Pagudpud Trip: Patapat Viaduct and Timmantang Rock (and Bantay Abot Cave)

Patapat Viaduct, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte


Pagudpud is a coastal town in the province of Ilocos Norte. At this point, the only destinations in Pagudpud I've heard of were its beaches and the Patapat Viaduct.

2. Arrival at Pagudpud
3. Patapat Viaduct
4. Timmantang Rock and Bantay Abot Cave
5. Bantay Abot Cave
6. Timmantang Rock

Arrival at Pagudpud

We left Kapurpurawan (Burgos, Ilocos Norte) at a little past noonand reached Pagudpud’s welcome arch in a little over 30 minutes. And a few more minutes we found the accommodation we we going to stay in.

(Read: Burgos Wind Farm And Kapurpurawan Rock Formation Ilocos Norte)

The place was okay in general and not that far from the beach where it has an open view to the west. Sunset view, of course. We rested a little, secured our things, and had our lunch. We had grilled tilapia, pinakbet, chicken barbecue, and tokwa't baboy (fried tofu and pork). Recharged, we were ready again to hit the road and start exploring Pagudpud!

Patapat Viaduct

As the viaduct is constructed by the mountain and we were there on a very late afternoon, the place looked a little gloomy. It probably is ideal to be there very early so the lushness of the trees will stand out and look vivid in photos. The good thing is it wasn’t hot at all when we were there.

The subdued lighting in the area probably made the place a bit less interesting (for me) to photograph and I had a hard time dealing with 'shadows' in the photos I took. Nevertheless the viaduct is a structure to admire and also makes a good souvenir portrait backdrop.


View from the Patapat Viaduct, Pagudpud Ilocos Norte



Photo taken by our guide. Patapat Viaduct, Pagudpud Ilocos Norte



View from Patapat Viaduct, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

Timmantang Rock and Bantay Abot Cave

From Patapat Viaduct we drove north to check the Blue Lagoon as suggested by our local guide. Apparently, the lagoon is a resort area and the place looked highly commercialized (my word for crowded) and developed.

One notable resort is called Hannah's, easily recognizable by its huge signage a la Hollywood. We were not planning to stay there so we went on without getting off the vehicle.

Earlier, though, on the way there, we passed by an area where we thought we could stop by and explore a little. One is the Bantay Abot Cave and the other was the Timmangtang Rock but we headed right away to the latter.

Bantay Abot Cave

Bantay Abot Cave as seen from Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte



Bantay Abot Cave as seen from Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte


Bantay Abot Cave isn’t that far from the Timmangtang Rock and you can actually see the form and the 'hole' of the hill from there. Accordingly the hole was (most likely) caused by an earthquake a long time ago. (Cue: Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony...)

Timmantang Rock

Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte



At Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte



At Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte



At Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte



Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte



View from Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte



Tide pools at Timmantang Rock, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. I love tide pools.


Having seen enough of the place, we decided to go back to the accommodation and catch the sunset from the beach. Simply one of the best sunset views I've seen.