Ifugao Diary: Kiangan

Kiangan Town Hall at the town proper.

I am always fond of Ifugao. Aside from its awesome rice terraces and amazing mountains, the people are always kind and friendly. And I have yet to complete my journey to experience and see the 5 UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ifugao. I have been to Batad, Banga-an, Mayoyao, and Hapao. 

Kiangan Youth Hostel

Ba-e Rice Terraces and Mt. Kappugan.

Kiangan is the oldest town of Ifugao and used to be the capital before it became Lagawe. An 8-hour bus ride from Manila, we started our trip to the quiet town of Kiangan. It was already 7:00 am when we alight the bus at Lagawe. We rode a tricycle to the town proper for less than 30 minutes. We stayed at Kiangan Youth Hostel. We were the only guest that time and the hostel were so quiet at night that we can only hear our breathing inside our room. 

On our way to Mt. Kappugan

Mt. Kappugan. This mountain stands at 1,305 meters above sea level and is prominent amongst the mountain that surrounds the town. After paying for environmental fee and having a mandatory guide, we hiked the dangerous terrains of Mt Kappugan all the way through its summit. We passed by the community before reaching the jump-off. Dangerous because most of the trails are a couple of steps to the ravine. The trail is composed of trees and you can smell the fragrance of the flowers coming from coffee trees. The shrubs were mostly sharp and hard. Only one person can walk on the trail. When we reached the summit after 3 hours, the sun was already up and blazing hot. From the top, you can see the whole town and a part of Nagacadan Rice Terraces, my fifth and last UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was so excited. By the time we reached the town proper, we were already famished. We didn't had breakfast earlier aside from the coffee we drank at Lagawe. We had lunch at a local restaurant that offers home-cooked meals that are affordable and decent.

The aromatic scent coming the flowers of the coffee tree. 

Walking beside Ba-e Rice Terraces to the jump-off of Mt. Kappugan.

Uttuh Falls

After lunch, we walked our way to Uttuh Falls. We passed by the green and well-manicured Bae Rice Terraces. It was a 45-minute walk of mostly cemented street, rice paddies, and walk ways similar to that of a park. At the falls, we saw a group of teenagers chilling and having a picnic. It was a nice afternoon for a dip. We stayed for a while to savor the beautiful place. The sound of water dropping to the pool was somewhat therapeutic. We headed back to the hostel before the rain poured throughout the evening.

The following day, we had an early breakfast before taking off for another fun tour of Kiangan. We chartered a tricycle for the whole day. We went to the house where General Tomuyuki Yamashita surrendered. The house was well-kept by the tourism of the town. It was Sunday and was closed for the day.

Nagacadan Rice Terraces.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I can't contain my excitement to see our next stop, the Nagacadan Rice Terraces. It is a 10-hectare terraces and located in a valley a few minutes away from the town proper. That time, a few parts were planted, some have seedlings, and a few parts were unkempt. According to an owner of a homestay, the rice terraces has different owners and has different schedule of planting. Further, they only plant rice once a year. As expected, Nagacadan is beautiful especially after the rain. We further moved on with our tour to Ifugao Museum, War Memorial Shrine, and Ambuwaya Lake.

A farmer in Nagacadan Rice Terraces.

War Memorial Shrine

Ambuwaya Lake

After the tour, we tried a different way going home. We didn't rode the Ohayami Bus but instead, we cut trips by riding a jeepney from Lagawe to Bagabag for approximately 1.5 hours. There are lots of buses from north that pass by Bagabag including those from Aparri and Cagayan. We rode for 5 hours going to Manila with a couple of stopovers.

Kiangan is indeed a very nice place and is one of my favorites in Ifugao. I hope to be back soon when the rice are golden yellow and are ready for harvest.

Blazing heat from the sun at the summit of Mt. Kappugan.




READ MORE

Ifugao Diary: Trekking Batad and Banga-an
Ifugao Diary: Hungduan
Ifugao Diary: Mayoyao

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