Getting
There
To
get to Baguio from outside of Luzon, one would still need
to pass through Manila or Clark airport and from there get
to Baguio by either of the following ways:
By bus
From
Manila
This
is the most common and economical way to get to Baguio from
Metro Manila. Several bus lines ply the Metro Manila to Baguio
route with terminals scattered across the metro. It generally
takes about 5 hours to get to Baguio by bus. An hour longer
than it would by car due to stopovers along the way.
From
Clark airport
Partas Bus operates a bus service that stops at Clark airport
and heads north from there, departing the airport at 5:00
PM. Get off at Sison (arrival there around 8:00 PM) and cross
the road to the restaurant stop opposite and get on a Victory
Liner bus that does a dinner stop there. The fare from Clark
airport to Sison on Partas Bus is 193 pesos, then from there
by Victory Liner to Baguio is an additional 90 pesos. Travel
time is 3 hours Clark to Sison, then 1 1/2 hours Sison to
Baguio, plus some waiting time at Sison.
By
air
Asian
Spirit (As of June 2007)flies Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and
Friday from Manila to Baguio. The flight takes only 50 minutes
and lands in Loakan Airport which is about a 20 minute ride
south of the city center. A return ticket costs 6,000 pesos.
By car
The
only motorway from Manila to the south to get to Baguio via
car is using the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) which extends
until Sta. Ines, Pampanga and there is no more motorway beyond
this, only narrow roads such as the McArthur Highway. Visitors
need to pass through the provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac and
Pangasinan to get to Baguio quickly from Manila and the south.
As much as driving is not advised for tourists in Manila,
it is doubly risky to do it going to Baguio. There are three
main routes leading up to Baguio by road, Kennon Road is the
shortest taking only 30-45 minutes to climb from the foot
of the mountain, Marcos Highway takes upto 1 hour to climb
and Naguillan Road is 3 hours longer. All three roads can
get blocked by landslides and Kennon Road with its long winding
stretches is both scenic and dangerous. If you are intent
on driving to Baguio, it would be best to hire a Filipino
driver for this purpose. Most rental car companies in the
Philippines offer chauffeur driven rentals in addition to
the usual self-driven rentals.
Visitors
need to keep in mind that it will it takes at average 6-7
hours to get to Baguio by car, it takes much longer during
holiday weekends like Holy Week. |