New guidelines keep this mountain destination clean and green
Sagada is a town in the Cordillera region within the Mountain Province. For years, it has attracted mostly backpackers and solo travelers who come to enjoy the cool mountain breeze, outdoor activities, natural scenery, and serenity. The long travel time by bus on winding rough roads coming from Manila kept away most of the tourist crowds.
But in recent years, Sagada has become more popular among families, barkadas, and regular office workers looking for a new destination. Better roads, the availability of budget-friendly van tours, and increased popularity of the place after it was featured in a movie has led to over-tourism, heavy traffic, waste problems, and more.
To minimize the impact of tourism, local officials crafted new guidelines which they released in December 2018. If you’re visiting Sagada this holiday season, here are some things you need to keep in mind to help support their efforts to be a sustainable destination.
Ditch your vehicle for local transport
As a mountain town, Sagada has limited road networks and very narrow streets. The high volume of vehicles coming in especially during peak season like Christmas and Holy Week only add to the traffic and parking problems.
If you’re planning to make a long drive up, you should know that new rules have been put in place regarding the use of private vehicles. All private and agency-owned/ hired tourist vehicles are required to park throughout the duration of their stay in their hotel parking area or in pay parking areas and use public transportation and walk to tourist destinations instead. Only local transport shall be allowed to ferry tourists to identified sites.
Sagada is mostly a walking town. In order to visit sites like Echo Valley and Sumaging Cave, you need to walk. No vehicles (including local shuttles) are allowed to ferry guests going to these sites. Parking is not allowed near the caves either.
Other sites including Bomod-ok, Marlboro, Balangagan, and Pongas can be visited with a local shuttle, which will make use of designated drop-off and loading areas. Visitors are prohibited from leaving cars idling or waiting on passengers for more than 10 minutes.
No parking is allowed along Sagada’s major roads (including in front of restaurants) from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. All tourists need to be prepared to walk around town to visit shops, restaurants, and nearby tourist spots. To avoid traffic congestion, tourists can ride the jeepneys.
Visit sites with accredited guides
Some areas like Kiltepan Peak had to close for rehabilitation because of the “sea of crowds” and overnight campers who left trash behind and inadvertently started a fire. To prevent vandalism and destructive acts towards the environment, all tours must now be done with local tour guides.
Register at the tourism office to reserve slots for tours because a tourist capacity is now imposed on popular sites. For instance, viewing of the sunrise at Marlboro Hills will be closed once the capacity of 800 persons is reached.
Those who do not have a reservation stub will be accommodated the next day.
Respect local rules and culture
Tourists are asked to respect sacred grounds and sites in Sagada including minimizing noise. While popularized by the movie, shouting hugot quotes and screaming to the mountains are frowned upon by locals.
As a sign of courtesy, visitors should also ask permission before taking photos of rituals and individuals. Taking close photos of local rituals is also prohibited. To respect the local culture, visitors are also asked not to wear skimpy clothing in public spaces.
While there’s no strict curfew in town, tourists are asked to minimize their noise especially during night time. Restaurants close relatively early so you should inform your lodging house if you won’t make it back by 10 p.m. lest you get locked out.
Support local products
Businesses are managed by the community in Sagada. All the accommodations such as homestays, restaurants, cafes, and tours are run by the locals. The local government came up with initiatives to support this, preventing outsiders from opening establishments to prevent unfair competition from the homegrown options. Don’t expect big name coffee joints or fast food chains here.
Make sure to support businesses by dining in the local cafes and restaurants.
Weaving provides an additional source of income for many locals, so be sure to pass by the Sagada Weaving Center, where you can buy vibrant and beautiful handwoven blankets, wallets, backpacks, and more.
Leave no trace
While it should go without saying in any destination, tourists should be mindful of the waste they produce while visiting Sagada.
Please do not leave any trash behind while visiting the forests, mountains, lakes, and caves. If there’s no trash bin around, stash your trash and throw contents when you see a garbage bin in town or when you get back to your lodging house. Bring your own bag, preferably an eco-bag when shopping.
Because of the limited supply, tourists should also conserve water and minimize the use of plastic bottles. Bring your own water bottles that you can refill in water refilling stations.
Sagada is really making big efforts to transform itself into a sustainable tourist destination. As tourists, we can all do our part to help make this a reality.