[PAGUDPUD NORTH AND SOUTH TOUR] Ilocos Norte

Pagudpud is one of the most accessible places to travel to in the Philippines, especially if you're within Luzon. It is a coastal resort town of Ilocos Norte, a town rich in beautiful nature spots. In fact, you can visit more than 10 spots in a day. Pagudpud's beautiful sceneries and blue water makes it haven not just for tourists but also for budget travelers.

HOW TO GO TO PAGUDPUD

From Manila, you can reach Pagudpud by bus or private transport. The travel time can be very long, 10-12 hours. If you want to save time, you can fly by plane to Laoag City and just ride a bus to Pagudpud for another two hours. Laoag City is 2 hours away from Pagudpud. Fortunately, I was able to book promo tickets to Laoag via SEAIR. I was contemplating whether to drop by Vigan or not. Due to time constraints, we've decided to just visit Pagudpud. We'll be back for Vigan next time.

We arrived at Laoag International Airport at around 4 in the afternoon. The free airport shuttle wasn't available that day so we chartered a tricycle to bring us to Laoag town proper. I was surprised to find lots of modern establishments in Laoag. We went for a short walking tour and stayed overnight at Balay da Blas Pension House.

Sinking Bell Tower

We left for Pagudpud at around 7am the next day. As instructed by our contact (Kuya Arnel), we disembarked at Mawini, a small town in Pagudpud. He was already there when we arrived. He greeted us cheerfully and headed straight for our North and South Pagudpud Tour. It's time for tricycle tour once again.

WHAT TO SEE IN PAGUDPUD

There are two tours offered by guides/drivers in Pagudpud, the Pagudpud North Tour and the Pagudpud South Tour. These two tours can be done in a day or split up in two days, depending on tourist preferences. We opted to do both tours on the same day to save more time to relax the next day.

SOUTH PAGUDPUD TOUR

We started off with visits to the places included in the Pagudpud South Tour (Bangui Windmills, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation and the Cape Bojeador Light House).

Bangui Windmills

Our first stop was Bangui Windmills. Officially known as the North Wind Bangui Bay Project, it consists of 20 wind turbines facing the South China Sea and serves as source of renewable energy in Ilocos. From a distance, those wind turbines look very small, I didn't really expected that they were that huge up-close.

Kapurpurawan Rock

Kuya Arnel transferred us to a local Burgos tour guide for the rest of Pagudpud South Tour. This is to give the local Burgos guides a chance to showcase their own place. Kuya Benj was the one who accompanied us in Kapurpurawan Rock. “Kapurpurawan” is an Ilocano term which means “white”, an adjective that best describes the bright and sparkling color of the huge limestone rock formation. Kapurpurawan really rocks.

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse

Not far from Kapurpurawan rock was the picturesque Cape Bojeador Lighthouse. It's a pretty old structure that exhibits a lot about history.

We took a short break and had some lunch at a local carinderia. After that, we continued with the second part of tour. We're back with Kuya Arnel this time.

NORTH PAGUDPUD TOUR

The North Pagudpud Tour includes Kabigan Falls, Saud Beach, Patapat Viaduct, Bantay Abot Cave, Timangtang Rock, Blue Lagoon Beach and Dos Hermanos Islands.

Saud Beach

Our first stop for the North Pagudpud tour was Saud Beach. It is dubbed as the "Boracay of the North". I find the beach very calm and serene. The water looks inviting but we still have a lot of places to visit, so swimming wasn't an option that time. I'll make sure to spend a night here next time.

Kabigan Falls

The tour continued with a 30 minute trek to Kabigan Falls. The trail to Kabigan Falls was easy but really tiring because of the scorching heat.

We reached the waterfalls within 30 minutes in a relaxed speed. But our weariness eventually disappeared when we finally reached the majestic waterfalls. The water coming from the falls was cold and refreshing.

Patapat Viaduct

Our next stop was the famous Patapat Viaduct. It's a 1.3 kilometer bridge connecting Pagudpud and Cagayan Valley. It has this snaky shape that gracefully follows the contour of Cordillera Mountains. Beautiful isn't it?

Aqua Grande

We passed through Paraiso ni Anton and Aqua Grande but didn't stayed long because there's nothing much to see. We just took some photos and headed to Bantay Abot Cave.

Walang Hanggan's Burol

Before reaching Bantay Abot Cave, Kuya Arnel took us to a hill which is said to be a location for the very popular teleserye "Walang Hanggan". We climbed up the hill like kids and stayed there for a while. I must say that this was my favorite among the spots in Pagudpud. I really enjoyed the breathtaking view of the sea and the the warm breeze on top of the hill. It was heavenly.

Timangtang Rock

great view from the hill, you can also spot Timangtang rock right there

Bantay Abot Cave

We didn't bother to stop at Timangtang Rock and just went to see Bantay Abot Cave up close. Here, we saw how the waves hit the rocks of Bantay Abot Cave. It's like a hill with an unusual hole in the middle.

Bantay Abot Cave

After the Pagudpud South tour, we headed straight to Casa Consuelo. A beautiful accommodation located in the Blue Lagoon area and near Dos Hermanos Islands.

Casa Consuelo

Dos Hermanos Islands

Pagudpud was definitely the highlight of our Ilocos trip. It was a tiring but visually satisfying nature adventure. We've visited a lot interesting places there and met some of its friendly people. Definitely one of the best places to go in the North.