Tara, Let’s Explore Isabela!

I’ve been traveling to places and yet have not explored much of my home province, Isabela. This time, let me take you to some parts of the second largest province in the country dubbed as the Queen Province of the North. It’s been a while since I’ve been to my hometown as I am currently working in the metropolis. Let me serve you a prescribed dosage of trivia about Isabela. It was named after Queen Isabela II of Spain and was established on May 1, 1856 through a Royal Decree. Isabela comprise an aggregate land area of 10,665 square kilometers, representing almost 40 percent of the regional territory. It is the largest province in the region and the second largest province in the Philippines in terms of land area. The province is bounded on the north by the province of Cagayan, on the south by Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Aurora, on the west by the Cordillera Administrative Region and on the east by the Pacific Ocean. So that’s how vast Isabela is. I wonder how long will it take to fully explore what Isabela has to offer!

How to Get There?

Just a little travel guide when taking your way from Metro Manila towards Isabela. You’ll have to take of course the North Luzon Expressway if you are traveling by land. If you have your own car, well and good but be sure to have a sound engine and a great driver. Otherwise, you may take the public transport. Daily trips to Cagayan Valley are available at the three famous transport companies namely, GV Florida Bus, Victory Liner (both in Kamias, QC) or Baliwag Transit (along EDSA). I often ride in Florida since I find it very comfortable. The busses have wide seats, great air-conditioning and a restroom so you won’t need stopovers to pee. You may choose for a Regular AirCon Type, DeLuxe or Super DeLuxe with reasonable price ranging from 500 to 700 pesos. On the other hand, I used to ride in Victory Liner and Baliwag Transit for I can avail of discounts wayback when I was a student. But I find it more comfortable in Florida now. If you are on a daytrip you might enjoy the scenery as you pass by the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Nueva Vizcaya before finally setting foot to the boundaries of Isabela. It will surely be a long eight-hour trip. I usually find it better for a night-trip so I won’t take much of the daytime traveling and I can sleep a lot. But of course, you may opt to have an hour flight from NAIA to Cauayan Domestic Airport via Cebu Pacific which would cost you much. That would surely be no problem for travel enthusiasts. At least it will just take you an hour compared to an eight-hour trip by land.

As you approach the boundaries of Isabela’s 4th Engineering District, starting up with the municipality of Cordon, look up and you’ll see a majestic welcome note confirming you’ve just arrived! I borrowed the picture and promised to put proper citation. It belongs to a good friend and fellow Isabelino, Linette. Thanks for the permission to use the pic. ?

What to Expect?
Recently, Isabela has been under severe destruction due to typhoons. Several communication lines are down; flooding happened in some areas, no electricity for a few days but Isabelinos are resilient just like any other Filipino. In short, do not expect much! Haha I wonder how to meet expectations but whatever these expectations are, I hope my home province will give you more than what you deserve. After having a long trip from Manila, have some time to relax and eat good food. Famous food favorite by those who already went is the Felicitas’ Pancit Cabagan which you will surely love. But there also exist a great café/restaurant in my hometown, Echague which will delight your appetite. It is called the Ramos Café aka Café by the Park. This is a semi-fine dining restaurant that offers an array of food favorites from pasta to pizza and the likes where prices are reasonable. I particularly like the Tacos here as well as the pizza of course. Hehe It’s good I found a blog about this café in our place which is quite thrilling for the writer really appreciate it.

Tara! Explore na!
Having said to present some interesting places let’s head start the tour to the different attractions Isabela has to offer. I have been to some and will soon be visiting the remaining ones. But make sure be also ready for a bit of walking. This is how to really commune with nature. So buckle up, tara na!

Magat High Rise Dam and Hydro-electric Power Plant (Ramon). It was constructed in 1970 which costs P6.5B to include the dam itself, powerhouse, office buildings and other related facilities. This infrastructure project used to be the biggest dam in the whole of Asia. Project benefits include year-round irrigation supply of some 102,000 hectares of agricultural land and an ultimate capacity of 540 megawatts of hydroelectric power sufficient to supply the whole of Northern Luzon Grid. Its reservoir area of 4,460 hectares has a great potential for water-based recreation like fishing, swimming, boating and water skiing, among others. Recommended for educational tours and is accessible by jeepney from Santiago City. I’ve been here for several times and I am always awed by this huge dam. Actually I am thinking, how does it feel to slide on its spillways? hehe That would surely be fun isn’t it?

World’s Biggest Butaka (Ilagan). At the heart of Isabela’s capital town, Ilagan sits the famous Butaka (lounge chair) which held a record of being the largest in the world for quite some time. This gigantic Butaka was completed in 29 days by 25 workers. It measures 11’4” high, 8” long and 9’7” wide weighing 2,368 kilograms. It was made of 1,762 board feet of seasoned Narra, our national tree and 1,740 foot-1 inch diameter of rattan. The total cost of production amounted to Php 175,000.00. I had a close look at the chair and it was really big!hehe However, I wasn’t able to climb it. The famous butaka was housed at the center of the town proper along Maharlika Highway where everyone can have a glimpse of this magnificent Isabela’s pride.

Santa Victoria Caves (Ilagan). Sta. Victoria Caves and Environmental School at Fuyo National Park features naturally formed lattices and sparkling rock formations. Visitors are given lectures and are allowed to plant their own seedlings. It now has a zoo while within the area is the Pinzal Falls conducive for excursions and swimming. I was able to visit this cave with my UP Isabela Society brods and sis after our Outreach Program in Ilagan. Since we have nothing else to do, we had a side trip. I was lucky enough to have seen the rock formations. It is really worth being an active member of an organization. You are able to see places you have never been! The park here is just simple during our visit. I would love to revisit the place and I heard a lot of improvements have been made.
San Pablo Church (San Pablo). Built in 1624, it is said to be the oldest in the province. Its lofty bell tower of six layers including the circular apex made of adobe is the tallest in the Cagayan Valley. San Pablo, the oldest town of Isabela, was founded by Padre de Sto. Tomas, 210 years before Isabela was made a province. This is my next destination as I haven’t seen this for long. I’ve been in the town of San Pablo but didn’t have a lot of time to spend especially I was there for a Christmas Party which happened to be celebrated at night as usual.

Isabela has a lot more to offer on the religious aspect. The different churches built centuries ago and lately are quite enormous and historic as well. From old bricks to the new architectural materials, Isabela have that. And for the purpose of concentrating more on that aspect, I’ll be presenting a separate blog of the religious institutions in the province later on.

The Natural Wonders!
Isabela is also endowed with powdery fine white beaches and warm beds of crystalline waters, which span the shoreline of the coastal municipalities of Palanan, Divilican, Maconacon and Dinapigue which are surely a hit to those who are hydrophilic. Its coastal area is a small strip of flat to rolling land with s 208-kilometer coastline and is home to beautiful caves, coves, bays, and rich marine life. And since the province is part of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, biodiversity is definitely high. Endemic flora and fauna and several unnamed are sure to be found. That’s why extensive researches are done to explore what the province has in store in terms of natural resources.

On the stretch of its shoreline can be found the powdery white beaches such as the Bicobian and Dimasalanasan Beaches in Divilacan, Dicotcotan Beach in Palanan, Flores Beach in Maconacon to name a few. The Crytal and Blue Lagoons of Palanan are also mesmerizing. Isabela also boasts of towering falls such as the Dinapigue and Disadsad Falls. Another great attraction is the Honeymoon Island in Divilacan which serves its purpose by its name? hehe Just kidding!
Bonsai Forest (Dinapigue). Sumanget, Dinapigue houses about 20,000 hectares of bonsai forest. The area is accessible by land transport from Baler in Aurora Province and by air from Cauayan Airport.

Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (Palanan) is the largest protected area in the country and is a low altitude rainforest at 800 feet asl. The area is about 359,477 hectares and is rated No. 1 in the world’s biodiversity. Very ideal for marine and outdoor adventure.  Tours take for five days over rainforests, mountains, rivers/streams with stops at indigenous people’s communities; appreciate at close range a wide variety of flora and fauna and enjoy a relaxing dip into rivers and streams or the Pacific Ocean. From Manila, Isabela is about 10 hours by commercial airconditioned buses. Palanan Wilderness Guided Tours can be arranged through DOT Region 02.
Other attractions which bring wonder and a fun-filled tour to every first timer are must see. These venues provide great relaxation and time travel to history.
Camp Samal Hotel, Resort, Training Center & Leisure Park (Tumauini). The municipality of Tumauini operates Camp Samal which offers accommodation facilities, lagoon boating area, swimming pools and slides, grill house and restaurant and other facilities for vacationing families and big groups. This is a great location for reunions especially if relatives have to travel from far places.

Aguinaldo Shrine (Palanan). A historic place where the First President of the Philippine Republic, General Emilio Aguinaldo surrendered to the American forces, thus ending the Philippine Revolution in March 1901. Palanan is accessible by aircraft, pump boat and trail hiking thru Sta. Ana, Cagayan, San Mariano/Cauayan/Aurora and Ilagan, Isabela respectively. Nelbusco buses in Santiago City have trips to Palanan via Dilasag, Aurora.

Isabela Museum and Library (Ilagan). Inaugurated last May 11, 1999 and is housed at the old capitol building in Ilagan. It is the repository and custodian of the rich historical and cultural heritage of Isabelinos. It features a gallery exhibit-collection of artifacts, fossils, heirloom pieces, visual arts, dioramas and other historical documents. It is open on weekdays.

There are a lot more to explore in my home province. I will be doing a lot of research to bring you the best we have in Isabela. Specific locations for specific getaways! That would be all for now. I will be back with more! ?