Time and Date of Travel
- Be sure to check the planting and harvest times in Sagada before finalizing your trip. Since people in Sagada still hold firmly to their traditional beliefs and this includes keeping their traditional practices when it comes to planting and harvesting their rice. During this time visitors are not allowed to walk/cross rice paddies during the planting and harvesting seasons. Like during one of our trip, the big falls is closed for four (4) days due to some local practices.
- Make sure to include the whole Saturday in plans since saturday market can give you the freshest fruits and vegetables they have in town plus the Log Cabin's Buffet is available only during saturday.
- Sagada is a small town but it is now consider to be a popular hangout for local and foreign backpackers. So try to avoid peak seasons especially the "holy week" or if you can't avoid that please make sure to have an early reservation for your inns, restaurants, and transportations. Though you should not worry much in your accomodations since Saint Theodore Hospital is open for those who cannot find lodging house.
Bring some cash
- Bring enough cash with you, at least enough to last you the duration of your stay. Altough ATMs are already available, it is still better to be sure.
Registration
- Make sure to register yourself at the muncipal hall onced you arrived in Sagada. It is a must.
Beware of some dogs
- Be wary when walking from Batalao to Sagada town, there's a bunch of unfriendly dogs who won't hesitate to take a nip at you.
Protect your skin
- Just because the air is cooler in Sagada it doesn't mean that the sun is less dangerous. Please remember to put on sunscreen before you go hiking.
Use Smart Sim Card
- Do not bring your mobile phone equipped with a Globe SIM card. There are no signals for Globe subscriber. Only for Smart.
Guides
- Tour Guide is a must especially if your going to some caves or mountains. So don't ever attempt to go alone or even in a group doing Cave Connections. First, you don't know the right path even you have lights on, always remember every obstacles inside can mislead you to danger areas inside the cave. Second, it is quite easy to follow the professional tour guide what to do, how and where to step in while doing spelunking rather than find the paths on your own that can cause to a lot of trouble. Caving is fun but not easy. Try this site for tour guides. But still there are some places that you do not necessarily need some guides: Like Kiltepan Rice Terraces – the driver could just show it to you anyway; Lake Danum – Since, it’s just near the Road; Bokong Falls – optional, the driver could just show you the pathway going to the falls. Its only 300 meters going down. However, when going to sights requiring a tour guide or a jeepney ride, it is much more economical to join other tourists with whom you could share the expenses.
Bring a Map
- Have a map of Sagada. Especially if you are on a tight budget, having a map of Sagada, the one by P.M. Stephens was very useful to us, will do away with the need for tour guides (except the caves where tour guides are necessary). Just make sure you are good with directions!
Preserve Sagada
- Sagadans really preserve their heritage and culture so their future generations can still see their legacies. That's why tourists should refrain from desecrating any place in Sagada by not leaving your trash/plastics behind, not getting souvenir rocks/stalactices inside sumaging caves or writing your names inside the caves.
Taking pictures
- As much as we want you to document your trip, just take note of this "Do not take pictures of individuals without their permission". It's rude!
Curfew
- You can go and explore Sagada town all you want but please be sure to be in your hotel/inn when the clock strikes 9:00 PM while the last call for orders in the local bars comes at about 8:45 p.m.
Walk to save money
- For you to save hundreds of bucks, I suggest you just walk your way to your destination/s. Though there are many jeepneys and tricycle that you could rent and take you to your destinations (you can choose one-way or round-trip) for a specific amount.
Jeepneys/Bus Schedule
- The daily schedule of jeepneys and buses going to and from Sagada are posted at the TIC in Municipal Hall. Write them down. Some are also available here. The standard rates of tourist guides are also posted. Write them down too, so you would avoid being victimized by dishonest guides.
