Last October 29 to 31, I joined a group tour packaged by a travel agency with old friends and some new ones too. I already went to Ilocos earlier this year but I still haven’t visited most of the tourist spots, especially those up north. Travelling with friends is also something that I treasure so I found myself signing up to the tour together with an officemate and her boyfriend.
The tour was organized by old friends from my previous company. There were 29 of us initially during the planning stages. On the 28th, two people were not able to come and that left us with 27 people. We occupied two vans and took the gruelling 10-hour ride to the Ilocos region.
Some of us barely know each other during the night of our departure from Manila. But we managed to become friends, inevitably, really, since we were all grouped together for 3 days.
The start of our tour took us to Baluarte - a vast expanse of land showcasing the collection of Chavit Singson, former governor of Ilocos. It was really hot that day so we stayed most of our time on the enclosed, aircon building housing Singson’s taxidermy pieces.
The leaning belfry of St. Augustine Parish Church. The view from the top of the tower is beautiful although the wooden floors supporting the bells and the tourists are creaking.
Write your story here. (Optional)
Marcos Museum showcases memorabilias from the Marcos family. Ferdinand Marcos’ remains lie on one building and is viewable to the public. Cameras, however, were not allowed.
This mansion was the former summer house of the late Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda. The place is now maintained by the Ilocos jurisdiction and is open to the public.
We thank our tour guides/ van drivers for bringing us here during sunset. It’s very picturesque.
Also known as St. Augustine Church, this place is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I love its gothic baroque architecture. I would have preferred if we visited this during daytime. But viewing it at night sure is something too!
Do some photoshoot here. :)
The place was crowded with visitors when we arrived but fortunately, the beach is very wide. The resort is well maintained and the sand is very fine. The beach is formed like a cove - like that in Anawangin, Zambales If you go to the farthest right of the beach, you’ll reach the unspoiled part of the resort. It’s quite rocky on that side and you’ll find several hermit crabs hiding on seashells. You won’t see these on the middle part of the resort.
Very elusive. This is the second time I haven’t reached the rock formations. The rain started to pour hard just when we reached halfway of the trail to those rocks.
I’m not sure if the lighthouse still functions.
The place is okay (just okay).
Unesco World Heritage - Vigan is the finest surviving example of a Spanish colonial town in Asia.
This marks the end of our 3-day Ilocos escapade.
© 2026 Danica Eliana Ferino
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
/resize(700,400,crop)/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/resize(700,400,crop)/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)