Once again Photosafari is organising a photo safari trip to some unique photo opportunity places in the Philippines. Some of these places are not easy to go to unless you have a specialised local guide to take you there. You will also need a permit to visit these places. We were lucky to have this opportunity to meet up with a local Filipino photographer who is employed by the Philippine Government to document the life, culture and customs of the minority tribes in the whole of Philippines. He has been working on this project for some time and has published some of his articles in various publications.
This is a rare opportunity to visit these places and be educated by the photographers / journalists who have been working with these people.
Our journey starts in Manila. We will be flying in by Cebu Pacific Air directly from LCCT. Cebu Pacific Air currently has a promo price for early birds. From Manila, we have arranged a couple of vans to take you to Banaue to shoot the famous rice terraced clusters that are now part of the UNESCO World Heritage Inscription.
From Banaue, we will travel to Sagada. This place has a population of about 11,000 people. The people here have a unique culture of burying their dead in hanging coffins. We will be putting up a night in Sagada town.
Our next stop will be Buscalan. Here the mountain views are breath taking. The residents here have a unique culture of tattooing their whole body. This is a dying art as not many young adults are practicing it now. We will be spending a night staying in one or a couple of the homes of this tribe. You will have to rough it out for a night. However, the experience of staying with this tribe for a night is priceless. We will be bringing some canned foods, bread and other foods to supplement our meals.
From Buscalan we will travel to Baguio, a highland tourist town. Baguio is a town similar to our Cameron Highlands. We will be staying here for the night. The next day we will travel from Baguio to Manila, a journey of about 6 hours for our flight home at 20:55 by Cebu Pacific Air.
Itinerary
Day 1: 23rd Oct
5:00am Arrive at Manila by Cebu Pacific Flight 502
7:00am Leave for Banaue with breakfast on the way.must leave for Banaue
12:00: Lunch on the way
15:00 Arrive at Banaue.
15:00 – 19:00 Shooting scenes at Banaue. Banaue is well known for its rice terraces. Two of the terrace clusters in Banaue, namely Bangaan and Batad, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage inscription
19:00 – 20:00 Dinner
20:00 Night at Banaue
Day 2: 24th Oct
04:00 – 05:00 Wake-up call
05:00 – 07:00 Sunrise shoot
08:00 – 09:00 Breakfast
09:00 – 12:00 Shooting villages at Banaue
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 16:00 Leave for Sagada
16:00 – 19:00 Shooting village scenes around Sagada. Sagada is famous for its “hanging coffins”. This is a traditional way of burying people that is still utilized. Not everyone is qualified to be buried this way; among other things, one had to have been married and had grandchildren.
19:00 – 20:00 Dinner
20:00 – Night at Sagada
Day 3: 25th Oct
04:00 – 05:00 Wake-up call
05:00 – 07:005 Sunrise shoot in Sagada
08:00 – 09:00 Breakfast
09:00 – 12:00 shooting the hanging coffins of Sagada and village scenes
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 16:00 Travel to Buscalan, Tinglayan
16:00 – 19:00 Shooting village life around Buscalan. Visiting Buscalan, Kalinga where there is a minority ethnic tribe that tattoos the whole body. The tattooed women of Kalinga are quite remarkable for their extensively tattooed bodies are representatives of a feudal and tribal age where life is so very different.
19:00 – 20:00 Dinner
20:00 Sleep over at Buscalan
Day 4: 26th Oct
04:00 – 05:00 Wake-up call
05:00 – 07:00 Sunrise shoot at Buscalan
08:00 – 09:00 Breakfast
09:00 – 11:00 Shooting around the villages at Buscalan
11:00 – 19:00 Leave for Baguio and lunch on the way
19:00 – 20:00 Dinner at Baguio and check-in Hotel
Day 5: 27th Oct
06:00 – 07:00 Wake-up call
07:00 – 08:30 Shoot around Baguio town. Baguio City is a highland get away for city folks in Manila. The altitude here is about 5,200ft.
08:30 – 09:30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 11:00 – Free and easy
11:00 – 12:00 Check-out hotel and lunch
12:00 – 18:30 Baguio to Manila Airport
20:55 – Departure from Manila by Cebu Pacific flight 501
For registration and details on this photosafari, email : [email protected]
