Baguio Travel Informaion
Baguio of Leisurely Pursuits
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Island Flavors | Planning Your Trip
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One of the cleanest and greenest cities in the
country, Baguio is made for sightseeing. And for strolls and boat rides
and gentle trots around the park. And for golf. Kennon Road, completed
in 1905, opened Baguio to tourism. The zigzagging path previews the scenic
highlights of the city. Along the 32-kilometer highway are the Bridal
Veil and Colorado waterfalls. Synonymous with Baguio is Burnham Park.
Located in the heart of the city, the park’s features include a
man-made lagoon ideal for boat rides, a skating rink, an athletic field
and stadium, basketball and tennis courts, a biking zone, tree-and-flower
lined promenades, and a plant market.
A popular golfing destination, the city takes pride in
its Baguio Country Club and Camp John Hay. What used to be the rest-and-recreation
base of American military personnel, the Camp is being transformed into
a world-class resort and is also Baguio’s biggest pine tree conservation
area. Its newly refurbished 18-hole golf course rivals that of the Country
Club which has pretty garden-patched cottages surrounding its fairways.
Ornate iron gates open to the Mansion House, the official summer residence
of Philippine presidents. It offers tourists with great photo opportunities
with its rectangular reflecting pool along a tree-lined walkway. It also
houses a museum of presidential memorabilia. Near the Mansion House is
Wright Park where neophyte riders can trot around an oval track guided
by trainers who lead horses with a hand-held leash. At the Mines View
Park, tourists can have a panoramic view of the old mines of Benguet.
At the park entrance is a flea market for souvenir items.
Sitting on top of a hill in Upper Session Road is the
twin-spire Baguio Cathedral, a city landmark. Another pilgrimage site
is the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes which sits on top of Dominican Hill.
Devotees prefer to climb the 252-step ascent than drive through a winding
road to reach the shrine. Bell Church holds a religious service of mixed
Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian and Christian dogmas but tourists come here
to have their fortunes told.
Located on an elevated pine-forested ground is the Philippine
Military Academy, the country’s foremost military learning institution.
Its Saturday morning Parade in Review by cadets in full regalia never
fails to attract visitors. Also within campus is a Military Museum. A
cultural haven established by noted Baguio artist BenCab, Tam-awan Village
recreates a typical ethnic village in the Cordilleras with authentic tribal
homes uprooted from their original locations and re-set on similar terrain.
There is also an art gallery-cum-coffee shop.
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BANAUE OF PAINTERLY DREAMS
Because of its high altitude, Banaue is often described
as "where land merges with the clouds to meet the heavens" with
the rice terraces as "the stairway to the sky."
Banaue is a place for nature adventures and cultural
immersion. Days are for indulging in such activities as strolling, biking,
and trekking. Evenings are for campfire chats at a village or warm indoor
cosseting at the lodges and inns.
A leading tourism destination in Asia, the Banaue rice
terraces start from the base of the Cordilleras and reach up to several
thousand feet high. Its length, if stretched from end to end, could encircle
half of the globe. The rice paddies are fed by mountain springs and streams
that are channeled into an irrigation canal that runs downhill through
the terraces. In the village of Batad, the terraces take the shape of
an amphitheater and can be reached by a 12-kilometer ride from Banaue
Hotel and a 2-hour hike through mountain trails.
After trekking through the terraces, cool retreats indeed
are the spring-fed stream of Guihob and the magnificent Tappiya Waterfalls
which has an enormous basin for swimming. Shopping takes a different twist
in Banaue. While souvenir items are offered by curio stores, the more
exciting way to shop, however, is to go on a village visit, watch a family
demonstrate their native craft and then haggle for a better price on their
product.
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ISLAND FLAVORS
It has been said that there is only one kind of lucrative
business in Baguio, and that is dining. This, of course, is overly exaggerated
but then who can question this wisdom with the proliferation of food places
offering all kinds of eats in this tiny city!
Star Café along Lower Session Road is noted for
its excellent breads and pies and fine Chinese cuisine while the adjoining
Dainty Restaurant has the best coffee in town and good noodles, too. For
really great old-fashioned breakfasts, check out Casa Vallejo at the Upper
Session Road. New Bonuan at the Happy Glen Loop, Jade Restaurant along
Marcos Highway and Barrio Fiesta at the Upper Session Road are where you
can partake of home-cooked native cooking. Kalapaw Restaurant in Chuntug
Street specializes in grilled squids and tuna jaws. Inn Rocio in Kisad
Road dishes out Continental food, Mario’s Restaurant in Upper Session
Road has good steaks, great Caesar’s Salad, and decadent cakes.
And the artsy Café by the Ruins in Chuntug Street serves eclectic,
seasonal dishes. At the Hotel Monticello in Kennon Road, Hakuun Sanso
Restaurant serves authentic Japanese cuisine while 50’s Diner specializes
in traditional American staples. Rose Bowl Steak House and Restaurant
in Harrison Road offers an international fare of Chinese, American and
Filipino dishes. The local food chain Don Henrico’s has its beginnings
at the Upper Session Road and serves yummy pastas and pizzas.
While Baguio bursts at the seams with restaurants, one
has a limited choice in Banaue where most dining outlets are found in
the mountain inns and lodges. Banaue Hotel has theme restaurants and offers
catering services for picnic meals.
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PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Baguio can be reached by land and air travel from Manila,
the country's main international gateway. The Philippines is accessible
from the travel capitals of the world. Traveling time to Manila from Hong
Kong is an hour and 50 minutes; from Singapore, 3 hours and 10 minutes;
from Bangkok, 3 hours and 50 minutes; Tokyo, 4 hours and 15 minutes; Sydney,
10 hours and 20 minutes; London, 20 hours and 45 minutes; Paris, 21 hours
and 15 minutes; Frankfurt, 19 hours and 40 minutes; San Francisco, 16
hours and 15 minutes; Los Angeles, 15 hours and 20 minutes; and New York,
25 hours and 20 minutes.
Flights are scheduled 4x-a-week from Manila to Baguio, with less than
an hour of travel time. There are also regular and air-conditioned buses
that leave their Manila stations for Baguio. Travel time is approximately
7 hours. The buses, which leave on scheduled runs, do stopovers at designated
points along the route for refreshments and other necessities. Reservations
are needed before boarding the buses.
source: Department of Tourism
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