Summer is already waving. So let's go to the Summer Capital of the Philippines - Baguio City. It is also known as the City of Pines. It is one of the favorite destination of those coming from nearby provinces and the lowlands during long weekends and vacations.
It is accessible by bus or you can take your own car. Just be ready for the uphill drive.
Here are some quick tips for your BAGUIO CITY SUMVAC 2024:
NIGHT TRAVEL
Travel by night, unless you want to get stressed on heavy traffic.
Most of the time, during long weekends, there are lots of visitors going to Baguio. Kennon Road, a shorter route to Baguio from Manila is currently closed due to the ongoing road construction. There are schedules for those who want to pass by Kennon but be sure that your car is offroad ready: You will pass through the temporary diversion road along Bued River.
If you can't, you will have to take Marcos Highway/ Aspiras-Ben Palispis Highway or Nangalisan, Asin Road.
TURN YOUR AIRCON OFF.
If you are along Marcos Highway, once your car starts ascending, turn off your aircon and enjoy the air instead. Too many times that we pass by tourist cars stuck on side of the highway with the hoods up due to overheating.
Further, after the rockshed and bridge in Badiwan, Tuba, Benguet, just before Baguio City proper is a steep drive and is usually traffic during holiday seasons. I remember one time while going down to La Union, the area smelled of clutch and there were a lot of cars by the roadside with their hoods up.
You would want to avoid this from happening or it could ruin your vacation.
COMMUTE
If you can manage to commute by bus, commute.
Baguio City is small to be overcrowded with cars.
You don't want to be spending your vacation stuck on streets due to heavy traffic.
If you get to Baguio by your own car, leave them on your hotels/transients if you plan to go to the Central Business District and walk instead. Parking is also a problem during the holidays.
ALTERNATE ROUTE
You can take the Nangalisan, Asin Road as an alternate route to Baguio City. From TPLEX Rosario, you go to Tubao, La Union where the entry point is. Just be ready for a curvy uphill travel as the highway is literally like an isaw (chicken intestines).
We passed by this house along Tubao-Asin Road.
Makes me wonder, does the owner need a lot of time?
Another route is Naguilian Road which passes through Sablan, the Fruit Basket of Benguet. Don't forget to drop by B&B Kitchenette located along the highway and just below the Sablan Municipal Hall, they serve superb "Mix-mix".
Mix-mix is a mixture of lean meat and internals of pork or beef depending on your choice. I've eaten there aa few times and I always forget to take a picture of the food because once the food is served, I am always hungry. 😁
There is also the original "Mix-mix" eatery along the same highway but I prefer that of B&B. (just my opinion)
TRANSIENT
Book your hotel or transient in advance or you'll end up restless and homeless. During summer vacations, almost hotel and transient providers are fully booked.
Some end up camping in Burnham Park.
TOURIST SPOTS
I have not visited most of the tourist spots in Baguio City but here's what I have observed:
There is heavy traffic in Igorot Stone Kingdom during the day so you may prefer to go there early in the morning during opening or before closing. From there, you can go to the Strawberry Farms in La Trinidad.
From Strawberry Farms, you can go to the Stobosa Valley of Colors in Km.3, La Trinidad then afterwards, back to Baguio.
The road along Igorot Stone Kingdom and Stobosa are busy roads where most of the traffic pile up.
There are other tourist spots outside Baguio you might want to try. You can just easily google them.
The sunset is really nice here and it's a nice place to jog.
Notes:
CLAYGO
Clean as you go. While there are garbage collectors assigned, please help them as increased volume of tourists means more garbage and more work for them. Disposing your garbage properly is already a huge help to them.
TAKE YOUR TIME AND ENJOY
Be patient in everything you do and everywhere you go that way, you can enjoy your vacation. Take a lot of pictures too.
MY TIP:
Visit Baguio when it's not the "in" season. That way you can enjoy it more rather than squeezing yourself in a crowd of people. Summer is hot and Baguio is hot too. I'd suggest after the summer break/vacation.
📌Hi. I'm Cate. These are just few of the quick guides for Baguio City first-timers and I hope it will somehow help you in preparing for your trip/vacation. These are all based on my experience as a commuter from La Union going to Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet and as a resident of the place too.
I hope you have great memories! Stay safe and enjoy your travel!
P.S. We just arrived home and passed by Baguio City. It was raining. There were two accidents along Marcos Highway. First: Bus which bumped into the SUV it was following and second is a pick-up that turned on its side. Must be because of the slippery road. Stay safe travellers!
A bit timely since I'll be going to Baguio on May. 😂
Do you have suggestions/recommendations what place is best to stay (transient, hotel, airbnb)? I'm thinking of getting an airbnb in megatower baguio but I'm really not so familiar in the area so I'm not sure if that's a good place.
We're going to be commuting so I'm not keen into staying somewhere far from the center. But I also like to enjoy the view and the quiet so I'm really debating where to stay
Megatower near SM City Baguio?
If so, that would be good since it is within the CBD.
I was on the road for 7 hours total, recalling the traffic on NLEX and going to La Trinidad. I agree that the best way to enjoy Benguet is to avoid the peak seasons (probably the rainy ones too).
My fave SumVac memories were being a boy scout volunteer manning the Baguio traffic. Not sure if they still do it these days. :)