eleven things why i love the ilocos norte coast

just to end this series, here i am again giving you enough reason why a trip to Ilocos Norte's coast is worth the long travel and even an unforgettable tricycle ride experience. maybe you've already explored it's heritage and historical sites and structures, try exploring it's majestic coastline.[11] fresh catch. living a city life, you'll get used to buying well preserved fishes sold on malls and market. but not in Ilocos Norte where one can actually anticipate for the small fishing boats docking early morning. fresh catch when cooked is proven tastier. [10] people. our country is known for hospitality but it's just simply different when you're in the far provinces. it's so easy to talk to people for directions and recommendations. you just have to initiate a conversation and from there, you'll get enough information to get around.
we thought it was just a series of unfortunate experience [9] sea bonsai of burgos. years or maybe even century old sea bonsais along the coast of burgos are exemplary. one factor would be its isolation from the people who would usually take out some of this natural sea treasures. here the bonsai can withstand strong storms that hits this part of Luzon. [8] rough terrain. after complaining that torturous rough road trip, you might wonder why it's one of the reason why i love this province. simply beacuse of its isolation, prevented it from being touristy and at the same time preserved the many natural coastal treasures.
one torturous ride [7] waves of pagudpud. a growing surfing community that involves foreign tourists are increasing this area. the waves at the Mairaira point are great. big waves coming from the South China Sea and a part from the Pacific ocean meets at this point. convincing? [6] bantay abot. not as gigantic as Kapurpurawan but the earth layers are clearly presented here. either side of the hole are great views of Pagudpud's coast. it's a worth short stop.
bantay abot coast [5] bangui wind farm. the windmills of Bangui became an instant tourist spot when it started its operation. now it has twenty and hopefully more will be built as it uses natural energy to provide power to the Northern towns. it's amazing to see how big each windmills are.
bangui windmills [4] pagudpud coastal view. among the best in the country i should say. the mountains here are really impressive and the view perfect! though we didn't reach the Patapat viaduct, anywhere along the Mairaira to Patapat coast are really scenic. white sand beaches seems ordinary here. [3] mairaira blue lagoon beach. not as impressive as it was way back but still it's one of the best beaches i've seen because of the great mountain backdrop. the central beach area is already a typical beach view but the Eastern and Western coast remains to be so beautiful.
mairaira beach blue lagoon
mairaira central beach
mairaira beach west coast

[2] burgos coast. the only thing that i didn't expect on this trip was the very rewarding Burgos coast view. very few have featured this part of the coast as they focus their attention to the great Kapurpurawan rock formation alone.
kapurpurawan and beyond
[1] kapurpurawan rock formation. undoubtedly is the best rock formation i've seen. through the years, the hammering waves changes its form. looks so fragile, since it is made up of sand sediments. it's stunning from any perspective.
kapurpurawan rock formation
we only visited the coastal areas and made stops on just four municipalities yet, it has convinced me of how great this province is in terms of its coastal views. i'm rating Ilocos Norte as 9.5/10.the photo above was taken by Lantaw while walking along the beautiful Mairaira coast. thanks to lantaw, lawstude, scud, fhei and jonee, my travel buddies during this trip. you made this trip more memorable.

kapurpurawan and beyond

looking at the great Kapurpurawan rock formation draw us in awe but beyond its grandeur is another extraordinary view. this we didn't expect.the Philippine archipelago is popular for the beautiful white sand island beaches and the grand rice terraces of Ifugao yet every time i explore the many provinces, i discovered that we too have so many great coastal landscape.one that i'll highly recommend would be this Northern part of Luzon island. about 12 hours from Manila by bus and about an hour by plane, can be considered as one of the farthest that one can go from Manila by land. yet it's really worth it.when we climbed one of Kapurpurawan's elevated area to take a good vantage point, we discovered another hidden and less featured coastal rock formation. reddish and grand.
the same sea and wind hammers this area, yet it is quite odd to see how this coast displays a variety of beautiful rock formations. i should say that it has one of the archipelago's best landscape view.it just proves how awesome Ilocos Norte is. how awesome Philippines is.

kapurpurawan rock formation ilocos norte

its intense form is unbelievably extraordinary as it rises meters high above sea level. the formation changes according to the locals as years pass yet it retains its splendor.seeing this great cream colored coastal rock formation of Kapurpurawan in Ilocos Norte in the photos is far from being there. where you will be forced to climb on some areas to be on top of its main flat area.Ilocos Norte has a long coastal area, yet it's only this rock formed in such a way that it combines great curves and cuts with a cream colored surface. thus the name Kapurpurawan, which means "white" in the local dialect of Ilocano.a closer look at its texture shows that it is rough in contrast to how it looks from a long distance shot. but no matter, where you shoot from, it's quite easy to find a nice photo perspective because it is picturesque.a pinnacle, partly carved like its major part, towers at the end of the rock formation adds a great view. for geologists, each curve can actually help explain how this rock was formed this way. the rough terrain and the trek to its rocky coast seems to have protected this place from overcrowding and from people who would usually abuse a natural wonder.i just hope that the locals will be able to maintain this. i would even recommend a minimal entrance fee be charged to visitors to protect and preserve it.Kapurpurawan rock formation is located West of the town of Burgos, accessible by a rough tricycle ride and a short trek of the great Burgos coast.the photo below was taken by fellow travel blogger lantaw, who's also in the photo along with the whole group including lawstude, scud, jonee and fhei. watch out for their posts for great shots and feature of Kapurpurawan.

burgos coast - ilocos norte

it seemed to me like a place of an unifinished artwork and great rock carvings. it looks denuded but majestic. Ilocos Norte's coastlines are among the most beautiful in Luzon.just right after that rough road ride, we have to trek along Burgos coastal area to reach the Kapurpurawan rock formation. walking downhill was already easy as they already made cemented walkway down.a mere15-minute walk will actually be longer, as one can't resist stopping and be awed by its great topography. so rugged and remote. similar to the ones seen in the island of Capones.sea bonsais all around the place, typical sea rock formations holding small bodies of water with weird foamy materials that looks so much like the ones in the Death Marshes in the Lord of the Rings.rocks formed by nature through time makes this place one of my favorite. a haven for landscape photographers. there was more to explore around but we were so eager to be at the white rock wonder which was a view away from where we were.up next the Kapurpurawan rock formations. Ilocos Norte's own natural wonder.