La Union Day Tour: Tangadan Falls, Bahay na Bato, Halo Halo de Iloko, San Juan Beach, Gapuz Grape Farm
It’s another weekend, and what could be more exciting than TGIF party with friends? Joining another day tour!
I have been planning this trip for almost a month, and of course our dear friends from I Love Adventours never fail to provide us with great destinations. Packed all my gears and as excited as anyone who will venture into a great new place, I’m all prepped bound to La Union!
La Union (Ilocano: Probinsia ti La Union; Pangasinan: Luyag na La Union; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng La Union), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in the island of Luzon. Its capital is the city of San Fernando, which also serves as the regional center of the whole Ilocos Region.
The province is bordered by Ilocos Sur to the north, Benguet to the east, Pangasinan to the south and to the west by the shores of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).
More than 10 “JOINERS” like myself decided to meet up at the Caltex gasoline station located near the Trinoma Mall and SM North EDSA at around 12 midnight. Spooky, right? We will endure approximately 6 hours of land travel from Manila to get to La Union proper. This time, we will be visiting Tangadan Falls at San Gabriel; Bahay na Bato at Luna; Halo Halo de Iloko at San Fernando; San Juan Beach, The Surfing Capital of the North; and the Gapuz Grape Farm at Bauang.
First stop, the majestic Tangadan Falls located at San Gabriel. It would be better to get there when the sun is just about to rise. With a jeepney that allows passengers to go top load, it is a great experience.
According to the locals, there are two jump offs going to Tangadan Falls, one will trek the Baroro river which will take you an hour, and the other, a 20-minute hike down to the falls. We took the shorter route and mind you, the hike is challenging.
There are makeshift tables and chairs set-up at the “entrance” if you want to have lunch there. Cliff-diving is very possible, but at the height of 40-feet, it can be quite a challenge. The main basin is deep so be extra careful while swimming. You may rent a life jacket if you want. There’s also a raft for rent to bring you to the base, and I’ll tell you, you really need to be at the "BASE", the experience is overwhelming! To capture the moment, you might want to invest in an action cam.
The falls sits in the middle of the mountains of San Gabriel. It’s created by a big rock face blocking Baroro river’s flow. There are two swim-able basins there. The main basin is bigger which sits directly below the waterfalls. Swimming at the base is possible but be very careful since the rocks are slippery. There’s also a basin above with calmer waters.
We stayed there for a couple of hours only as we need to visit Bahay na Bato afterwards.
Located at Barangay Nalvo Norte in Luna, La Union, Bahay na Bato showcases sculpted or carved arts and crafts made from stones and driftwoods. In 2000, professional doctors Dr. Edison and Dr. Purita Chan-Noble had a rest house constructed along its coast so that they too can enjoy the serenity and beauty of the place. Korean artist Vong Kim is the main sculptor of the place along with other equally talented Filipino sculptors. Luna Mayor Marvin Marron persuaded the couple to make their rest house a tourist attraction.
The house, aptly called "Bahay na Bato," was made from the stones and pebbles found along the beaches of the municipality. After all, Luna is the Pebble Capital of the North and stone-picking is one of its booming industries. Aside from the stones that make up the foundation of the house, painted pebbles and wooden sculpture made by Bong Kim, a Korean, also adorn the interiors and the grounds of the Chan-Noble's secret hideaway.
Being at the Bahay na Bato opened up a wide range of architectural imagination on my part.
A little bit tired with walks and heat, we need to recharge ourselves so we decided to head on to The Halo Halo de Iloko.
Strategically located in a residential area in San Fernando City, La Union, Halo-halo de Iloko serves one of the best halo-halo in the city.
It has all the standard halo-halo ingredients such tapioca, nata de coco, coconut strips, red beans, ube halaya (candied purple yam), yema, bits of cheese, ice cream, among many others. You just can’t get enough with a large serving ;-)
Recharged, we now head on to the surfing capital of the north, San Juan Beach.
There are a lot of beach resorts located at San Juan. San Juan is the heart and primary surf beach in La Union. Large good quality waves are brought in on good swells. On the beachfront, there are many affordable surf resorts and hotels, bars, restaurants, surf shops and surf schools where board rental is also available.
As identified by the locals, San Juan Beach has three spots although it is considered just as one beach strip.
Those three are the beach break, the bowl and the point.
The Beach Break is located at the left of the strip. The Bowl is the mid-point of the beach. The Point is located at the very right of the strip. The point is a beautiful point/reef break that provides an amazing view. During the north swell, this is the spot to be.
We took our swim, our own version of great splash, and we envy those who can surf! We should be heading at the Gapuz Grape farm as it is getting darker already.
Yes folks, you have read it right, Philippines has indeed had a grape farm.
La Union is known best for its surfing culture, but what most people aren’t aware of is that the province is also home to the region’s newest top tourist destination—locally grown grape farms.
The Gapuz Grape Farm is so appealing that they are allowing guests to experience first-hand grape picking. They offer free entrance and an opportunity to learn how to cut the stems of the grapes properly.
It took us until around 8 PM to accomplish our day tour and it is really so rewarding.
Million thanks to I Love Adventours, we really had a great time.
Cheerio!
I have been planning this trip for almost a month, and of course our dear friends from I Love Adventours never fail to provide us with great destinations. Packed all my gears and as excited as anyone who will venture into a great new place, I’m all prepped bound to La Union!
La Union (Ilocano: Probinsia ti La Union; Pangasinan: Luyag na La Union; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng La Union), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in the island of Luzon. Its capital is the city of San Fernando, which also serves as the regional center of the whole Ilocos Region.
The province is bordered by Ilocos Sur to the north, Benguet to the east, Pangasinan to the south and to the west by the shores of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).
First stop, the majestic Tangadan Falls located at San Gabriel. It would be better to get there when the sun is just about to rise. With a jeepney that allows passengers to go top load, it is a great experience.
According to the locals, there are two jump offs going to Tangadan Falls, one will trek the Baroro river which will take you an hour, and the other, a 20-minute hike down to the falls. We took the shorter route and mind you, the hike is challenging.
There are makeshift tables and chairs set-up at the “entrance” if you want to have lunch there. Cliff-diving is very possible, but at the height of 40-feet, it can be quite a challenge. The main basin is deep so be extra careful while swimming. You may rent a life jacket if you want. There’s also a raft for rent to bring you to the base, and I’ll tell you, you really need to be at the "BASE", the experience is overwhelming! To capture the moment, you might want to invest in an action cam.
The falls sits in the middle of the mountains of San Gabriel. It’s created by a big rock face blocking Baroro river’s flow. There are two swim-able basins there. The main basin is bigger which sits directly below the waterfalls. Swimming at the base is possible but be very careful since the rocks are slippery. There’s also a basin above with calmer waters.
We stayed there for a couple of hours only as we need to visit Bahay na Bato afterwards.
Located at Barangay Nalvo Norte in Luna, La Union, Bahay na Bato showcases sculpted or carved arts and crafts made from stones and driftwoods. In 2000, professional doctors Dr. Edison and Dr. Purita Chan-Noble had a rest house constructed along its coast so that they too can enjoy the serenity and beauty of the place. Korean artist Vong Kim is the main sculptor of the place along with other equally talented Filipino sculptors. Luna Mayor Marvin Marron persuaded the couple to make their rest house a tourist attraction.
Being at the Bahay na Bato opened up a wide range of architectural imagination on my part.
A little bit tired with walks and heat, we need to recharge ourselves so we decided to head on to The Halo Halo de Iloko.
Strategically located in a residential area in San Fernando City, La Union, Halo-halo de Iloko serves one of the best halo-halo in the city.
It has all the standard halo-halo ingredients such tapioca, nata de coco, coconut strips, red beans, ube halaya (candied purple yam), yema, bits of cheese, ice cream, among many others. You just can’t get enough with a large serving ;-)
Recharged, we now head on to the surfing capital of the north, San Juan Beach.
There are a lot of beach resorts located at San Juan. San Juan is the heart and primary surf beach in La Union. Large good quality waves are brought in on good swells. On the beachfront, there are many affordable surf resorts and hotels, bars, restaurants, surf shops and surf schools where board rental is also available.
As identified by the locals, San Juan Beach has three spots although it is considered just as one beach strip.
Those three are the beach break, the bowl and the point.
The Beach Break is located at the left of the strip. The Bowl is the mid-point of the beach. The Point is located at the very right of the strip. The point is a beautiful point/reef break that provides an amazing view. During the north swell, this is the spot to be.
We took our swim, our own version of great splash, and we envy those who can surf! We should be heading at the Gapuz Grape farm as it is getting darker already.
Yes folks, you have read it right, Philippines has indeed had a grape farm.
La Union is known best for its surfing culture, but what most people aren’t aware of is that the province is also home to the region’s newest top tourist destination—locally grown grape farms.
The Gapuz Grape Farm is so appealing that they are allowing guests to experience first-hand grape picking. They offer free entrance and an opportunity to learn how to cut the stems of the grapes properly.
It took us until around 8 PM to accomplish our day tour and it is really so rewarding.
Million thanks to I Love Adventours, we really had a great time.
Cheerio!
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