Tourist Attractions
Aglipay Caves and Campsite
Located in Barangay Villa Ventura, the Aglipay caves and campsite is the perfect must-experience place for visitors looking for high-intensity adventure. Spelunkers will get the thrill of their lives exploring its series of limestone caves tucked under rolling hills in the middle of a verdant forest. Aglipay caves is actually a 37-chamber cave system, eight of which have been developed as tourist spots. Even beginners will enjoy a guided trek through the cave network’s interlinked eight subsurface chambers. The guided tour of the first six caves takes about one and a half hours and visitors are charged an entrance fee of PhP25 per head. Payment for the guide is voluntary but is highly recommended.
Aglipay caves and campsite is within a more than 100-hectare area of lush forests that provide refuge to a rich variety of indigenous flora and fauna. And with the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis and the growing need for healthy activities, these forests have become an ideal venue for a new health and wellness activity that Aglipay caves and campsite now offers. Called “forest bathing,” this activity started in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise that allows participants to “take in the forest atmosphere.” But while Japan is credited for introducing this practice, the concept at the heart of this therapy is not new. Many cultures have long recognized the importance of the natural world – of communing with nature – to human health and wellbeing. Numerous scientific studies have also shown that spending time in – and with – nature results in many health benefits such as reduced blood pressure, lower stress levels, an improved ability to focus, and less incidence of insomnia.
At the Aglipay caves and campsite, “forest bathers” can trek along an established trail under tall trees in a closed-canopy forest. The hike takes about an hour. But for those who want to spend more time communing with nature to revel in the beauty of their surroundings, listen to the soothing chirping of birds, and do some meditation, there is another, yet similarly easy, trail.
Waterfalls
Pensal Falls
Pensal Falls is one of Aglipay’s tourist attractions that allow visitors to commune with nature. Located in Barangay San Benigno, it is a three-tier waterfall that cascades over a gently sloping rock formation.
Right in the middle of this rock formation is a wide plateau-like space where visitors can sit and “be one with nature” while the falls’ crystal-clear flowing waters wash over them. Thrill-seekers can also go cliff-jumping from the cliffs surrounding the falls’ basin.
Claredita Falls
Claredita Falls, also known as Victoria Falls, is one of the best known Aglipay tourist attractions. Located in Barangay Victoria, this magnificent waterfall has five tiers of cascading water that slides elegantly on an almost vertical rocky mountain wall. Perfect for tourists seeking tranquility, Claredita Falls is covered by towering forest trees and thick shrubs.
The falls’ rocky pedestals are bedimpled by small, blue lagoons where visitors can take refreshing dips.The site offers a sanctuary for nature lovers who wish to enjoy an unspoiled environment.
Napipiwongan Falls
Napipiwongan Falls is another popular tourist destination in Aglipay. The falls is named after “Piwong”, Ifugao term for Balinsasayaw or Shallow which populates the area in large numbers up to this day. This is a stunning seven-tier waterfall with 2 main falls that drops to 4 wide deep catchment pools and 3 smaller deep pools. The area boasts of icy cold water and indigenous flora and fauna.
During rainy season, it is approximately 2 hours drive in 4x4 vehicle from the capital town of Cabarroguis. During the summer season, however, it can be reached by dirt bike and ordinary motorcycle. It only takes approximately 15 minutes trek from the barangay road to reach this exquisitely beautiful waterfalls.
Mabo Falls
Mabo Falls, also in Nagabgaban, Aglipay is another emerging tourist destination in Aglipay. Hidden in the middle of a secluded mossy forest, this is a stunning six-tier waterfall. Featuring a towering 150-meter high water drop, this natural wonder, however, is not for faint-hearted or weak-kneed visitors.
Most visitors get to the site by trekking for several hours – some three hour to four hours from Barangay Nagabgaban to Sitio Mabo – which makes visiting Mabo Falls a made-to-order challenge for tourists who want to experience an adventure like no other. However, during the summer season, Mabo Falls can also be reached by dirt bike, an off-road motorcycle or a 4x4 vehicle.
Panagsalukag Festival
Panagsalukag Festival is a celebration of valuing hardwork and industry of Aglipayanos by their habit of rising at early dawn, going and working at the farm and leaving for home at dusk. It is celebrated every July 23-25 of the year.
Restaurants
After enjoying the many attractions Aglipay offers, visitors who are hungry after a day of trekking, spelunking and swimming, head to the town’s restaurants which offer mouth-watering meals. Here are just some of them:
Maco-Maco Bulaluhan Restaurant
Located in Barangay Palacian near the Aglipay Caves and Campsite, this restaurant is a must-visit for families. Aside from its specialty – bulalo (a beef dish that features beef shanks and bone marrow) – it also serves a wide variety of delicious lutong-bahay (home-cooked) dishes at affordable prices. Its best-sellers include crispy dinuguan, dinakdakan, pinakbet and other Ilocano dishes.
DecenTea Shop
DecenTea Shop, which is located in Purok 1, Barangay Victoria near the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses, specializes in delicious milktea drinks with such esoteric flavors as cheesecake, matcha, hokkaido, caramel, okinawa, wintermelon, taro red velvet, and more. It also offers pica-pica dishes (finger foods) like fries, siomai (a Chinese dimsum), kropek (prawn crackers) and lumpiang shanghai (a Filipino egg roll).
These can be ordered in combinations that have been given humorous names like “Ikaw Bahala” (It’s your call), a platter of fries and kropek, and “Kahit Ano” (Whatever), which puts together kropek, siomai and lumpiang shanghai. This restaurant is also known for pizza, the most popular of which are: beef and veggie mushroom, all-meat, Hawaiian, and ham and cheese.
Desiree Café
This restaurant, located in Barangay San Leonardo, is known for its delicious cakes, particularly for its carrot cake, cheesecake, yema cake (a classic Filipino delicacy made from milk and egg yolks) and cupcakes. It also serves pasta dishes like carbonara and pescatore pasta and a variety of aglio e olio (garlic and oil) pasta. For drinks, it offers fresh fruit shakes, carrot lemonade, cucumber lemonade and the ubiquitous coffee.
Aglipay Gallery
