Sunset at Buntun Bridge in Tuguegarao, Cagayan

The Buntun Bridge is often overlooked by tourists visiting Tuguegarao City in Cagayan Province.

I agree that it’s no feat of human engineering (even in its time of completion) but I was somehow drawn to it.

I was scouting for locations to take sunset photos in Tuguegarao. The mighty Cagayan River, the longest and largest river in the Philippines, was an easy candidate.

There was no better and more convenient way to take photos of the Cagayan River than from the Buntun Bridge located at the western edge of Tuguegarao City.

About Buntun Bridge

The Buntun Bridge is actually the second longest bridge in the Philippines at 1.098 kilometers. It also has the distinction of being the longest river / freshwater bridge in the country.

It is located 2.5 kilometers west of Tuguegarao City Proper and links the city to Kalinga Province and Cagayan Province’s western towns.

The Buntun Bridge basically looks like a lengthy steel bridge with a somewhat utilitarian design.

Sunset at Buntun Bridge

Come sunset, me and Eric went to the western end of the bridge. The sunset at the time was really beautiful. The view of the Cagayan River with the mountains of the Sierra Madre on one side and the Cordilleras on the other was very picturesque.

Wanting to go to the riverbanks, we followed a path downhill but the waterline was still too far. We got sidetracked by the sight of carabaos (water buffalos) and had a field day taking photos of them grazing.

Got somewhat interesting shots but what got me hooked was seeing a lone white cattle. Yeah cattle … it’s not everyday I get to see these critters you know!?

I got “zoned in” at the attempt to get a good shot of the white cattle in the field with the Buntun Bridge in the background.

It took me a while to notice that the creature was getting very restless as I was coming closer. Looking through a camera’s viewfinder does limit ones perception of things.

After taking a better look, the cattle was already charging towards me. Good thing it was tied down securely … else I would’ve definitely ended up in a hospital bed. Scary.

I realized later on that there was a baby cattle beside it. The mother cattle was probably just protecting its calf.

Cagayan River at Dusk

When dusk came in, we transferred to the other side of the Buntun Bridge. The view from this side was better since we could see the waterline.

The dimming light and the creeping mist made for a very dramatic scene.

Beauty at unexpected places

I didn’t expect to be inspired taking photos at this obscure part of town. The silhouette of the bridge spans with the twilight reminds me of pictures I see online of Western Europe.

6pm at the Buntun Bridge