Most riders and cyclists I know have a thing for taking photos with reference points, road signs and unique markers. These are basically just ordinary-looking signs on the road, but because of their uniqueness to a place, they symbolize stepping foot and exploring a new destination. It’s like the title screen starting a new chapter in your adventures or unlocking an achievement of reaching a new place.

Like photos of room keys and unique beers I’ve tried, this is just one of those random collectible items I usually look out for during trips. Visiting those in remote locations that not a lot of people have been to, or traveling to places by bicycle or motorcycle feels more satisfying somehow. If you’re traveling to certain destinations in the Philippines, here are some of the notable road markers, reference points and signs to look out for.

Kilometer Zero (Luneta, Cebu, Bataan, Marawi & more)

I thought the Philippines only had one Kilometer Zero – the one located in the capital Manila which can be found across the Rizal Monument in Rizal Park or Luneta Park.  The Manila Kilometer Zero marker serves as the nation’s starting point when measuring the distance going to the different provinces and cities in Luzon Island and the rest of the Philippines.

In many countries, Kilometer Zero (also written as KM 0) refers to a particular location (usually in the nation’s capital city) from which distances are traditionally measured. Some countries use this as their official country location or coordinates for faster search at space satellites. The coordinates are also used for measuring distances between different countries around the world.

But did you know that many islands in the Philippines have their own Kilometer Zero markers (so that could be something worth collecting too).The large island of Mindanao uses Marawi City in Lanao del Sur as the original reference point for all roads in Mindanao. You can find the Kilometer Zero Marker at the Lanao People’s Park.

Bataan has a Zero Kilometer Death March marker, indicating the starting point of the Bataan Death March in Bagac in 1942, while a similar marker can be found in the free port town of Mariveles. Cebu has a KM 0 at the Capitol Ground beside the flagpole. There are more around the country. According to this interesting article by Penfires, you can find these markers in the City Capitol or Central Post Office on many Philippine islands.

Geodetic Center of the Philippines: Luzon Datum of 1911

The Luzon Datum of 1911 is a stone marker that serves as the primary geodetic reference or central reference point for all maps and surveys made in the Philippines. You can find this historically significant marker in the island province of Marinduque, located in the geographical center of the archipelago.

From the jump-off point, visitors normally need to climb up 468 concrete steps to a view deck that provides a panoramic view of the Northern part of the island. A road extension (currently being completed during the time of my visit in April 2019) will make it accessible to vehicles to drop-off passengers who can’t physically climb the stairs up. It looks like a great place to ride up with a motorbike or bicycle.

Highest Points of the Philippine Highway System

For the longest time, Halsema Highway (also known as the Benguet-Mountain Province Road, Baguio-Bontoc Road or Mountain Trail) has been known as the highest altitude highway in the Philippines. This winding mountain road in the Cordillera Central range in northern Luzon stretches from Baguio City to Bontoc. Aside from the more popular Lion’s Head marker, which is frequently visited by tourists going to Baguio, one of the markers tourists like to pose with is the Highest Point sign.

With an elevation of 7,400 feet (2,300 m) above sea level, you can find this sign along the road in the municipality of Atok in Benguet. It’s an ordinary sign just next to a waiting shed and a few stalls, but tourists really go out of their way to take photos here. Though I’ve passed this marker several times before by bus and car, finally riding up on my own on a motorcycle from Manila felt like a personal milestone.

UPDATE: As of March 2019, a new highest point has been identified in Tinoc, Ifugao along the Kiangan-Tinog-Buguias Road with an elevation of 7,968 feet (2,428.66 m) above sea level.

While I haven’t had a chance to visit this spot myself yet, I hope to ride here someday. You can read more about the Newest Highest Elevation of the Philippine Highway System from this account by Igorotage, which includes helpful tips for bikers and cyclists who want to go here.

Welcome arches (everywhere)

Welcome arches are one of the easy landmarks along the road where you can get a souvenir picture of yourself with your ride that proves you entered a new place. Some are just simple signs with the name of a place painted on it, while some arches are more elaborately designed and say something unique about the place.

There are a LOT of welcome arches everywhere around the Philippines marking different provinces, cities and towns. Though not all are that pretty to look at, some tourists find these worth collecting.

And while it’s touristy as heck to stop driving and have to ask strangers to take your photo in front of an arch, admit it, you’ve posed with a welcome arch just for proof that you’ve been to a place.

City / Town / Province Markers

It seems like every island, province, city and small town in the country have these markers that spell out their name in big block Hollywood-style letters. Like welcome arches, these are relatively easy landmarks to spot along the road.

While some (like Taytay and Iriga) are on hillsides, most can be just found just along the road, making them more accessible for photo ops. Most are located in areas frequented by tourists like boulevards or waterfronts or near the provincial / town capitol.

One of the more remote ones that I have a photo of is the one in Aparri, a small town located at the northernmost part of the province of Cagayan, near the Babuyan Channel on the mainland of Luzon. 

Popularized by the song on the local noontime TV show Eat Bulaga with lyrics “Mula Aparri hanggang Jolo” to depict how far the show reaches. Aparri still has that air of mystery and is worthwhile road trip destination for riders because of its location on the tip of Luzon and distance from Manila. Check out some of my other pics here.

Blow Ur Horn (Batanes)

One of the noticeable landmarks along the roads in Batanes are all the “Blow Ur Horn” signs carved into the sides of cliffs and boulders. These signages were built as early as the American period using the UR as a shortcut for ‘your’ long before cellphone text shortcuts become popularized.

There are a lot of blind curves on the coastal roads of Batan island, so these signs are carved into the cliffs and painted bright yellow to ensure that they remain visible even during the strongest typhoons and winds that hit the area.

These signs are unique to Batanes. This is the only place in the Philippines where I’ve seen this style of road sign, which have become popular photo op stop during tours. They’re so iconic to Batanes that you can now buy shirts and ref magnets with this design.

These are just a few of the unique and historic reference points & road markers I’ve come across during my travels in the Philippines. Let me know what else I should look out for in the future! 🙂