Explore by air-conditioned 4WD  the Cordillera Mountains of Northern Luzon, home to the mountain tribes and the “Eighth Wonder of the World”-- Banaue Rice Terraces. Also included is a whitewater rafting trip to explore the Chico River.

The trip does a six-day loop from Manila to the summer capital of Baguio to Sagada via the nation’s highest highway and through and beyond that most popular of symbols of ancient agrarian engineering, the Banaue Rice Terraces. Included in the program is a free-of- charge 3-hour trip whitewater rafting Class 3 rapids on the Chico River near Bontoc, the capital of Mountain Province, which has one of the finest regional museums in the Philippines. Accommodation is in fine locally-owned inns and lodges that provide the necessary and desirable creature comforts for a 4-wheel drive adventure trip without sacrificing the local atmosphere. On the last night,  accommodation will be in traditional Ifugao rice huts perched above the picturesque village of Banga-an. Your guide will provide a pail of steaming hot water to temper the cool, free mountain stream water when it’s time to take a bath. The bulk of the time on this tour is spent in and around the township of Sagada, famous for its hanging coffins, fresh vegetables and fruit, limestone caves, numerous waterfalls, abundant pine forests and adventure activities like trekking, caving, mountain biking and rafting. These four activities are free with this tour.

Inclusions:

• RT land transfers from hotel
• Personal 4WD vehicle for 6 days
• Accommodations in quality local inn for 6 days
• Meals, drinking water, local guide, and your tour guide
• All guide and permit fees
• Activities specifically hiking, caving, mountain biking and rafting.

Minimum of 2 persons

Itinerary:

Day 1:

Early pick-up from hotel for 4-5 hour road trip by All Wheel Drive to Baguio, stopping off to view the seas of lahar, viscous volcanic material that cascaded from Mount Pinatubo following its eruption in June 1991. Thirteen cubic kilometers of material was shot in to the air in the explosion, one of the largest in the world since Krakatoa, altering the world’s climate and changing the face of the landscape between Manila and Baguio for miles and miles and miles. Lunch is en route. Check in to Baguio Manor around 2.30 pm. A sightseeing tour follows: It can be as much on foot as by car if having a good stretch after the road journey is the consensus. Dinner is natural and healthy fare at Café By The Ruins.

Day 2:

Check out from Manor after breakfast. Do a further whirlwind tour of Baguio: Camp John Hay, Mines Lookout and the central market before having morning coffee. Late morning coffee before driving out of Baguio on the Halsema Highway, billed as the highest major road in the Philippines. The views—of rice and vegetables terraces and pine-clad mountains are panoramic. At one viewpoint a packed lunch from Café By the Ruins will be taken. Afternoon tea will be had at a government-run hotel at Mount Data; it has a quaint chapel, our reason (apart from thirst) for stopping. Another two hours of further breath-taking scenery and it is Sagada, checking in to a cottage at St Joseph’s or similar for a three-night stay in an emerging cultural and adventure hub. Dinner with briefing and agreement on what to do on Day 03 & 04 at local restaurant.

Day 3 & 4:

Breakfast Picnic at Echo Valley
Guided Hike around the township of Sagada
Visit hanging coffins
Visit series of limestone caves
Visit Pottery Workshop (Not cheap but great quality and workmanship)
Visit Sagada Weavers
Hike to see the wild horses of Sagada
Mountain bike the trails in the pine forests above Sagada
Be the dare devil and descend the mountain from Sagada to the Chico River
Bike to Besau (about 10 km away)
Join a traditional hunt with hunters from Besau
Hike to the many smaller waterfalls and swimming holes
Join local expats as they work you through a village and reveal
the inner workings of the dapay (traditional village administration)
Raft the Chico River from Dantay (Sagada turn-off) to Bontoc, capital of
Mountain Province
Visit the Bontoc Museum
Take a day-trip to the hot springs

Day 5:

Depart after breakfast by 4WD for Banaue, viewing the famous Banaue Rice Terraces en route to the jump-off point for Batad, a village nestling on the edge of rice terraces carved out of a curved hillside, giving the appearance of an amphitheatre. Lunch in the village, with side trip upon demand to a waterfall. Return to the 4WD. Proceed to Banga-an Family Inn for overnight stay in traditional Ifugao rice huts. Dinner at Inn.

Day 6:

Pre-breakfast hike down to Banga-an Village. Check-out after breakfast, driving back to Banaue for more sightseeing and a stint of handicraft shopping. Depart after morning coffee for Manila, taking lunch at a restaurant en route and stopping periodically. Depending upon traffic arrival in Manila will be between 7 and 9 pm. Should arrival be after dinner time, meals will be on pax account.

Optional rafting Programme on Day 3 or Day 4:

Depart Sagada around 8 am for the Put-in at Dantay on the Chico River with raft and gear. Everyone helps with inflation of the raft. A briefing follows on safety and paddling technique. The trip to Bontoc may take up to three hours, but might take substantially less time if the river is fast and the rafting group are experienced. Lunch in Bontoc or Sagada.

Notes:

***Rates are quoted per person

***Prices are subject to government tax  and service charge

* **Subject to change without prior notice.