When I started traveling, I always preferred DIY (do-it-yourself) trips rather than packages. Why? Simply because I wanted to manage my own time and explore places on my own.
So when I decided to take an Ilocandia tour last year, it made me think about whether I should get a package and just follow the itinerary they would provide. Since the Ilocos Region is very far and it would be my first trip traveling by land, I almost booked us with one of those travel agencies on Facebook.
Then I thought about it again, reviewed the itinerary, and told myself it was soooo boring. You basically just sit in a van the entire time, waiting for the guide to tell you when to get out and take photos at well-known spots. Aside from that, I wanted to surf in La Union and experience the struggles of backpacking. That’s when I decided to create my own itinerary and go on a DIY Ilocandia tour.
I’m not against travel agencies, by the way. It’s just that fixed itineraries aren’t really my thing. I prefer trying out local buses and crossing off some destinations from the itinerary on my own.
So, that’s it! I’ll be sharing our own itinerary for our Ilocandia trip so here it is.
DAY 1:
10:00 am – arrival in NAIA
12:00 nn – departure for San Fernando, La Union
6:00 pm – arrival in San Fernando then strolled around the area for a while
7:00 pm – took a jeep and depart for San Juan, La Union
7:30 pm – arrival in The Circle Hostel and get ourselves ready to meet our friend Mac from Everything is Beautiful band
8:00 pm – had our dinner in Surf Shack then went to bar in front of the beach and had bottle of beers
10:00 pm – went back to the hostel and had chit chats with other stay-ins.
Day 2:
6:00 am – woke up early and went to the beach
7:00 am – had our breakfast in Seanymph
9:00 am – surf surf surf
11:00 am – went back to the hostel to get ready for Vigan
12:00 nn – had lunch in Seanymph
1:00 pm – departure for Vigan by bus
(had to transfer from a bus to a van and to another van again)
4:00 pm – arrival in Vigan and started our Kalesa tour immediately
6:00 pm – had our dinner
7:00 pm – departure for Laoag via Partas bus
9:00 pm – arrival in Laoag but there are no bus bound for Pagudpud anymore.
(looked for an alternative and waited for their Night Express Van)
11:00 pm – departure for Pagudpud
12:15 am – arrival in Pagudpud and checked in Klasik Resort
Day 3:
6:00 am – woke up early to have breakfast
7:00 am – started with our Pagudpud tour
10:00 am – finished our tour in Bangui Windmills and took a local bus to Laoag City
12:00 nn – arrival in Laoag and had our lunch
1:00 pm – started our Laoag tour
5:00 pm – finished our tour
6:00 pm – departure for Vigan City via Partas Deluxe bus
8:00 pm – arrival in Vigan City and watched their dancing fountains and bought some pasalubongs
10:00 pm – departure for Manila via Partas Deluxe bus
Day 4:
5:00 am – arrival in Manila
6:00 am – checked in to one of the inns in Cubao and had our breakfast
9:00 am – took MRT to Taft Avenue
10:00 am – took a jeepney to MOA and had our lunch
11:00 am – took a taxi to Manila Ocean Park
12:00 nn – started our tour in Manila Ocean Park
2:00 pm – took taxi to NAIA terminal 4
6:00 pm – waited for our delayed flight lol!
9:00 pm – departure for Cebu
10:00 pm – arrival in Cebu
So that was it. So tiring but fun! There are also things that you need to remember based from what I have experience.
Things to Remember:
- In Vigan, let the trike drivers know that you already have an idea how much is their minimum fare (10 pesos) or else they will ask you to pay for the entire fare, which is 50-70 pesos. As long as it just kilometers away from the city then pay for the minimum fare only!
- There are no Partas bus bound for Pagudpud from Laoag City. But you can take their local bus or GMW bus liner for 60-70 pesos. Be reminded as well that bus bound for Pagudpud is until 9:00 pm only!
- If you arrived in Laoag City after 9:00 pm just like me (lol) and you are bound for Pagudpud, you can take their night express van for 120 pesos.
- For trike tours, Laoag tour is for 600-700 pesos, Pagudpud tour is for 800-900 pesos while Burgos tour is 200-300 pesos.
- Pagudpud has southern and northern loop tours. Northern loop is consists of Patapat Viaduct, Bantay Abot, Blue Lagoon, Kabigan Falls, Paraiso ni Anton. While Southern loop consists of Bangui Windmills, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, and Cape Bojeador.
Those are some of the things that I can advise to you and if you have more questions, don’t hesitate to ask me in comments or in contact me section. You can also check below my blog post for the tour in every municipality. Enjoy Ilocos!
La Union https://mingjamoves.com/surfing-in-san-juan-la-union/
Vigan City https://mingjamoves.com/vigan-one-of-the-7-wonder-cities-of-the-world/
Laoag-Paoay-Batac https://mingjamoves.com/wandering-around-laoag-city/
Pagudpud https://mingjamoves.com/pagudpud-ilocos-norte/