Sagada Things to Do

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I came here with the company of one Filipino guest and one Japanese guest. Before my visit to this place, I thought Echo Valley was all about coffins dangling by the mountainside. With the help of a volunteer guide we came across the area, a trek deeper down the valley proved there's more to it than just that. He led us to the trail leading to the site of the hair-raising human bones scattered on the ground and coffins inserted on stone holes. This tribal custom, which no one knows exactly how it started, still exists up to this modern day times. After all, this is the unique practice that makes Sagada a unique and distinct destination. See my travelogue for more pictures.

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This cave is home to the Undergound River. We got inside this cave, just a few distance from the entrance. From there you can hear the gushing sound of the river and its cool inside. Other cave to see nearby is the Matangkib cave.

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In my April 2012 visit, I was greeted with the story of a group of certain volunteer environmental organization being saddened by the unjust interference of dirty politics into their organization. And to add to that, the members are devastated to find out that their noble contributions to the environment and the community as well, is not given the due value and respect by the authorities. Their rules/standards that have been in practice for more than a decade now for the safety of the visitors are being taken for granted. By the way, the visitor’s registration fee has been increased from Php25.00 to Php35.00 now.

During peak season, particularly, the period of Holy Week where thousands of visitors flock to this place, there is overcrowding inside the caves, thus making the adventure less enjoyable. No more leisure walks in a street leading to the caves due to the suffocating smoke from all types of vehicle that they allow to pass thru… damned traffic jam!

People are praying that Sagada will never be another disastrous Baguio City. And people are hoping that such ungrateful attitudes would not lead to the environmental deterioration of this lovely place we fondly call Shang-rila.

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The first time I came to Sagada, this activity was actually not in my itinerary because I traveled alone then and so I was afraid. I didn't know before that joining a group was the alternative. And so when I was informed of this, I did. The group I joined in was heaven-sent. I was not a VT member yet at that time, and I didn't know that one of our tour guides was a member (waan04). I only found this out when I returned to Manila, that was, when I went back browsing VT again and decided to sign up already so I could share my experiences.

My second visit to this cave seemed less challenging already, but the excitement felt just like the first time I did. I mean, who would get tired seeing those amazing limestone formations and the adventure itself. If given the chance, I'd love to do this activity again.

Exploring and conquering Sumaging Cave will make your stay in Sagada complete. This is the ultimate experience you'll get in this tiny town.

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Travellers should have a brave and adventoruos spirit for them to visit this cave. There are many wooden coffins, old and a few newer ones, that are stacked up at the large entrance. The coffins are made and carved out of pine tree trunk. It gave me the impression that this is a unique way of burying the dead, and strange. See my travelogue for more pictures.

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I have recently discovered that there is more than just stacks of coffins at Lumiang Cave. Speaking of spelunking, this cave is far more challenging than Sumaging cave. This is the Cave connection – where one enters Lumiang cave and exits at the mouth of Sumaging cave.

Inside Lumiang cave, I remember going down, down and down the cave passing thru a lot of small stone holes. Also, crawling sideways off the rock wall was the most challenging for me. I almost wanted to back-out for fear of falling off the ravine, but the support of my tour mates kept me going. Listen carefully to the guides instructions to avoid accidents.

And when you reach Sumaging cave, reward yourself with the amazing limestone formations. This activity runs up to a maximum of four hours. So plan your schedule, eat well before going in and don’t forget to bring chocos and water for power up. Please see more pics in my travelogues.

Fee for Cave connection is P400/head.
The guides' contact numbers:
Edison: +63919-8992283
Artems: +63926-6073881

We took a stroll down the hill until we reached the Village Bistro where you could go down a steep path towards the cave. We found the coffins a little difficult to spot, because perhaps we went too far down the path. Interesting rock formations but not so interested in seeing more coffins.

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Just before the hospital there is a path that leads to st. Mary's Church and then you can continue on the path and it will lead to rocky Valley Inn which is back on the main road. Good views along the path (30 min easy walk).

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The municipal hall has a travel desk where you can arrange the trip that you want. Considering the age of our group and being there the first time, the trip where we go through the Sagada cave was suggested for us. We were given 2 guides and the package cost P400 per person. Bringing a large backpack is not advisable since it could just get into the way. At the mouth of the cave, you can see the hanging coffins, and so begins our journey. It's a 2hour trek of going through narrow boulders, climbing rocks, rapelling down, crawling with your butts, stretching arms as far as you would. In short, it was a total workout. The best footwear, I think would be Crocs. Flip flops would do but it twists off your feet when the trail gets slippery. One of the foreigners who joined us was wearing hiking shoes, but she didn't seem to have a hard time with it. But there are wet areas which we had to go through, so she keeps on taking them off and putting them on afterwards. If you have a medical condition and claustrophobic, don't take the package where you go through the entire cave. They have arranged trip where you only enter the part where there are bats and certain rock formation. This option is a short trek inside, and you don't have to go through the somehow treacherous route. It must have been really cold inside the cave because we could see mist coming from our mouth when we huffed and puffed, yet we were all perspiring. Oh, that's another tip. No need to bring jackets or sweaters. When we get out, there's a small store waiting for the hungry hikers. They also have a wash area, but you have to pay for its use.