Landmarks along the earlier span of Halsema Highway

To make a travel along the Halsema Highway,
 options:
1. Find a minibus at the Dangwa Bust Station, back of Baguio Centermall, in Baguio City.  A minibus that is destined to reach Mt. Province(i.e. Sagada, Bontoc) will pass by the Halsema highway.  The bus for Kalinga will not pass through the Halsema highway, instead, such bus will pass through Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela then exit to Kalinga.

2. Get into a minibus at the Slaughter House Compound in Magsaysay Avenue, Baguio City. Get a bus/minibus bound to Mt. Province(i.e. Sagada, Besao, Bontoc)

3. If your travel will. not reach the farthest end (i.e. Mt. Province), go to Km 5, La Trinidad, Benguet and look for the vans that are to reach Abatan, Buguias or Mankayan.

Landmarks:
Kilometer 5, La Trinidad, Public Market
Kilometer 5, La Trinidad, Benguet Vegetable Trading Post
Kilometer 5,  La Trinidad, Benguet General Hospital
Kilometer 5, La Trinidad, Main Gate of Benguet State University
Kilometer 6, Strawberry Farm Entrance
Kilometer 6, Last Gate of Benguet State University
Kilometer 6, Commission on Audit Office
Kilometer 6, access road towards the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office
Kilometer 6, Department of Science and Technology Office
Kilometer 6, Benguet Provincial Capital Building (The point is referred to as Town by the locals)
Kilometer 7, Entrance towards Alapang La Trinidad
Kilometer 7, Entrance towards Bahong, La Trinidad
Kilometer 7, Camp Bado Dangwa (Military Camp) Entrance
Kilometer 9-10 area, Entrance towards Tawang, La Trinidad
Kilometer 12, Shilan, La Trinidad, Entrance/Alternate Route towrads Pacdal
Kilometer 14, Entrance road towards Kapangan/Kibungan, Benguet
Kilometer 14, Acop Tublay, Toll Gate
Kilometer 18, Tublay, Santo Nino Mine's View/Entrance (The mines stopped operation years ago)
Kilometer 21, Entrance to diversion road towards Bokod and Nueva Vizcaya
Kilometer 21, Caliking Elementary School(The school may have been renamed!)
Kilometer 26-28, Saddle, Restaurants serving heavy meals for travellers/vegetable delivery crews
Kilometer 30, Entrance of road towards Central Atok and Pasdong, Atok
Kilometer 30, Elementary School and Highschool site
Kilometer 41, Zigzag Road, Balangabang
Kilometer 46, Half-Tunnel
Kilometer 50, Sayangan, Atok Benguet, Atok Municipal Hall
Kilometer 50, Northern Blossoms Farm, Leaves and Spikes Garden

Kilometer 50, Saint Paul's Academy Inc.
Kilometer 51, Entrance road to Paoay, Atok and Bosleng Atok, Haight's Place

Kilometer 53, Used to be the highest point along the Philippine National Highway (Now, replaced by a point in Ifugao), Viewing the distant Mt. Pulag is best at this point.

Kilometer 54, Entrance to Tulodan, Atok, Benguet (Coldest part of Atok)
Kilometer 55, Entrance of road towards Timbac Cave of Kabayan, Benguet

Kilometer 60 area, Natubleng Bugiuas, Benguet
Kilometer 63 area, entrance to Madaymen, Kibungan
Kilometer 70 area, entrance to Bakun, Benguet
Kilometer 80 area, Abatan, entrance to Lo-o Buguias, Benguet
Kilometer 80 area, Abatan, entrance to Mankayan , Benguet
Kilometer 80 area, Abatan, entrance towards Loo Buguias, Central Buguias, and Tinoc Ifugao
Kilometer 100 area, Mt. Data Lodge.
go further to reach Bauko,  Mt Province
Sabangan, Mt. province
Entrance to Sagada
Main Road leads to Bontoc Mt Province
Further travel will bring you to Banaue, Ifugao...





 

haight's place, northern blossoms, leaves and spikes, Timbac cave, bosleng rocky mountain high

Haight's place is a newly created agri-tourism site that is located in Paoay, Atok, Benguet. In due time, cherry blossoms will be experienced in the area as the planted trees are still in their infancy stage. In the mean time, the site is made pleasing by beds of flowers, terraces of vegetables together with the endemic natural grasses. The natural landscape defined by a slanting green garden as its background view completes an adorable scenery. To reach the place from Baguio City, a 51 kilometer ride along the famous Halsema highway, the same access road to The Sagada caves of Mountain province, should be traversed. Somewhere in kilometer 51,  an upward driveway that takes you away from the main highway for about 5 minutes will make you find the place. Prior to the upward driveway, at km 50, you are in Sayangan, the central business district area of Atok, Benguet. a flower farm opened for site seeing, called the Northern Blossom, is in Sayangan. In addition, a small green garden full of cacti may be visited in Sayangan. Spike and Leaves seems the name of cactus garden that is very near the Atok Municipal Hall. There are other worth visiting cardio-conditioning places to visit within the area. The locals will be more than willing to direct you to a magnificient place of rocks in Bosleng and the elevated Timbac cave. Still a common stop over point before Sayangan is the noticeable half tunnel road along the Halsema highway at km. 46. I understand, the top area of the half tunnel is being developed as a local tourism site.  Well, I should say, These areas are parts of our playgrounds when we were young...

strawberry festival of the philippines

The strawberry festival is celebrated by the municipality of La Trinidad. It happens every month of March after the annual Panagbenga festival of the adjacent city of Baguio.

adivay festival

Adivay is a reference name of a festive celebration in the province of Benguet in the Philippines. it is celebrated annually in the month of November in La Trinidad, the capital town.   The main celebration is highlighted by the simultaneous butchering of pigs to be prepared for lunch by the different municipalities every 23rd of November at a public space in Wangal, La Trinidad. As long as the prepared foods are available, guests and expectators are supposedly welcome to partake. Unfortunately, during recent celebrations, food were not enough. In fact, my housemates, who are locals, who had been attempting to join the feast for 3 years would always come home starving. It may be best for organizers to do a rethinking so that the feast becomes meaningful. Why not identify a specific target less fortunate community to feed. Afterall, it is impossible to cater to everyone.