Tuguegarao - The Jewel of Cagayan Valley

Tuguegarao City is the capital of Cagayan Province, and is the center for business and learning in the entire Region 2, also popularly known as Cagayan Valley. It is also the gateway to major town and cities in the region and major tourism destinations such as the Callao Caves in Peñablanca town and the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat in the municipality of Piat (see older posts).

A Cebu Pacific promo-fare flight I booked for around Php200.00 one-way from Manila took me 45 minutes to get there. By bus, it would take a long 12-hour drive..

Accomodation in Tuguegarao City is never a problem. Although there's not much choice for deluxe hotels, I was happy to book a room in Hotel Candice because it is cheap. If you want a nice budget hotel for as low as Php600 (single) and Php800 (twin) in the middle of the city then this could be your choice.

While in the city, one should never miss visiting St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao and the biggest Spanish built church in the province. Also, what caught my attention was the city’s calesa. It’s design is unique and far different from the usual design we see in Intramuros or Binondo.

Cagayan : Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat

One of the frequently visited site in the province of Cagayan is the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat. This has become a major pilgrimage site of Cagayan Valley where different people from all walks of life pray to be healed or simply to offer gratitude to the Lord. It was a Sunday when we visited the church and it was full packed - though the mass was held every hour.

Outside the church is a street cum flea market where you can find rows of stalls and vendors selling religious images and Cagayan's famous native kakanin called pawa, a local delicacy made from ground sticky rice with sweetened ground peanut filling inside. A pack of this yummy treat costs P25 and make sure you buy it warm to ensure the same heavenly experience I had munching on them.

Piat is 41 kilometers away from Tuguegarao City. To get there, a number of regular vans going to Piat is available at the downtown terminal and costs P60 to get to Piat town proper. Take the same ride to go back to Tuguegarao City.

Cagayan's CALLAO CAVE

Callao Cave is one of Cagayan province's best known tourist attractions. It has 7 chambers and 3-4 crevices which allow natural light into the caves. Located in a remote place in Penablanca town (30 minutes+ from Tuguegarao City), it has been featured and included on the DOT websites and ads. I knew the place was beautiful based from internet photos and from ads, but being there was more than an awesome experience.

To get there, we hired a tricycle en-route to Penablanca from Tuguegarao for P400.00 round-trip. Before reaching the cave, one can try the Pinacanauan river ride and pay a little extra. But we opted not to take the ride because the weather is not permitting, instead we took the road going directly near the entrance of the cave. Callao Cave is very easy to explore but requires little test of endurance as you go up the stair with close to 200 steps before witnessing the massive limestone and rock formations inside.

I observed that Callao Cave is not that popular to tourists (both local and foreign) as compared to the other northern Philippines destinations. Maybe it's because of the remote location. And there's not much to see in Cagayan than in Ilocos or the Mountain Province.