My BANAUE and SAGADA Itinerary with Kids (Day 1: Manila to Kiangan)

My BANAUE and SAGADA Itinerary with Kids 

(Day 1: Manila to Kiangan)

DAY 1. FRIDAY
MANILA - KIANGAN, IFUGAO
Accommodations at Ibulao Ibulao Bed and Breakfast, Kiangan, Ifugao

Map of the Route for today:

FIRST STOP: Halo Halo Snack at Razon's Petron Lakeshore at the North Luzon Expressway

SECOND STOP: Marquez Restaurant at Maharlika Highway, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija

THIRD STOP: McDonalds at Solano, Nueva Vizcaya

FINAL DESTINATION: Ibulao Ibulao Bed and Breakfast at Kiangan, Ifugao

OUR ITINERARY FOR TODAY

8:00 AM:

We left the house.

9:00 AM:

Balintawak toll entrance.Pay 45 pesos toll.

9:45 AM - 10:30 AM:

Halo Halo at Razon's  Petron Lakeshore StationToilet stop

Restaurants at Petron Lakeshore
Razon's restaurant is at the right.

Price list of meals

Pasalubong or food souvenirs sold at the counter

My favorite tamales sold at 55 pesos each

More pasalubong on sale

10:45 AM: 

SCTEX toll entrance Pay 173 pesos

11:05 AM:

TPLEX sign 

11:10 AM:

TPLEX toll Plaza Pay 104 pesos.Get TPLEX toll card

11:20 AM:

Exit the TPLEX through Pura éxit Pay 58 pesos

Exit TPLEX at Pura Exit

Turn right towards Guimba and Munoz
Toilet stop at yellow building at the back of the sign.

12:30 PM - 1:15 PM:

Lunch at Marquez restaurant, San Jose City, Nueva EcijaToilet stop

Check out my post: Marquez Restaurant in San Jose, Nueva Ecija: A Great Meal Stop on your way to the Banaue Rice Terraces

1:15 PM -2:10 PM:

Leaving Nueva Ecija and entering Nueva Vizcaya

2:10 PM:

Passed by Dalton pass 

There's a very clean toilet stop at a restaurant along this road after passing Dalton Pass. It is called Cafe Mijares and Restaurant. 

They serve reasonably priced breakfast meals like tapsilog.
They also sell pasalubong items

They also have a fruit and vegetable stand.

Sign to watch out for along the road

If you have GPS in your phone, this is the location using google maps

AFTER DALTON PASS:

This is where you get a 180 degree view of the magnificent Sierra Madre mountain ranges.

3:40 PM-4:00 PM

We bought dinner for take-out at McDonald's Solano.Toilet stop

4:15 PM: 

Passed by Bagabag airport in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya

When this airport becomes operational, the land trip to Banaue will only be 1 1/2 hours. Coming from Manila, total travel time to Banaue will only be two hours.

The entrance to the airport

The airport tower

5:00 PM: 

Arrival at Ibulao Ibulao Bed and Breakfast at Kiangan, Ifugao

If you turn right, you proceed to Lagawe then Banaue.
Turn left to Kiangan where Ibulao Ibulao Bed and Breakfast is located.

The Kiangan boundary arch
The entrance of Ibulao Ibulao is seen at the sloping street on the right

A closer look at the entrance of Ibulao Ibulao Bed and Breakfast

Ibulao Ibulao Bed and Breakfast

Check out my post below for details:

BANAUE: Ibulao Ibulao Bed and Breakfast at Kiangan, Ifugao: The Best Accommodations near the Banaue Rice Terraces

DAY 2. SATURDAY

KIANGAN-BATAD-KIANGAN

See the BATAD RICE TERRACES

Read more of Day 2 of My Banaue and Sagada Itinerary with Kids 

DAY 3. SUNDAY

KIANGAN - BANAUE - SAGADA

See the Banaue Rice Terraces at the Banaue Viewpoint
See Mount Polis
See the Bayyo Rice Terraces

Read more of Day 3 of My Banaue and Sagada Itinerary with Kids 

DAY 4. MONDAY

SAGADA

Do SPELUNKING AT SUMAGUING CAVE

See the LUMIANG BURIAL CAVE

Read more of Day 4 of My Banaue and Sagada Itinerary with Kids 

DAY 5. TUESDAY

SAGADA

See Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins
Do the Sagada Zipline

Read more of Day 5 of My Banaue and Sagada Itinerary with Kids 

DAY 6. WEDNESDAY

SAGADA - MANILA

See Dalton Pass

Read more of Day 6 of My Banaue and Sagada Itinerary with Kids 

BANAUE: Marquez Restaurant in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija: A Great Meal Stop on the way to the Banaue Rice Terraces

BANAUE: Marquez Restaurant in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija:

A Great Meal Stop on the way to the Banaue Rice Terraces

For those traveling to or passing through San Jose, Nueva Ecija and would prefer homemade rice meals rather than fast food, I recommend Marquez Restaurant as a good meal stop. The restaurant serves mostly Filipino food and their meals are reasonably priced. We made a meal stop at this restaurant on the first leg of our trip from Manila to Banaue.

MEALS SERVED AT THE RESTAURANT

OUR BILL

Rice is at 18 pesos per cup.
Viands range from 70-80 pesos

INSIDE THE RESTAURANT

LOCATION

Coming from Manila, when you enter San Jose City, It's located along the Maharlika highway to your left. You cross the main intersection of Maharilika Highway and Bonifacio Street, pass by BPI San Jose (at your left). It's across U-Excel Motorcycles, and beside the Sun Shop and Magellan Restaurant

Marquez Restaurant is at the right side of the Sun Shop.

Marquez Restaurant is across this motorcycle shop.

BANAUE: The Gazebo Restaurant in Lagawe: A Great Meal Stop on the way to the Banaue Rice Terraces

BANAUE: The Gazebo Restaurant in Lagawe: 
A Great Meal Stop on the way to the Banaue Rice Terraces

Why I Love the Gazebo Restaurant

1. They serve meals fast.

When you are in the province, there are usually no fast food. Meals are cooked from scratch and you most probably need to wait at least an hour for meals to be served.

I love the Gazebo restaurant because when they said that they can serve a meal in 10 minutes, they really serve it in 10 minutes. This matters a lot for tired and hungry travellers.

My tip: The fastest rice meals they serve are lechon kawali rice toppings and chicken teriyaki rice toppings. They serve it in 10 minutes. If you want something that they can serve faster than the rice meals, order the sandwiches.

2. The food tastes good.

3. The meals are reasonably priced.

3. The location is along the National Highway and easy to find.

Menu:

Photo of the meal we had:

Chicken teriyaki rice toppings
Price is 110 pesos.
This is value for money.
We were more than satisfied with the serving portion.

Inside the Restaurant: 

Location:

It is located in the municipality of Lagawe, along the National Highway.

This is the view if you are going towards Banaue.
It's in the left side of the road, after the Caltex gas station in Lagawe

This is the street view if you are going towards Manila.
It's before the Caltex gas station in Lagawe, on the right side of the road.

Hours of Operation:

Mon - Sat: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sundays: closed

Contact number:

+639175768289

My tip: If you are in a big group, call ahead so they can make sure they have enough of the food choices available. At one time, when we visited them and ordered chicken teriyaki, only 4 chicken teriyaki is available. We were only 6 so it's easy to adjust. But if you are in groups of 20 in convoys, which some families do when they go to Banaue, I suggest you call in advance so as not to be disappointed.

BANAUE: How to Find the Banaue Rice Terraces View Point

BANAUE: How to Find the Banaue Rice Terraces View Point

The Banaue Rice Terraces that you will see at the Banaue View Point is the MOST FAMOUS of all the Banaue Rice Terraces. It's the most famous because it's the most accessible. The rice terraces at Barangay Viewpoint is nearest the town or poblacion of the municipality of Banaue. People also see its photo in Philippine peso bills.

When the the Banaue Rice Terraces is advertised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a photo of the the rice terraces near the poblacion, at Barangay View Point, is often attached to the advertisement. This is why there is some confusion as to whether the rice terraces near the poblacion is the World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO. IT IS NOT.

There are 2 rice terraces in the municipality of Banaue declared by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site: 

(1) the rice terraces in Barangay Batad, and

• How to go to Batad: see my post: My Trek to the Batad Rice Terraces with Kids 

(2) the rice terraces in Barangay Bangaan. 

The rice terraces at Barangay View Point is not the rice terraces declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The other World Heritage Site rice terraces are in the municipality of Mayoyao, Kiangan and Hungduan. (see  my post on Philippine World Heritage Sites) 

This is not to say that the Banaue Rice Terraces located at Barangay View Point is not magnificent. It is. It is a sight to behold and worth the 6-9 hour trip from Manila.

I'm making this post because it's not as easy as it seems to find the Banaue Rice terraces viewpoint, especially if you are particular about seeing it from a particular angle. It's along the road and so easy to pass by and miss the signs. So to guide you, I am posting photos of how it will look from the street as you pass by.

Map courtesy of banaue.gov.ph

As shown in the map, you should take the road going towards Bontoc. From the Tourism Center, pass by the Banaue Museum and proceed further until you see the following signs along the road to your right:

1. The FIRST viewpoint

Why stop at this viewpoint: From this viewpoint you can see the view shown on the new 20-peso bill

This is how you will see it from the road:

. 

THE VIEW

2. The SECOND viewpoint 

Why stop at this viewpoint: From this viewpoint you can see the view shown on the old 1000-peso bill

This is how you will see it from the road:

There is no sign at this viewpoint except the name written on the rails that says "NFA Aguian View Deck".
It's easy to miss this view deck especially if a lot of cars are parked in front

At the left side of the rails (the right side of this photo) is the entrance to the lower view deck

The stairs leading to the lower view deck

THE VIEW

3. The THIRD viewpoint

Why stop at this viewpoint: This is known as the Dyanarra Viewpoint. It was named by the locals after Dayanara Torres who was crowned Miss Universe in 1994 when the Philippines hosted the Miss Universe pageant. She posed for a Department of Tourism promotional photo before this view of the rice terraces.

This is how you will see it from the road:

THE VIEW

4. The FOURTH viewpoint

This is the main viewpoint. We couldn't stop at this viewpoint because there are too many stores along the road and no place to park.