Ilocos Norte Hotels
Ilocos Sur Hotels
Hotels in the PhilippinesHere is the itinerary during my do-it-yourself (DIY) tour of Ilocos Norte for 4 days. My major destinations in Ilocos Norte were Pagudpud, Laoag City, and Paoay.
My first stop was Pagudpud, located at the northernmost tip of Luzon Island. To get there, I took the long bus commute from Tuguegarao City in Cagayan Province.
I arrived at around mid-morning and spent the rest of the day going to a couple of spots in town like the Patapat Viaduct, Kabigan Falls, Blue Lagoon, and Saud Beach.
On the second day, I decided to do a commuting tour of the Bangui Windmills, Kapurpurawan White Rock, and Cape Bojeador Lighthouse on my way down to Laoag, the capital city of Ilocos Norte. I spent two nights in Laoag while taking day trips to the beautiful churches of Paoay, Sarrat, and Bacarra.
I made sure to visit the Malacanang of the North at Paoay Lake before moving further south to the heritage city of Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
Ilocos Norte Itinerary Map
My Ilocos Norte Itinerary, a Day DIY Tour of Pagudpud, Laoag, and Paoay
Day 1 – Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; Bus commute from Tuguegarao
(also day four of my Northern Luzon Circuit)
- 5:00am – Tricycle ride to “GMW Bus Liner” Terminal, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan from Hotel Ivory – P20
- 5:20am – Board “Laoag” GMW aircon bus. All Laoag-bound buses pass by Pagupud
- 6:20am - Departure from Tuguegarao City
- Bus ride from Tuguegarao City to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte (5 hours) – P350 fare
- 11:30am – Arrival in Pagudpud
- Drop-off at highway intersection to Saud Beach
- Tricycle ride to Saud Beach – P60 charter
- Drop-off at Henry’s Homestay, located near Polaris Beach Resort
- Check-in at Henry’s Homestay – P300 per room per night (fan room with double bed and private CR).
- Room was clean enough, aptly sized, and the reception was very friendly
- 12:20nn – Lunch at Polaris Beach Resort
- Longsilog meal + 500ml bottled water – P140
- Saud Beach sightseeing
Saud Beach- 1:20pm – Tricycle tour of Pagudpud – P600 per tricycle
- 1:40pm – Kabigan Falls (30 minute inland trek) – P100 guide fee
- 3:15pm – Patapat Viaduct
- 3:25pm – Agua Grande / Agua Paraiso
- 4:00pm – Timmangtang Rock
- 4:20pm – Blue Lagoon / Maira-ira Beach
Blue Lagoon / Maira-ira Beach
- 5:00pm – Back to Saud Beach
- Sunset at Saud Beach
- 7:00pm – Dinner at Evangeline Beach Resort
- Buffalo Chicken Meal (with drink) + extra rice – P214
- Sleep: Henry’s Homestay
Day 2 – Pagudpud to Laoag City road trip
- 10:00am – Ride tricycle to Pagudpud town proper or “centro” (15 minutes) – P30
- 11:20am – Departure from Pagudpud centro
- Bus ride from Pagudpud to Brgy. Baruyen in Bangui, Ilocos Norte (30 minutes) – P20
- 12:00am – Ride tricycle to Bangui Windmills – P100 round-trip charter
- 12:15am – Bangui Windmills photo stop
Bangui Windmills
- 1:00pm – Drop-off at Bangui Windmills viewdeck (along the highway)
- 1:10pm – Ride bus toBurgos – P15
- Drop-off at Cape Bojeador Lighthouse highway intersection
- 1:30pm – Walk to Cape Bojeador Lighthouse (20 minutes uphill hike)
- 1:50pm – Arrival at Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
- Cape Bojeador Lighthouse photo stop
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse- 2:20pm – Ride jeep to Kapurpurawan White Rock highway intersection – P10
- 2:30pm – Walk to Kapurpurawan White Rock Sightseeing (45 minutes)
- Kapurpurawan White Rock photo stop
Kapurpurawan White Rock- Hitched a ride back to the highway
- 5:30pm – Bus ride from to Laoag (1 hour) – P50
- 6:30pm – Arrival in Laoag
- Tricycle ride to Laoag Centro
- Check-in at Pichay Lodge (corner Primo Lazaro – Hernando St.) – P350 per room per night (fan room with double bed and private CR)
- Room was spacious but was very dirty and not maintained well.
- Sleep: Pichay Lodge
Day 3 – Churches in Greater Laoag, Ilocos Norte Area
- 8:00am – got out of Pichay
- Breakfast at McDo
- Walk along Rizal St.
- 9:00am – Ride jeep to Sarrat, Ilocos Norte – P13
- 9:30am – Arrive in Sarrat
- Sarrat Church photo stop
Brickwork at Sarrat Church and Convent- Walk to Marcos Museum
- 9:50am – Marcos Museum photo-stop
- Ride jeep to Laoag – P13
- Ride tricycle to Batac, Ilocos Norte – Paoay jeepney stop – P13
- Ride jeep to Paoay, Ilocos Norte – P33
- 11:15am – Arrive in Paoay
- Paoay Church photo-stop
Paoay Church- 12:10nn – Lunch in La Herrencia Cafe
- Bagnet with KBL (Kamatis, Bagoong, Lasona) – P200
- Rice – P20 per cup
- Iced Tea – P45
- Jeep to Batac – P8
- 12:40nn – Arrive in Batac
- Batac Church photo-stop
- Jeep to San Nicolas – P20
- 1:40pm – San Nicolas Church photo-stop
- Jeep to Laoag – P8
- 2:40pm – Loaog Photo stop
- Laoag City Hall
- Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol
- Laoag Church
Laoag Church- Tricycle to Bacarra jeepney terminal -P15
- Jeep to Bacarra – P11
- 3:30pm – Arrive in Bacarra
- Bacarra Church photo stop
- Tricycle to highway – P10
- Jeep to Laoag – P11
- Jeep to San Nicolas / Robinsons Place Ilocos Norte – P8
- Dinner at Foodcourt
- Pinakbet + Dinuguan + Rice + Salad – P70
- Jeep to Laoag – P8
- Sleep: Pichay Lodge
Day 4 – Malacanang of the North and Paoay Lake of Ilocos
- 9:00am – Tricycle ride to plaza area- P15
- Walk to Jeepney terminal / loading station near the approach of the long bridge to San Nicolas (at the McDo side)
- 10:00am – Jeepney ride to Malacanang of the North (30 minutes) - P20 fare
- Malacangang of the North tour – P20 entrance fee
- Walk to highway
- Tricycle ride to Pichay Lodge – P35 shared charter
- 11:50am – ”check-out” at Pichay Lodge
- Walk to San Nicolas Jeepney terminal
- Ride jeep to Dawang’s restaurant – P8
- Lunch at Dawang’s
- Igado, Pork Adobo, Lauya (Boiled Pork Ribs), Rice, Coke – P103
- 12:30nn – Ride bus to Vigan
- 3:00pm – Arrive in Vigan
I will also post my Ilocos Sur itinerary soon. Subscribe to my feed to receive blog updates.
Hotels in Laoag City
Places to stay in Vigan
Pagudpud Resorts
My name is Marcos. I'm an off-beat explorer who loves to experience and capture the beauty of the Philippines and Asia. I started making a living online to support myself financially through my university degree. I've been living a location-independent digital lifestyle ever since. 
Awesome photos! I really would love to go to Bangui Windmills, hopefully I can go there before the year ends. :-)
Hi! Pagudpud drivers are well organized and have their rates fixed. I’d like to recommend Mang Ador Tabangay, a very informative, helpful and punctual driver. Here is his number in case you’d want to schedule in advance! :D
Thanks for sharing king arambulo… in general, there are a lot of tricycle drivers offering tours in Pagudpud.
ADOR TABANGAY 09487940255
So happy to find your site. My friends and I are going to Pagudpud this summer and I’d been searching for travel tips. Thanks for this.
My pleasure Marjorie ^_^
Hi There! My friend and I was so happy to find your site, were having a last minute vacation trip-id hehehe in Ilocos and your site is really awesome! I spent almost a day searching for the right blog most of the blogs are like more on the commentary and expensive places to visit, and there you go information overload plus a very cheap yet look so exciting tour! Thank you so much! Looking forward to read more blogs from you! :) Thank you for this!
Cool! Glad to be of service :D
hi. how much did you spend all in all when you went in ilocos norte for 4 days? :)
My expenses were around P1K per day. I usually spend more when I’m moving around a lot and less when I just stay put in one area.
hiramin ko lang muna tong IT mo. We’re planning to go to laoag sa katapusan ng june.. and can you recommend cheapest hotel.. tiffany hotel-malapit lang ba sya sa mga places sa IT mo?
can you give me some tips.. mula sa laoag airport;-)
Hi!
I hope you can help. We’re about 4 families traveling to Ilocos. Our sked is a bit tight because we want to cover as much of Baguio, Ilocos Sur/Norte as much as possibe. We’re from Cagayan de Oro City.
Could you please suggest an itinerary for us (with ETDs and ETAs to and from one place)? We’ll be in Laoag at 9 AM and intend to go to Pagudpud after lunch. We might spend the night in Pagudpud and leave for Cabanatuan after lunch the following day.
Where can we go given the very tight sked?
Please check if this sked is doable. Would appreciate it if you could arrange it so that we do not waste time or miss a place:
9 AM – ETA in Laoag
9 – 2 PM – proceed to the Sinking Bell Tower, Malacanang of the North, Fort Ilocandia, Paoay Church, La Paz Sand Dunes (lunch in between)
2 PM – ETD for Pagudpud
3 PM – ETA in Pagudpud
3-6 PM – proceed to Cape Bojeador, Kapurpurawan, Bangui windmills (overnight stay in Paugpud)
7-11 AM – proceed to Blue Lagoon for short dip (where else can we go afterwards?)
11 AM – 1 PM – lunch
1 PM – depart from Pagudpud
Thanks so much!
Hope you can help…
woah! yes! i have been to those places and it was awesome. not because my my family originated there, but the scenery and it’s historical places make me fall in love over and over again. i went to bohol and palawan. it made me come to think na may ilalaban ang ilocos province. i recommend a week vacation for you guys to experience the beauty of the north. there are hotels offering low accomodation fees like 900 per day good for 4 to 5 person. fully airconditioned but i can’t guarantee you the perfect service though if you are looking for a place to lay your back. however, there’s a lot of activities to do there, such as sand boarding, water sports activities, snorkling and of course pasyal. hehehe! thanks for posting your blog. nice photos.
hi sir, just wondering, is it safe to travel to ilocos alone? im planning to go there soon… how many days will i need to maximize most locations? will it be too costly pag maig isa or meron ding cheaper option?
salamat ng madami…
I traveled there alone and nothing unfortunate happened to me. The itinerary I posted (encompassing only Ilocos Norte) lasted for four days plus another 2 days for Ilocos Sur. It’s definitely more expensive to travel alone.
great blog site. really helpful. will be traveling to Laoag on January 30 with my hubby. Can’t wait to see the windmills. so surprised there are more places we can actually pass by while going there. thanks.
Yeah, there are lots of interesting places to visit in the area. Safe travels!
do you have gmw’s contact nos.? been googling it but couldn’t find one. tnx
Thanks this is so helpful! My daughter and I are going this May. Might just DIY this, instead. Exciting.
hi there,
do you still have any contact person that we may talk to, to help us move around ilocos. we’re going there sept of this year.
thanks.
Marcos – Thanks so much for sharing this information. Based on your tips, I was able to visit the region without any hastle. Your blog is more useful than Lonely Planet! I posted some pictures of my time in Pagupud here: http://www.tenacityinpursuit.com/oct12.php#oct19 Feel free to check them out when you have time. Thanks again!