Stobosa - Colors of Valley: A Living Art near Baguio City

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Stobosa Colors of Valley near Baguio City

A month after I visited Manila to catch up stories with some college buddies, I headed north to Baguio. It was a few days after Valentine’s Day. I and my friends do not have a concrete plan on what to visit in Baguio for two days but then we decided to visit the places we haven’t been before—and those two are the Colors of Valley in La Trinidad, Benguet and Bencab Museum in Baguio.

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A Taste of Coffee and Clouds at Café in the Sky, Mt. Sto. Tomas, Tuba, Benguet

The overlooking view of Baguio City from Cafe in the Sky, Tuba, Benguet

This was my first out of town trip after I set foot in Manila from a very long flight coming from the lands of southern hemisphere. I embraced my longings with my ever loving home province of Tarlac and when a friend of mine planned to visit Baguio City for the nth time again, I did not think twice—I packed my backpack with good old time jackets, took enough cash and got myself ready for another five-hour trip. Not soon enough, I was back to the city where popular pine trees grow and strawberries are celebrated.

How to Go to Mount Osdung, Kibungan, Benguet

Map on going to Mount Osdung, Kibungan, Benguet

If you are planning to hike Mount Osdung in Kibungan, Benguet, you can follow what we did to reach the summit (provided here are some maps):

Mt. Osdung, Benguet: The Trail and the Top Load

A lonely pine tree at the peak of Mount Osdung in Kibungan, Benguet

Mount Osdung is a mountain situated in the ranges of Cordillera in Kibungan, Benguet. It is said to be the 16^th highest mountain in the Philippines. “Osdung” or “usdung” is a Kankanaey term (also Ilocano) which similarly means “to stoop” or as in bend your body to look downwards, as when you are on top of a summit or cliff. In Tagalog it means “tumingin sa ibaba (ng bundok) ”. Mount Osdung day hike is one of the easiest mountain climb you can actually do when you are in the highlands of the Cordillera Region.

Planning a Day Hike to Mount Osdung

Wonderful views of Cordillera Mountains en route to Mt. Osdung for a day hike.

Mount Osdung, having the 16^th highest peak in the entire Philippines, is an easy day hike for mountaineers. It lies in the municipality of Kibungan, Benguet and is situated about 3 hours from Baguio City. The jump-off point is at Collideng Junction in Buguias, Benguet (marker is the yellow Trader’s Café) and from there an hour of walk trail is expected along the way to the peak of Mt. Osdung. It may be one of the easiest climb but the view from the mountain is awesome. Road trails going to Sagada, cabbage farms, mountain walls and other peaks can be viewed 360 degrees.

How to Go to Ambuklao Dam, Bokod, Benguet

Map on going to Ambuklao Dam from the city of Baguio.

How to go to the Ambuklao Dam spillway in Bokod, Benguet from Baguio City:

Via Private Vehicle

1. From Baguio City, follow the road that goes to Pacdal Circle (from downtown, you will pass through Leonard Wood Road, the same road that goes to Botanical Garden).  Exit to Pacdal Road (the one beside Gibraltar and Siapno roads) and eventually connects to Ambuklao Road.

Ambuklao Trip with Pinoy Travel Bloggers (PTB)

Pinoy Travel Bloggers during the Ambuklao trip on October 7, 2012

Our trip to Ambuklao Dam was sponsored by Azalea Residences Baguio, who happens to be our hotel partner during our First Baguio Blog Conference held on May 19, 2012. It was supposed to be Ambuklao trip only, but something happened that I and the rest of the blogger participants have to thrill ourselves walking on a hanging bridge.

Ambuklao Dam: A Benguet Dam Travel Story

This water reservoir of the Ambuklao Dam in Benguet has a scenic angle of skies and mountains over lake.

 Ambuklao Dam was created to sustain a chunk in the necessity of electricity of people over Luzon Island in the Philippines. It was constructed sometime in the 1950s and eventually took more than 6 years of completion. At that time, the Ambuklao Dam was said to be the largest and highest dam in the East Asia. Other than its main purpose to generate power, Ambuklao Dam in Bokod, Benguet also serves as a flood control structure as well as irrigation to the fields of Pangasinan.

Planning a Road Trip to Ambuklao

This green mini water lake was created by the spill side of the Ambuklao Dam near the spillway. (Ambuklao, Bokod, Benguet)

Ambuklao (or Ambuclao as others spell it) is a barangay in Bokod, Benguet, a town situated about one to one and a half hour from the city center of Baguio. It is mountainous over Ambuklao, and somewhere over the mountains a crafted lake was formed sometime in the 1950s. With a depth of more than 750 meters, the Ambuklao Dam serves as an energy source in the island of Luzon. This dam about 36 kilometers northeast of Baguio City is slowly becoming popular because of its manmade scenic view.

Lost in Ambuklao! A Benguet Dam Video Story

I've never seen a "dam thing" before (yes it's "dam" or water reservoir) and to see one is a goal. It's my first time last Baguio Day to go to Ambuklao Dam in  Benguet. I went there alone and I did it successfully. It's my first solo flight travel and believe it or not, I was the only traveler when I went there. My first solo travel plus my first time to see an awesome water reservoir (hmmm maybe I can compare it to Mt. Pinatubo's crater lake) plus I was the only traveler plus my first time to make HD travel video for Travex Travels! A bunch of "first times" for me and another page of Philippine wonders for you. If you have never seen one like this before, try to see it this year!