Lakbay Norte 3, the 8-day media tour of the Northern Philippines was a blast! Gorgeous weather, great food, generous hosts, and a group that was willing to try all the crazy extreme activities thrown our way. It’s going to take a while to write about all the places, activities, food stops and hotels. Am currently sorting through close to 2,000 photos. In the meantime, here’s a quick look at the jam-packed itinerary we had.
Day 1: Bulacan
3:30 am Call Time at Victory Liner, Spelunking in Pinagrealan Cave, Norzagaray, Bulacan
Day 1: Nueva Ecija
Travel to Cabanatuan; Lunch at Liquid Restaurant; Sea bass fishing in Pantabangan Dam; Dinner at Villa Reyes Lakeside Resort; Travel from Nueva Ecija to Tuguegarao (Sleep in bus)
Day 2: Kalinga
Toploading to Kalinga; whitewater rafting in the Chico River; Lunch at Tabuk; Check in and dinner at Las Palmas de San Jose Hotel in Tuguegarao, Cagayan.
Day 3: Ilocos Norte
Breakfast in Las Palmas; Travel from Tuguegarao-Pagudpud; Lunch at Kapuluan Vista Resort in Pagudpud; Surf Lessons at the Blue Lagoon; Travel Time from Pagudpud-Laoag; Dinner at Johnny Moon Cafe + visit to Samtoy Books in Laoag, Check in at Plaza del Norte/Rosewell Hotel
Day 4: Ilocos Norte/La Union
Breakfast at Malacanang Ti Amianan, Paddleboarding on Paoay Lake; Travel from Paoay to Batac; Lunch at Batac (Miki and Batac Empanada); Travel from Ilocos Norte to La Union; Dinner and Cocktails at Thunderbird Resort; Check in at Kahuna Beach Resort in San Juan
Day 5: La Union/Baguio
Breakfast at Kahuna Beach Resort; Travel from San to Bacnotan; Trek and Tree Planting at Holcim Ecotrail; Lunch at Provincial Capitol in San Fernando; Travel from La Union to Baguio; Snack at Te Quiero (Microtel Baguio)
Day 5: Baguio
Airsoft in Baguio Country Club; Check-in and dinner at The Manor at Camp John Hay
Day 6: Pangasinan
Breakfast at The Manor; Travel from Baguio to Dagupan; Dawel River Cruise, Bangus Harvest, Mangrove Planting; Travel from Dagupan to Urdaneta; Lunch at Matutina Seafood Restaurant
Day 6: Tarlac
Travel from Urdaneta to Tarlac; Go Karting, dinner and videoke night in Kart City Tarlac; Check in at Microtel Inn and Suites Luisita/La Maja Rica; Breakfast at Microtel
Day 7: Subic
Travel from Tarlac to Subic; Jungle Survival and Riverside lunch; Massage and Free Time at Ritz Thai Spa; Travel from Subic to Clark; Dinner at Mimosa Restaurant; Check in at Hotel Vida
Day 8: Clark/Pampanga
Breakfast at Hotel Vida; Off-Road 4×4 Ride to Puning’s Hot Springs; Lunch at Historic Camalig Restaurant; Travel from Clark to San Fernando; Snack and visit Prado Farm; Dinner and shopping at Robinsons Starmills.
Thank you North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), Manila North Tollways Corporation(MNTC), Victory Liner and all the corporate sponsors for letting us rediscover the North. Stay tuned for more in-depth posts on each destination!
Boarding! 😉
such a wonderful experience! 🙂
Nakakainggit naman. Sayang di ko kayo nakita sa Pagudpod-Laoag leg ng Lakbay Norte.:p
amazing photos! I’m honored to have met you in person 😀
till’ next time ^_^
Wow, that’s a lot of places in just eight days. Must’ve been fun! (And exhausting.) Congrats on being a part of it!
this is quite a lot… truly an experience to cherish… nice! 🙂
Priceless!!!
more kara! abangan ko yung detailed posts tas pakopya haha 🙂
nice reading such a great travel adventure. kakainggit 🙂
@Allen – So glad I was able to join this LN. Thanks for the great experience!
@Killerfillers – Hey, sayang. Nasa Pagudpud-Laoag ka rin pala at that time. Hope to meet you on the road one of these days.
@Marcos – Love your photos too. Hope you don’t mind if I grab some of your pics na kasama ako during the spelunking adventure. Have no decent shots inside the cave!
@Nagbabasang Pinoy – Exhausting but so worth it. Thanks for dropping by.
@Mervz – Yup, great way to start the year!
@Del – Nice meeting you!
@Christian – Based on experience, matagal-tagal isulat itong LN series with all the activities we did. Galing mo nga natapos mo agad summaries.
@Gladys – Thanks for visiting my blog. It really was a great adventure.