ISABELA | Ilagan Sanctuary and Sta. Victoria Caves
Ilagan City, Isabela: It might be one of the most overlooked tourist destinations in the island of Luzon. But undoubtedly, It still holds untouched gems that only the brave of hearts will pursue to rediscover.
Follow Transit Pinas on his Isabela day trip as part of his three-day Biyaheng Norte solo backpacking adventure.
Ilagan Sanctuary
The second largest province in the country after Palawan, Isabela is now competing and starts to show off. Although it does not really interest most of the travelers out there, I decided to see for myself what lies inside the Ilagan Sanctuary on my Isabela day trip.
Quite disheartened upon not being able to sit at the giant Butaka. I flagged a van bound for Tuguegarao and alighted at the Marana Junction in Ilagan City. From there I took a tricycle and asked the driver to bring me to Brgy. Santa Victoria where Ilagan Sanctuary is located.
Upon entry, I paid for the 100php entrance fee. I didn’t know that the pool area is still a few kilometers away as we passed through a narrow path hugging the mountain side and forests. Upon arrival, it did not disappoint.
The Ilagan Sanctuary offers the following attractions for visitors: a mini-zoo, butterfly park, natural spring water pool and ATV rides. During the celebration of 326th years of Ilagan’s founding anniversary last May 2012, the government inaugurated the 350-meter Zipline inside the park.
Contrary to its naming, it is still residing inside the larger Fuyot Springs National Park. It is a protected area of the Philippines spanning from Ilagan City to the town of Tumauini which covers some 819 hectares of land. This also serves as a buffer zone for the larger Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park which houses a more diverse set of wildlife.
Parseltongue Allowed
As I wandered around the area, with a man-made lake in between, a guide approached me and said that he can take me to the caves, animal kingdom and waterfalls.
I accepted the offer since the fee they’re going to collect is just a donation. Without any further ado, I changed into my adventure clothes and off we go.
First in the list is the Animal Kingdom. It houses several animals ranging from local to imported ones. Some of them died during the height of a devastating typhoon last 2017.
But I felt pity for the animals inside the small enclosures, they don’t look well fed and seems to be lonely in there.
But what I enjoyed the most out of the short walk is I was able to hold and sit together with a large Reticulated Python. Parseltongue is definitely allowed in here!
Spelunking
After the short encounter with the animals inside the mini zoo. We proceeded at the Santa Victoria Caves house inside the sanctuary. It is composed of several chambers and caves; Altar, Main, Moon, and Adventure Cave to name a few.
It does not require to be physically fit to enter some of the caves. Since it is just a walk in the park inside as you will be guided along the cold and dank rooms. Some peculiarly shaped stalactites and stalagmites are found inside. For those who wants to kick it up a notch, there’s the nearby Adventure Cave.
Please be mindful once you enter any kind of cave to please refrain from touching any rock specially those glimmering in pure white. It means they are still alive. In addition, acid from our sweat affects this kind of rocks since it takes hundreds of years before it grows into a larger one.
After hours of roaming around, the park does not seem to run out of activities to do. They have function halls, swimming pools, hotels, hiking trails, waterfalls, ATV rides, obstacle courses, bike lanes, zipline ride, wall climbing and many more.
I packed up immediately since I am running out of time in exploring two more churches in Isabela before the day ends. So I immediately called my tricycle driver, Kuya Sammy to fetch me inside the park while I swam a little in one of their pools before I tidied up. Alone but never lonely hahahaha!
Next stop: The Tumauini Church!
Since I was not able to take note of all the rates, here’s some of the rates as posted by www.thejerny.com:
Entrance Fee: 100 per person / 80 – Senior citizens
Activities and Rates at Ilagan Sanctuary (per person)
Bicycle rental – 100 Php
Wall Climbing/Rappelling – 100 Php
Cable Car – 100 Php
Zipline – 200 Php
Cable Car with Zipline – 250 Php
Horseback Riding – 150 per round within the sanctuary
Paintball – 250.00 per 50 bullets
Kayak – 100 Php per 30 minutes
Swan Boat – 200 Php per boat // 30 mins
Zip Bike – 150 Php / round trip
Obstacle Course – 100 Php
There also are packages and accommodations. For rates, see photo below.
How to Get There
- The Ilagan Sanctuary, 447+ kilometers north of Manila, is located in the province of Isabela, inside the Fuyot Springs National Park in Ilagan City
- From Manila, take any bus bound for Tuguegarao via Victory Liner or Five Star Bus. (Travel time: 8-9hrs depending on traffic conditions, Fare: 650++ php airconditioned bus)
- If coming from Tuguegarao, take any bus bound for Manila or UV Express Vans bound for Ilagan City and alight at Marana Junction in Ilagan City
- From Marana Junction, hire a tricyle to take you to the Ilagan Sanctuary, trip takes around 20 minutes and they charge 150php per way. It is best to get your tricycle driver’s number since there are few tricycles entering the park
- Pay for the 20php entrance fee, and from the gate, the swimming pool area where the guides are waiting is around 5-10 minutes of drive away
- Nearest airport is in Cauayan City, flight takes 1hr and 10mins, Cebu Pacific flies regularly to Cauayan City, then take another van bound for Tuguegarao and alight at Marana Junction in Ilagan City
- You can contact my guide in Ilagan Sanctuary, Kuya Gelo Mendiola (09556217113) and the tricycle driver Mang Sammy (09261075392)
2018 Biyaheng Norte Solo Backpacking Adventure – Isabela
