Last December, I was able to make a quick side trip to the outskirts of Sagada after visiting Batad, Thanks to the kindness of fellow backpackers I just met in Batad, I was able to join their shared van ride to Sagada. Muchas gracias strangers!
After arriving at the Rock Inn Sagada late afternoon, we slept early so we could wake up early and catch the famous sunrise at Kiltepan. The staff of Rock Inn were nice enough to offer guests a free shuttle ride to/from Kiltepan.
We arrived at Kiltepan around 530AM and the moon and stars were still very much visible. Flashlights and headlamps would be useful especially when you're fiddling with your camera settings in the dark. Or just negotiating the rocky terrain of a small area packed with still drowsy backpackers (with hangover from last night perhaps?)
Dawn@Kiltepan
Most photographers also bring tripods for those long exposure shots. But I just handheld my DSLR as it was difficult to find a spot as the good ones were already occupied and the available ones did not offer good views. Thank you Canon T3i for usable high ISO settings!
The sun finally shows itself after less than an hour of waiting.
Even man's best friend enjoyed the sunrise view.
Keep in mind that it can get really cold here especially during the Dec-Feb season.
It might be worthwhile to check the weather forecast and sunrise forecasts if you really want to see a postcard worthy sunrise. I've seen other travel blogs wherein they were disappointed that clouds obscured their view of the sunrise.
You can contact Rock Inn Sagada at +63 (920) 909 5899 or +63 (928) 213 1149. They offer a wide variety of accommodations; from executive suites to just renting out bedspace on the attic floor (for budget backpackers). The latter option just cost me P300 (US$7.50) for the night I stayed there. Wow, that's probably the cheapest accommodation I've ever booked.
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