Know your limits, but never stop trying to exceed them.
After resting for almost a month, these itchy feet will now be on the go again. This time Adventuroj will be heading way up north. Guess where?
Clue: Have you watched the kilig movie of Erich Gonzales & Mario Maurer Suddenly It’s Magic?
Yep! That’s where we’ll be heading. Not in Bangkok (but I’ll be there soon as well. hehe) but this time it will be in Ilocos!
My chance to trace back my roots and see where my ancestors came from. Yes, I’m an ilocana by blood. *I just wished I knew how to speak the language fluently.
So enough with my ratting, here’s a pre planned budget friendly itinerary of the Laoag Vigan Pagudpud tour catered to fit backpackers like me. Feel free to use it and share the adventure with me!
The Ultimate Ilocandia Adventure Itinerary!
| Day & Time | Activity | Est. Expenses |
| Wed Nov 28 | ||
| 2:30pm | Dvo-MNL | 200 |
| 7pm | MNL-Laoag | 200 |
| Get out of Laoag Airport to the City proper – There is a jeepney that brings passengers from the airport terminal to the city proper, Fare is 60 pesos. | 60 | |
| Texicano Hotel, Laoag City Address: J. P. Rizal Street, Laoag Ilocos Norte Room Rate: Starts at 310 pesos for a single fan room Contact Details: (6377) 7705776 Notes: Do not expect too much as this is a budget hotel |
300 | |
| Thurs Nov 29 | ||
| 6am | Sand Boarding and 4×4 Ride in La Paz Sand Dunes | 1000 |
| Rate: 2,500 pesos per group of four Contact Details: 09088853669 look for Glenn Guererro Notes: Package is for 1-hour sand boarding lessons, good for four persons. It also includes the 4×4 jeepney transportation to and from the sand dunes. Make an arrangement if you will be doing it solo. |
||
| How to get to Paoay from Laoag – rent a tricycle for 250 pesos at Loaog City proper. It is more economical since some destinations in Paoay is not on the national road | ||
| Rent a tricycle in the city proper for 250 pesos, going to and from Paoay to visit the Church and Malacañang of the North, which are both located in the town of Paoay. Travel time is around 30 minutes. | 130 | |
| Another alternative is to take a Batac-Paoay jeepney. Fare is around 30 pesos. | ||
| Arrive at Paoay Church | ||
| 8am | Paoay Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| The St. Augustine Church or popularly known as Paoay Church is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. | ||
| 10am | Malacañang of the North and Paoay Lake | |
| Entrance Malacañang of the North | 40 | |
| Depart for Laoag | ||
| 12nn | Arrive at Laoag, have lunch | 80 |
| Lunch at Dap-ayan Ti Ilocos. It is like a food court / fast food where there are stalls offering a variety of food choices. Here, you’ll find the famous Laoag empanada and inihaw na longanisa. | ||
| 1pm | A Walking Tour Around the City of Laoag | |
| Laoag City tour – Ilocos Norte provincial capitol – Located in front of the Capitol building, the Aurora Park is where the statue of the maiden Pamulinawen – where the Tobacco Monopoly Monument was erected in 1882 – left of the park is the Laoag City Hall | ||
| 2pm | St William’s Cathedral & the Sinking bell tower | |
| Walking towards the street on the right side of the park will bring you to the St. William’s Cathedral – | ||
| A few steps away to the left of the Capitol Building is the Museo Ilocos Norte. | ||
| Entrance to Museo Ilocos Norte | 30 | |
| Back to the hotel and check-out | ||
| 4pm | Trip to Pagudpud Beach, “The Boracay of the North” | |
| Tricycle to Van Terminal | 10 | |
| Arrive at van/bus terminal for Pagudpud 2.5-3 hrs travel to Pagudpud | ||
| Fare, Laoag-Pagudpud (van) | 70 | |
| How to get to Pagudpud from Laoag – Take a bus or van bound for Claveria Cagayan, it will pass by the town of Pagudpud, which is the last town before reaching Claveria Cagayan. Travel time is 1.5 hours. | ||
| Homestay in Pagudpud (for 1 night) | 800 | |
| Arrive at Pagudpud, check-in at Cathy’s Home Stay | ||
| Cathy’s Home Stay, Pagudpud Address: Brgy. Saud, Pagudpud Ilocos Norte Room Rate: 800 pesos, good for 4 persons for an air conditioned room. Contact Details: 09195716680 Notes: One of the cheapest accommodations in Saud Beach, Pagudpud. |
||
| Explore the beach | ||
| Dinner by the beach | 65 | |
| Fri Nov 30 | ||
| Here is the list of the activities you can do to appreciate Pagudpud. Swim and surf in the breathtaking Saud Beach Traysi tour of Pagudpud for P600.00 Thirty minutes trek to majestic Kabigan Falls Stopover at Patapat Viaduct with blue skies and blue sea waters as backdraft See Bantay Abot cave, where waves hit the cliffs Drop by Agua Paraiso, where waves hit the rocks Enjoy huge wave and white sand in pristine Blue Lagoon (Maira-ira beach) Witness Pagudpud sunset Visit Bangui Wind Mills, Bojeador (Burgos) Lighthouse, Curimao, Laoag, Paoay and Vigan |
||
| Wake up and early morning walk by the beach | 100 | |
| Breakfast | ||
| Swimming | ||
| Tricycle to and from Pagudpud town proper | ||
| Brunch | 80 | |
| Check out of the home stay | ||
| 8am | The Windmills, Rock Formation, Lighthouse and the Church | |
| South and North Pagudpud Tour (Tricycle) Rate: 600 pesos per tour Contact Details: 09208532047 look for Kuya Rene |
||
| South Tour includes Bangui windmills, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation and the Cape Bojeador Light House. North Tour usually includes Kabigan Falls, Bantay Abot Cave, Blue Lagoon Beach, Patapat Viaduct, Paraiso ni Anton and Aqua Grande. The town of Adams is also worth a visit if you have more time. |
||
| South Pagudpud tour (tricycle) | 300 | |
| 9am | Arrive at Bangui Windmills | |
| Officially referred to as the North Wind Bangui Bay Project, it is a major source of renewable energy amounting to 40% of the power requirement of the province. Boasts to be the first wind farm in the Philippines and biggest in Southeast Asia, it is consisted of 20 wind turbines on-shore facing the South China Sea. | ||
| Off to Burgos | ||
| 10am | Arrive at Kapurpurawan | |
| In Ilocano, “Kapurpurawan” means “white” – which describes the radiant and sparkling shade of this rock formation. It is a hill of white limestone rock created by forces of the wind, water and waves coming from the ocean – truly, an amazing work of nature. Adjacent to the rock formation is the ocean, which added to the breathtaking sight. | ||
| The Kapurpurawan Rock Formation in Burgos Ilocos Norte really really Rocks!!! | ||
| Arrive at Cape Bojeador | ||
| 11am | Cape Bojeador or the Burgos Lighthouse | |
| A cultural heritage structure built during the Spanish Colonial period. Octagonal in shape, it is set high on Vigi de Nagparitan hill overlooking the picturesque Cape Bojeador. | ||
| Fare Burgos-Bacarra (bus) | 40 | |
| Fare to Bacarra Church (tricycle) | 15 | |
| Arrive at Bacarra Church | ||
| Fare to Bacarra Hi-way (tricycle) | 15 | |
| Fare Bacarra to Laoag (jeepney) | 10 | |
| Lunch | 50 | |
| 1pm | Off to Vigan | |
| Check in at Casa Teofilo Loge | ||
| Casa Teofile Lodge Contact Numbers : Mobile – 09326740438 Landline – (077) 7226482 / (077) 7222547 Aircon Rooms with private cr, cable tv and free wi-fi. |
||
| Night Strolling at Crisologo Street | ||
| Start strolling at Crisologo Street. This major attraction of Vigan is its mestizo district which is filled with Spanish-style houses that evoke a bygone era when its people lived prosperously because of the Manila-Acapulco maritime trade. | ||
| Though a trip to Calle Crisologo is enjoyable during the day especially because of the opportunity to shop for Vigan’s best products (antiques, abel woven products, bags, basi wine, burnay and dimili products, chicharon, jewelry, sweets, Vigan vinegar and woodcrafts) in the inobtrusive shops located in the ground floor of some of the grand houses, a walk through it is magical at night. | ||
| try some of the local food like bagnet mixed with pinakbet and their famous longganisa | ||
| Café Leona Dinner | ||
| Sat Dec 1 | ||
| 6am | Café Uno Bfast | |
| see Crisologo Street,Hidden Garden and Baluarte plus the Vigan old church. | ||
| Crisologo Street – Crisologo Museum – Syquia Mansion – Plaza Salcedo – Burgos Museum – Pagburnayan Jar – Hidden Garden – Baluarte ni Chavit – Bantay Tower – Casa Teofila Lodge | ||
| Hidden Garden | ||
| 7am | ViganBaluarte ni Chavit | |
| It’s an 80 hectares of terrains, hills and mountain sides that serves as natural habitat for Gov Chavit Singson’s personal collection of wild animals | ||
| 8am | Vigan River Cruise | |
| So, I headed out to my second destination via one of these tricycles. I left Baluarte at 10:28 am and arrived at the site of “Vigan River Cruise” 10:39 am. Fare from Baluarte to Mestizo River, the site of the river cruise, is Php 60. Ticket in the boat ride of Vigan River Cruise costs Php 100. Boats used in the cruise are like those small wooden fishing vessels used by many ordinary Filipino fishermen called “bangka” in Tagalog. Each boat has outriggers for stability and safety of riders, which is good for rough river. But don’t worry, the Mestizo River is calm all the way. | ||
| 9am | Vigan Heritage Village | |
| After enjoying the cruise which finished at 11:23 am, it’s time to get to the “Vigan Heritage Village”, the only colonial town in the Philippines and for which Vigan is known. I had made an arrangement with the tricycle I’d ridden from Baluarte to wait for me. Actually, he offered the service to the Heritage Village. I just accepted it for the reason of time management. | ||
| At around 1:30 pm, I thought it’s time to go to bus terminal to be in Laoag before dusk. So, I just took a tricycle for Php 15 to reach terminal of Partas Bus. You just plug down a motorized tricycle and ask the driver to take you to Partas which is near. Wait for bus with “Laoag” sign. | ||
| 10am | Vigan to Laoag 1.5hrs | |
| 2pm | Laoag-MNL | |
| 3595 |
You could also download the file here. Laoag Itinerary
Happy Adventures!
| The above blog post is part of my Ilokandia Ultimate Adventure – Laoag – Pagudpud – Vigan tour series of posts in the Ilocos Region, Philippines that happened last November 28 – December 2, 2012. | Ilocos Adventure: Laoag Vigan Pagudpud Budget Itinerary | Laoag City Walking Tour: Places, Food, and Fun Treats | Ilocandia Sand Boarding and 4×4 Ride in La Paz Sand Dunes | Paoay Tour: Paoay Church, Malacanang of the North and the Paoay Lake |
The Adventures of AdventuRoj! 
Great post and itinerary! Will refer to this post when I will plan my own Ilocos adventure! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Wow, this is very helpful!! Thank You.
Pingback: Paoay Tour: Paoay Church, Malacanang of the North and the Paoay Lake | The Adventures of AdventuRoj!
Pingback: Ilocandia Sand Boarding and 4×4 Ride in La Paz Sand Dunes | The Adventures of AdventuRoj!
Pingback: Laoag City Walking Tour: Places, Food, and Fun Treats | The Adventures of AdventuRoj!
Pingback: Bangui Windmills: The Answer is Blowing in the Wind… | The Adventures of AdventuRoj!
Pingback: Historical Adventure at Faro de Cabo Bojeador | The Adventures of AdventuRoj!
Pingback: Trekking to Kabigan Falls | The Adventures of AdventuRoj!
Pingback: 2012: AdventuRoj Year of Firsts! | The Adventures of AdventuRoj!
Pingback: The White Pride of Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, Ilocos Norte | The Adventures of AdventuRoj!
Thank you so much for this plan! This will be a big help soon 🙂
hello po.magkano po ung package ninyo for two pa ilocos po?meron ba kaung trip pa manila to laoag?magkano po ba?bale september 3 kami darating ng manila mga 4pm.
Hello, how did you make your reservations sa Texicano Hotel? Did you call them or thru online? btw this itirenary would be very useful thanks.
Hi Ann!
Walk through lang kami that time.. got no phone no. with them.. they have lots of rooms naman. but if u wanna make sure, u could Google for their #.. Thanks!
hi! was the total expenses for one person only?
We spent around 5k for the whole tour.. including terminal fees..
hi adventuroj…
i like your blog. promise dami ko na22nan…
anyway… could u help me…
me and my friends planning to go in ilocos next month but we only have limited tym tlga… plan nmin friday night alis nmin from manila so expecting sat morning at 7am nasa laong na kmi. tpos.. nid nmin bumalik ng manila ng sunday ngt din…. could u help me create my itinerary …. heres d place we planing to visit.. Malacanang of the North
Paoay Church
Paoay Lake
Batac Marcos Museum
La Paz Sand Dunes
Baccara Acrobatic Bell Tower
Burgos Dragon Fruit Farm
Burgos Lighthouse Cape Bojeador)
Bangui Windmill
Kapurpurawan Rock formation
Patapat Viaduct
Bantay Bell Tower
Heritage Village
St. Paul Cathedral (Vigan Church
Baluarte
thanks in advance
Hello, I was wondering how di you get from Laoag to Vigan at that time?
this blog had been very helpful for someone like me. I am a stranger to the place don’t know anybody and no idea of the place. I suck in Phil. history so I get to read blogs like yours to virtually visualize the place.
Bravo👏👏👏…
Thank you for this great itinerary, informative….
I keep on searching but some of them don’t have enough information…
You are a great blogger! I thank you so much. You provided complete information that a stranger like me needs. heheh
Well- detailed. Wow. I downloaded it and I’ll pattern my tour here.
Thanks for the info. Its a big help to me….
I will definitely try your itinerary for our next trip.