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Cagayan Valley throbs with unique adventures
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: *
Date: 2007-09-08
 
Home to well-preserved nature destinations, Cagayan Valley is surrounded by hundreds of caves, rich marine life and exciting shores, unexplored mountains, rivers and forests, revered cultural practices and religious traditions.


Some say one of the reasons why Cagayan Valley region is as well-preserved as it is now, is its inaccessibility, what with three mountain ranges nestling and towering over Cagayan Valley: the Caraballo on the south; Cordillera on the west; and the Sierra Madre on the east.

Yet it is just one bus ride away. Hop on an evening airconditioned bus and you’ll be there when you wake up the next day.


 NUEVA VIZCAYA. The province Nueva Vizcaya, the citrus capital of the country, could very well be the first stop. The citrus farms of Kasibu offers visitors the chance to either pick citrus fruits, or explore the caves in a day, or simply enjoy looking for bargains at the mile-long Sta. Fe shopping highway.

For the more adventurous, Ambaguio town is the take off point for a trek to Mt. Pulag, the second highest peak in the country with trails that range from easy to challenging. From here, one can take the road to the Ifugao Rice Terraces or Baguio - the City of Pines.

Nueva Vizcaya is serviced by Bagabag Hangar Domestic Airport where Pacific Air also land their planes.


 QUIRINO PROVINCE is also accessible from Manila by a night bus (Nelbusco Bus Company and Royal Eagle Liner). With lots of virgin forests to explore, very accessible waterfalls, rivers and camping grounds, visitors are invited to enjoy the best of nature.

Homestay facilities and camping areas abound while furniture, handicraft products, fossilized flowers, food preserves and organic foods are just some of the good buys.


 ISABELA highlights its industrial centers in Santiago City and Cauayan City as investor havens. Home to two of the oldest Spanish colonial brick–made churches in the region, the Tumauini Church and San Pablo Church, Isabela also boasts of the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) which is one of the 10 biodiversity hotspots in the world.

Its forest is a confirmed habitat of the Philippine eagle and cloud rat and its coastal areas host whales and dolphins and other cetaceans.

The coastal towns under NSMNP is serviced by Cyclone Airways from Cauayan City and Chemtrad Aviation Corporation from Tuguegarao City Domestic Airport. Nelbusco Bus Company also takes off from Santiago City for the coastal town of Palanan via Dilasag, Aurora.


 CAGAYAN PROVINCE is home to the Piat Basilica Minore, which is popular among pilgrims because of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Piat. The Iguig Calvary Hills and the Spanish colonial church of St. James Parish offer a magnificent view of the Cagayan River, life sized 14 Stations of the Cross and home to a relic of the true Cross of Christ.

Callao Caves Tourist Zone, under the Peñablanca Protected Landscape and Seascape, is home to hundreds of caves classified from easy to challenging, the Pinacanauan River and the circadian flight of bats at dusk. Cagayan also offers Spanish colonial structures of unreinforced brick hornos (brick kiln) and brick churches teeming with devotees during the Holy Week.

Buses traveling to Tuguegarao City in Cagayan enter the region from the Caraballo Mountains of Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya and run the extensive road network of the province to Isabela down to Aparri, Cagayan where the Maharlika Highway ends. The region is also accessible from the west of the Luzon mainland from the Ilocos Region, specifically from Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. Air Philippines flies to Tuguegarao City on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.


 BATANES. One of the country’s most breathtaking sceneries and well-preserved cultures can be found in the island province of Batanes where Asian Spirit flies four times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) from Manila. Charter flights from Tuguegarao City via Chemtrad Aviation Corporation and Pacific Air from Laoag City are also available.

A province with protected seascape and landscape all its own, Batanes’ beauty has been compared with the likes of Sweden, Netherlands, Holland and Switzerland.

It is also home to the country’s first wind farm - the Mahatao Wind Farm. It is the first to be commercially operated in the country inaugurated last August 2004.



[ Cagayan River | Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park ]


 

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