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Sagada is a beautiful mountain province situated in northern Luzon, Philippines. It almost feels like a small ski resort, with several chalets and lots of cosy cafés surrounded by mountain views. From visiting the famous hanging coffins, witnessing the sea of clouds from the Marlboro Hills and trying out “spelunking” (yup, that’s a real thing) there is so much to see and do in Sagada.
How long do I need in Sagada?
Sagada is a small town with one main road lined with cafes and restaurants. There are essentially 3 tours that you should do in Sagada, which can be done in 2-3 days.
- Day 1: Malboro Hills Sunrise Tour, Hanging Coffins
- Day 2: Cave connection tour “spelunking” (3-5 hours)
Where to stay in Sagada
Centrally located, this homestay offers private bedrooms with a spacious kitchen/dining area. The bedrooms were very comfortable and had beautiful mountain views. We paid £13 for one night here.
We also stayed at Hidden Hill Homestay for just £10 a night, including a private bedroom and balcony with mountain views. The homestay is a little further out of town but there are still restaurants and cafés nearby. There was also a shared kitchen.
Booking tours in Sagada
Once you arrive in Sagada, you have to check in to the tourist office and pay a 100 pesos environmental fee. They will give you a list of approved tour companies in town where you can book all your tours. Everything in Sagada requires a tour guide, but they are reasonably priced and worth it. We booked all our tours with SAGGAS and our tour guide was brilliant. Below is their tours and prices list for both private and group tours.
Best things to do in Sagada
Marlboro Hills sunrise tour with blue soil
One of the most popular things to do in Sagada is a Malboro Hills sunrise tour. Our guided picked us up from our homestay at 4:30am and we were driven a few minutes to the start of the trail. The trail took around 1 hour to complete and was a gentle climb through the forest. At the top, we were greeted with a spectacular sunrise and a rolling sea of white clouds. It was beautiful!
We opted for the Marlboro Hills with Blue Soil tour which included an extra 1 hour walk to see the blue soil. The mountain views on this walk were spectacular and we were surrounded by the sea of clouds. The path was mainly downhill making for an easy walk through thick pine forests. The blue soil itself was actually quite underwhelming – literally just a pile of (you guessed it) *slightly* blue soil. But the beautiful views made the extra walk worth it.
Cave Connection Tour (spelunking)
The cave connection tour, also known as “spelunking”, was the highlight of Sagada for us. It was so much fun and I’d highly recommend it.
Starting in Lumiang Burial Cave, we crawled, climbed, absailed and squeezed our way to Sumagung Cave. At the entrance of Lumiang Cave are many coffins and even bones and skulls. It then takes around 1.5 hours to reach Sumagung Cave which is full of interesting alien-like formations.
From there it was about 30 minutes out the other side. It was a very unique and fun experience and not too difficult. We’d never been caving before but found it to be quite easy. Some of the steep parts were more difficult but the guide was very helpful and told us exactly where to put our feet.
I’d recommend wearing shorts, t-shirt and flipflops as you get hot quickly in the cave and there are parts where you have to wade through knee-high water. In the rainy season, there are even places where you have to swim in deep water! In Sumagung Cave, you have to take your shoes off to protect the rocks.
Visit the Hanging Coffins of Sagada
Another highlight of Sagada is visiting the Hanging Coffins in the beautiful Echo Valley. It’s believed this tradition has been practised for 2000 years by the Igorot People to bring the deceased closer to their ancestral spirits. It’s also to protect against vandalism and destruction from flooding and is still practised today. Locals can choose whether to be buried in the local graveyard, cremated or placed into a hanging coffin. The hanging coffins we visited dated back to World War 2, the most recent one being from 2011.
Best places to eat in Sagada
We were impressed by how many good food choices there were in Sagada, considering how rural it is. There are lots of cosy cafés and restaurants offering affordable local and western food. You definitely have to try the local homemade yoghurt and the lemon meringue pie.
Yogurt House – This restaurant makes their own yoghurt with many different toppings to choose from and it’s absolutely delicious. They also have a great breakfast menu and an upstairs balcony with great views.
Chapter One – Although there’s a lot of stairs to climb to get here, Chapter One is a great lunch spot offering panoramic views of Sagada.
Sagada Taste Restaurant – We came here to try their homemade lemon meringue pie (which appears to be a local favourite in Sagada for some reason). I can’t say it was better than traditional lemon meringue pie back home, but it was good!
Masferre Country Inn and Restaurant – Has a quiet balcony area overlooking the mountains. The food is quite expensive but the homemade iced lemon tea is really good.
Strawberry Caf̩ РKnown for its homemade strawberry yogurt and fresh strawberry smoothies.
Gaia Caf̩ РA little further out of town, this restaurant offers great views and good veggie options.