Kiangan (Ifugao) - Part 2 of 2

DAY 2: May 13, 2018 (Sunday)

Capturing a beautiful sunrise and charged by an early morning breakfast, we then went off towards the first goal for the day, which was to summit Mount Kapugan. Once a place where Ifugao men would hunt wild boar and collect native coffee beans, this mountain was developed as an ecoutourism attraction in 2004. 

Kiangan Sunrise

Summit of Mount Kapugan

Late breakfast at the summit area

After eating a late breakfast "the hiker way", as seen in the photo above, we started descending going towards our refreshing reward, the Uttu Falls, a pristine site located at the foot of the mountain.

The jump-off point is located along the road at Sitio Bae, Ambabag near the Bae Rice Terraces.

Arriving at the falls area in almost an hour, we then quickly refreshed ourselves, while our guide was cooking our lunch - the traditional way.  

Enjoying Uttu Falls

Cooking the traditional way

Satisfied after our traditional lunch, grabbing our food using our bare hands on a Togwak, we drank fresh Buko too. 

Lunchtime

Fresh Buko time naman

Our last stop for the entire trip was the Saint Joseph’s Church, located at Pindongan. It has a unique architectural design, built by Belgian missionaries in the 1950’s to replace the original granite church that was built in 1916 and destroyed during the WW II.This church was inaugurated and consecrated in December 29, 1956. It is the only church in the Cordilleras, other than the Cathedral in Baguio, which has the distinction of being consecrated.

Saint Joseph’s Church

Returning back towards our homestay, we then freshened up ourselves, packed our luggage, checked out, and bade farewell to an underrated place worth visiting.

We rode rented tricycles and alighted at the Kiangan-Lagawe junction. We then waited for our CODA Lines tourist bus, coming from Sagada, to pick us up at a sari-sari store along the Kiangan-Lamut Road.

Kiangan-Lagawe Junction

Tourist Bus Stop area

If ever one has not been to the province of Ifugao, for me, I would definitely start with the Municipality of Kiangan, which is, again, the birthplace of Ifugao culture.

In addition, the name Kiyyangan is enshrined in Ifugao mythology and is believed to be the dwelling of Wigan and Bugan, the mythological ancestors of the Ifugao.

What more can you ask from a non-famous laid-back place, steaming with culture. 

Explore Pinas!

Part 1:

Kiangan (Ifugao) - Part 1 of 2

Kiangan (Ifugao) - Part 1 of 2

Ifugao is a landlocked province of the Philippines, which is a part of the Cordillera Administrative Region located up north in the Luzon island of the Philippines.

With eleven municipalities tucked under its fold, it showcases loads of tourism potential especially for outdoor enthusiasts, which has yet to be discovered, since, as most tourists could attest, only the world-famous Banaue Rice Terraces, the so-called "Eighth Wonder of the World", is the only place-to-be in this underrated province.

Last May 12-13, 2018, my friends and I went to a non-famous, but very historical town called Kiangan, the oldest town in the province and the birthplace of Ifugao culture.

Location of Kiangan in the province of Ifugao

DAY 0: May 11, 2018 (Friday)

Our Sagada-bound CODA Lines tourist bus departed in the evening. The terminal of CODA Lines is located at HM Transport Inc. Monte de Piedad, Corner Maryland, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila. Yes, HM Transport and CODA Lines share the same bus terminal. In addition, all trips going to Sagada passes through the Ifugao province, which explains why our bus' signage indicates SAGADA. Advanced ticket reservation purchase is highly recommended since Sagada is a very popular tourist destination. 

CODA Lines at HM Transport bus terminal

DAY 1: May 12, 2018 (Saturday)

After around eight hours of travel time, we alighted at the town of Lagawe, Ifugao in the early morning and rode tricycles going to Kiangan. Our accommodation venue of choice was the Kiangan Viewpoint Homestay. It was named as such due to the beautiful view based on its strategic location. 

Kiangan Viewpoint Homestay

Majestic view from the homestay

After eating breakfast, we strolled around town going towards Barangay Ambabag, where we could view the Bae Rice Terraces. You could even view Mount Kapugan from this area.

Breakfast time

Bae Rice Terraces as seen on the road

Mount Kapugan

We then strolled back to the town proper, visited the market, and went to the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), which features the architectural style of the American missionaries who built them. They were the ones who spread Protestantism here. This structure is located along the Rafael Bulayungan Road.

Market shopping

UCCP - Kiangan

Right beside the UCCP is the Ifugao Academy, which same as the UCCP, was established in 1926 by its founder, Myrthle Metzger, an American Missionary.  

Ifugao Academy

Next stop was the Kiangan National Shrine, which is a war memorial, commemorating the surrender of the supreme commander of the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines, General Tomoyuki Yamashita to the Allied forces, which led to the end of the Japanese occupation during World War II.

Entering the Kiangan National Shrine

Inside the shrine is a huge steel-and-concrete pyramidal structure, built in 1974, which has a view deck where one could view the whole Poblacion and the town of Lagawe. It was created in memory of the heroism of the soldiers who died in defense of peace.

Pyramidal structure

A few walks from this structure is the Ifugao Museum, which serves as a repository of Ifugao traditonal and cultural material.

Ifugao Museum

Returning back to the Rafael Bulayungan Road, we dropped by the Yamashita Surrender Site near the Kiangan Central School. It is a wooden structure where General Yamashita actually and physically surrendered  to the Allied Forces on September 2, 1945, ending World War II.

Yamashita Surrender Site

We then proceeded to the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPED) Center building where students and heritage students interact and engage with each other to learn their history and culture. There is also a store inside selling weaved products.

Showing the weaving process

Departing the IPED, we passed by a house where there was a traditional Ifugao wedding reception ongoing. A member of the clan saw us and gamely invited us to "maki-hamul", wherein the word "Hamul" is an Ifugao term for "feast" or "free meal" during special occasions called for such as weddings, thanksgivings, funerals, and the like. Yes, even total strangers can be invited, meaning in a "Hamul", everyone is invited.

Traditional Ifugao dance

Since this was a special celebration, the only viands provided were all-meat, served on an Ifugao traditional plate called "Togwak", made from the bulk of a banana, since during the olden times, there were no plates then. 

Enjoying the free all-meat lunch

All-meat meal served on a Togwak...(burp!)

Time to burn what we hugely consumed, as we proceeded to our next target, trekking the Nagacadan Rice Terraces, located in Barangay Nagacadan. It was declared a Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1995, showcasing the Ifugaos’ ingenuity and harmony between man and nature. 

Jump-off point towards the Nagacadan Rice Terraces

Nagacadan Rice Terraces

Capping off the first day was visiting the Imbuliklik Rock, a 25-meter high legendary rock located within the rice terraces. Trek to its top for a great view of the rice terraces.

Imbuliklik Rock

Viewdeck of Imbuliklik Rock

Part 2:
Kiangan (Ifugao) - Part 2 of 2

Maligcong Hexalogy (Bontoc, Mountain Province) - Part 2 of 2

DAY 2: February 23, 2020 (Sunday)

After a hearty early morning breakfast at Suzette's Maligcong Homestay, we headed off towards our first mountain for the day, Mount Filig.

Early morning breakfast

Since the start of the trail was very far from the homestay, to maximize time, we decided to rent a private jeepney that would take us to Sitio Fang-Oraw, which is the jump-off point, wherein we would be trudging the Maligcong Rice Terraces.

Trekking the Maligcong Rice Terraces

A very beautiful forested trail welcomed us as we started assaulting the mountain, and when we reached level ground, which is a campsite, we took a break before summiting Mount Filig at 1695 MASL.

Beautiful forested trail

Campsite

Summit of Mount Filig

After conquering this mountain, we continued walking along the trail towards Mount Amfomotngor.

Forested trail

Before reaching the summit of Mount Amfotmotngor, we passed by a great viewdeck along the trail.

Viewdeck

The summit of Mount Amfomotngor, the highest in Maligcong at 1775 MASL, was thickly forested since we were the first non-local mountaineering group to have summited the said mountain. What a historic achievement for a group of chill hikers!

Conquering Maligcong's highest, Mount Amfomotngor

With two more mountains to go, we headed off by backtrailing towards Mount Angtungfaw at 1660 MASL, then traversing towards Mount Kupapey, all of which were forested trails.

Summit of Mount Angtungfaw

Summit of Mount Kupapey

The summit of Mount Kupapey showcases a grand view of the Maligcong Rice Terraces. Hikers mostly visit this area in the early morning to catch the beautiful sunrise.

After reaching our last mountain, we then descended towards the other side of the Maligcong Rice Terraces, returning back to our homestay.

Trekking back via the Maligcong Rice Terraces

As you can see, based on the picture above, since we trekked this area on a February, the rice terraces ain't green yet since it is still on the preparation stages. The months of April to July would be a good time to see green rice terraces, and the harvesting starts at around August to September. Harvesting only occurs once a year.

Arriving at our homestay at around noontime, we just had lunch, enjoyed our "hard-earned" free time, and ate dinner. 

Apart from the six mountains we successfully hiked in this blog, other hikeable mountains in this barangay are Mount Matuon, Mount Locutan, and Mount Patoc.

By the way, our guide was Terrence Kawaren, who appeared in GMA NEWS TV's "Biyahe ni Drew" aired last February 7, 2020, and yes, the entire crew booked in this homestay too. 

Terrence Kawaren appearance in "Biyahe ni Drew"

"Biyahe ni Drew" homestay of choice

DAY 3: February 24, 2020 (Monday)

On our last day in this beautiful place, we ate breakfast, checked out, and departed from our accommodation via public jeepney towards Bontoc town proper at 8:00AM. Jeepney schedule from Maligcong-Bontoc are 6:30AM, 8:00AM, 9:00AM, 2:00PM, and 4:00PM.

Again, after several trips in Maligcong, staying in the same homestay, hats off to Mrs. Suzette Bencio-Chees and her family for their superb customer service, hospitality, great food, and FREE "Timplang Suzette" brewed coffee! 

The contact number of Suzette's Maligcong Homestay is 0915-5463557. Their Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/SuzetteMaligcongHomestay/.

Posing with the homestay owner, Mrs. Suzette Bencio-Chees 

When we arrived in Bontoc town proper, we walked along the Halsema Highway, then turned left after the Shell gas station, and rode a Sagada-bound public vehicle at Walter Clapp Centrum area. 

Since our CODA Lines tourist bus in Sagada would still depart at 2:00PM, we just roamed around the town of Sagada, ate lunch, and bought pasalubong. Travel time from Sagada to Cubao takes around 11-12 hours.

Travelling back several times toward this wonderful underrated place is just plain crystal clear evidence that Maligcong is definitely a must-see for any outdoor enthusiast out there. 

Marvelous Maligcong it is......Explore Pinas!

Page 1:
Maligcong Hexalogy (Bontoc, Mountain Province) - Part 1 of 2

Maligcong Hexalogy (Bontoc, Mountain Province) - Part 1 of 2

The Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines, which is a part of the Cordillera Administrative Region. The said province was named as such due to the fact that it is located in the Cordillera Central mountain range found in the upper portions of the Luzon island, and the capital of which is Bontoc.

Location of Bontoc, Mountain Provnce

With ten municipalities under its administration, and given its name, this province boasts a plethora of hiking trails, rice terraces, mummy caves, and hanging coffins, perfect for outdoor adventurists.

Well, without batting an eyelash, the most popular town, frequented by travelers, is got to be Sagada, which has been accommodating around 180,000 tourist arrivals every year.

Anyway, we now shift our focus, not in the town of Bontoc, but in a quaint barangay under its umbrella called Maligcong, which is slowly gaining interest in the outdoor community.

Location of Barangay Maligcong, Bontoc (lagalog.com)

Maligcong is the Kankana-ey term that means “surrounded by rice paddies”, as the village sits in the middle of rice terraces, hailed as among the most beautiful in the entire Cordillera Region. 

Since I have been here several times already, for this blog, I chose my February 22-23, 2020 trip together with my friends from the Larga-Bistas Mountaineering Group, as we successfully trekked six mountains in two days, one of which was the tallest peak in Maligcong.

DAY 0: February 21, 2020 (Friday)

Our Sagada-bound CODA Lines tourist bus departed in the evening. The terminal of CODA Lines is located at HM Transport Inc. Monte de Piedad, Corner Maryland, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila. Yes, HM Transport and CODA Lines share the same bus terminal. In addition, all trips going to Sagada passes through the Mountain Province, which explains why our bus' signage indicates SAGADA. Advanced ticket reservation purchase is highly recommended since Sagada is a very popular tourist destination. 

CODA Lines at HM Transport bus terminal

DAY 1: February 22, 2020 (Saturday)

Travelling for around ten hours, we alighted our bus at the end of the Chico Karayan Bridge, which is the Bontoc town proper.

Arrival at Bontoc town proper

We then ate at our "official" breakfast joint, the TLS Canteen, which is located just beside the green directional signage as seen in the photo above.

TLS Canteen

Breakfast time

After being recharged by a hearty breakfast, we trudged the Nueva Vizcaya-Ifugao-Mountain Province Road going towards the jeepney terminal, situated on the street on the left side of the Bontoc Provincial Plaza. 

To maximize on time, we decided on a special jeepney ride that would take us to Maligcong at once, rather than wait for the public jeepneys to start their engines at 8:00AM, which is the earliest trip from Bontoc to Maligcong. For added information, the next public jeepney trip schedules are 12:00 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm, and 5:30 pm. Travel time would take around 30 minutes.

Departing Bontoc to Maligcong

We arrived at our "official" Maligcong accomodation, Suzette's Maligcong Homestay, which we highly recommend due to their high quality of service, as we unloaded our stuff in our respective room assignments, freshened up a bit, and went off immediately towards our first hiking destination, the very popular Mount Fato.   

Actually, before proceeding to Mount Fato, we first trekked towards the so-called Lonely Tree, passing by cemented and rough trails, as well as rice terraces.

Mount Fato Jump-off point along Maligcong Road

Forested trail

Rice terraces trail

Lonely Tree

Mount Fato as seen from the Lonely Tree area

The trail towards Mount Fato is mostly forested, with some parts of the trail on the edge of the mountain.

Trekking on the edge

The summit area of Mount Fato at 1438 MASL provides loads of views of Barangay Maligcong, which are great for picture taking. The said mountain is also called Mount Parutan.

Summit area of Mount Fato

Summit area of Mount Fato

Actual summit of Mount Fato is on top of this huge rock

After conquering Mount Fato and eating trail snacks (yup..for some hikers...this can be lunch!), we went straight to our next mountain, which is Mount Mogao.

Forested trail

Mount Mogao as seen along the trail

The summit area of Mount Mogao at 1565 MASL provides a good view of Barangay Guinaang. Actually, this mountain is really a part of Guinaang rather than Maligcong.

Summit of Mount Mogao

Summit of Mount Mogao

Returning back to Suzette's Maligcong Homestay, we quickly freshened up, rested a bit, then ate one heck of a dinner at 13 degrees to cap the first day....brrrrrr!

Dinner at 13 degrees

Part 2:

Maligcong Hexalogy (Bontoc, Mountain Province) - Part 2 of 2