to Sagada you can't wait at the the Mainit jeepney stop as you won't be getting in the correct jeepney. Be sure to ask a couple different people to make sure your at the right place. On these inter-town/village jeepneys it will be very common to have the local farm animals sitting next to you!! So if you don't like goats you might not like these kinds of rides!!