Review ｜ La Paz Sand Dunes ★★★★★
The La Paz Sand Dunes are an 85-square-kilometerone patch of sand and hills, and one of the coolest places to check out if you’re in the Ilocos region. While it might seem a little tricky to get out there, here’s my advice on making the trip.
Turn Your Trip Into a Full Day
The sand dunes aren’t a huge area. Sure, 85-square-kilometerone sounds big, but not compared to a real desert. Sure, if you walked straight through, it would take you hours and hours, but that doesn’t seem all that rewarding unless you really love sand.
A lot of Filipino tourist opt for riding jeeps and 4×4 around the dunes. Honestly though, that seemed really tacky. Also it was stupidly expensive, with many places charging ₱5,000 an hour. If you’re on your own, or even with another person, it seems like a massive waste of money. The great thing is, these rental places don’t actually own the sand dunes, nor can they stop you from walking in and exploring on foot, which is what I did. There were places on the road that gave way to beautiful vistas of the dunes, thought some did require a little bit walking to get the best shot.
The hard part is actually getting out to the dunes themselves. I couldn’t find anyone offering tours out to the dunes in Laoag. I guess you get a tricycle driver to take you out there, but it doesn’t seem like it would a comfortable ride nor the best way to experience the beauty of the dunes. The far better way to do things is by renting your own car or motorbike, which is how I got out there.
Even with your own transportation, you might have trouble actually finding the dunes. The signage isn’t very good, the roads are sometimes small, and it’s easy to get ‘lost.’ That said, this is what the trip the most rewarding. There are lots of little villages to explore and also coastal areas to discover. I would highly recommend having access to Google maps though.
Small Villages
There are dozens of tiny villages to ride though. I found people out here to be extremely friendly and welcoming. Many seemed interested in talking with me to learn where I came from and what I was doing out there.
Natural Scenery
I found plenty of opportunities to pull my bike over, grab my camera, and capture the natural beauty of Ilocos Norte.
Beaches
Looking for a different kind of sand? Head towards the beaches. There appeared to be some party huts out there that were being fixed for the upcoming summer season, but while I was there I had it all to myself. I will warn that sadly there is a significant amount of trash of the beach.
Need more information about the Philippines?
Look at our full write up on Laoag HERE.
View our full write up on Vigan HERE.
Mill over our full write up on Manila HERE.
Read our full write up on Angeles City HERE.
Check out our full write up on Cebu HERE.
Peruse our tips on Palawan HERE.
Noddle over our notes on Negros HERE.
Contact & General Information
Price: Free
Hours: Daily 24h
Website: None
Location: Google
