Sagada: Hanging Coffins & the Road to Cervantes

Sagada is a small, seldom visited town nestled in the mountains, about 6 hours drive, north of Baguio. The highway leading to Sagada is one of the most scenic stretches of road in the Philippines.  Sagada is inaccessible by large buses  due to the narrow winding road. It was slow-going most of the way but well worth the trip. We are traveling in a private 32 seat “coaster”  driven by our trusty driver Christian and the bus owner himself Joe Acosta.

Sunrise in this mountainous area of the Philippines often brings low clouds which settle in the valleys  and move in and out as the sun crests over the horizon. This phenomenon allows us tremendous photo opportunities.

In the photo above, you can see Robbie Hamper,  she’s a long time Jim Cline photo tours client,  whose first trip  with me was in Peru  many years ago. Robbie  is an avid photographer and traveler who  seems to have boundless energy to explore and capture interesting scenes.

Along the road, we passed the highest point in northern Luzon.  At 7,400 feet above sea level  the temperature is cool,  with our current conditions and lots of  Pine trees.  Another long time Jim  Cline photo tours client, John Rickaby,  is along on this trip with his wife Vivien.  Both John and Vivien are also avid travelers and enthusiastic photographers who are always looking for unique offbeat destinations to explore.

Once we arrived in Sagada,  we availed ourselves of some colorful local transportation…. a Jeepney  that took us around town and to  the best spots for photographing these rice terraces.

                                                   

One of the unique things to see here in Sagada, are the famous hanging coffins.  the local Filipino people here in Sagada  often “bury”  their dead  in coffins attached to the sides of cliffs.  The belief is that the spirits of the dead are more easily freed when they don’t have to rise up through 6 feet of earth.

  

The road leading from Sagada to  Cervantes could even be considered more scenic than the road from Baguio to Sagada.  As you can see from the graph above, it is a winding, cliff side road with fantastic views everywhere.

In the photograph above you can see Ferdz Decena,  our local guide. Ferdz is a photographer and author who  I discovered when reading the Philippine Airlines in-flight magazine. Ferdz  is an active promoter of Philippines tourism. His local knowledge, insights and  Philippine know-how, have helped to make this tour a  more culturally rich  experience.  If you get a moment please have a look at Ferdz’s  excellent blog for more information about interesting travel destinations in this amazing country!

Tags: Cervantes, hanging coffins, Karl Grobl Humanitiarian Photojournalist Photo Tours Cambodia, Luzon, Philippines, Photo tours Philippines, rice terraces, Sagada