Sunrise in Kiltepan, Sagada

Its been some years since I last explored some parts of Sagada. A lot of things have changed. I remenber the first time I visited the place and got instantly awed by it. The second time made me so sad when I saw some "mushroom" limestone towers that were literally cut down to give way to houses, and yes, some tourist inns. You can never imagine what the entrance to Sagada must have looked like before those limestone towers were taken away. But it was always soothing to go back to this special place, even if I don't have to re-explore those adventure caves.

Been there, twice, thrice, a fourth time, a fifth encounter, until I've lost count. But I never got treated to what, this time, literally took my breath away - the sunrise in Kiltepan.

You will never have a "garbage" shot in Kiltepan. Every photo is worth saving.

 15 minutes before sunrise and these rice terraces are enough eye-breakfast already.

A full morning light that's definitely worth the travel in Sagada!

Going towards a much nicer viewpoint.

At first, I could not believe that people would actually go to the viewpoint at 5:00 A.M.... But here they are! With their monopods and selfie shots! I counted more than 60 people belonging to different groups this morning.

A good news is that the owners of the land have decided to set up a cafe that provides tables and serves coffee plus simple breakfast. Don't worry about the entrance fee as there is none.

This is how the cafe grounds look like.

 Who would dare complain for this kind of breakfast? Served with nippy morning air and majestic (really, no copy write thing) view of the clouds, the mountains and the rice terraces.

How to get to the Kiltepan Viewpoint - its located near the entrance to the town of Sagada (about 4 kilometers away before the town proper). Get off at the road that leads to the Kiltepan viewpoint and get ready for about two kilometers of walking. What many Sagada guests do is they hire a vehicle to reach the viewpoint (I miss the days of walking as the only way to get around the town!).