Ilocandia Sand Boarding and 4×4 Ride in La Paz Sand Dunes

No better way to start our first day in Ilocos than a view of the sunrise in the spectacular Sand Dunes of La Paz.

We even saw the moon still up at this early hour. Amazing huh?

Moon Set and Sun Rise

Sunrise in the spectacular Sand Dunes of La Paz + Moonset.

Our tour guide and pioneer sand boarder (*I’ll tell you about it later), fetch us up at 6am. We reached the Sand Dunes in less than 15 minutes and there switched our jeep to a 4×4 Rough Rugged Ride. This is where the fun begins.

4×4 Ride in La Paz

The ride was one heck of an adventure. We hop on the back of this 4×4 truck.

Hold on tight and you’re in for the ride of your life across ups and downs, lefts and rights of the vast sand dunes. If only I’ve caught what happened in video so I could show you why Roller Coasters are More Fun in the Philippines! haha

Stunning Early Morning Portraits

Bonus to the ride are mini stop overs where the views are stunning. An overlooking of the entire city in early morning fog and dew, with hawks flying in the distance (yes they’re a native here). And a spectacular picture of the South China Sea. Photo buffs like me would surely take delight in this!

Sand Boarding Experience

And for the highlight of the adventure, the sand boarding!

Time to buckle up and practice those balancing acts! Works pretty much similar than surf boarding, just imagine the water turned sand this time. And instead of plunging into the ocean, see yourself rolling (sometimes even head first like I did) into the dunes.

Did you drank enough water at the beach during surfing? Well here you’ll be eating sands literally. Haha.

“Get up each time you fall.”
Just like a lesson in real life, my sand boarding experience didn’t come easy. I had to go through several failures and falls before reaching that perfect stunt – just like the cup of success that we all aim in life amidst the trials we face

But need not worry, the dunes will not hurt you that bad (I didn’t said it doesn’t hurt at all!), they’re soft anyway and the triumphant feeling of perfecting the sand boarding stunt afterwards is rewarding enough!

Sand Boarding Contact

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.

Sand Boarding Contact

Trivia: Did you know that Sir Glenn (the contact above) is the pioneer of Sand boarding here in Ilocos? It started as a hobby that he later shared to others, particularly tourists. He got the idea from Dubai, saw it on TV, and brought it here in the Philippines. Today it is one of the must dos when you’re in Ilocos.

And to end it all a souvenir to let the world know that I survived Sand Boarding! Are you in for the challenge?

Sand Boarding Souvenir

Yep! I’ve long been wanting to have something like this. Perfect for my travel adventures! Hope you could let me know if you knew someone makes this in an affordable cost *wink

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