Razexplore: Sitio La Presa
Location: Sitio Pungyan Road, Benguet
Travel Time: 45 mins from Central Business District of Baguio
Sitio La Presa became popular because of the television series "Forevermore". However, right after
the television series ended, the government stopped tourists from driving up to the small community
because of the traffic along Santo Tomas-Cabuyao national road and piles of garbage dumped in
areas where vegetables were grown. In my old blog, I was able to share this beautiful place and I
wanted to share this again to those who missed this place. So join me as I walk you through my
Sitio La Presa Adventure. Don't worry it's never too late, you can still take a glimpse of it
at "Cafe in the Sky" a popular overlooking restaurant near Sitio La Presa.
Sitio La Presa is just a fictional name.The Real name of La Presa before it became renowned is
actually "Sitio Pungayan" in Tuba, Benguet. It's a small village near Mount Cabuyao and yes, you
have to trek in order to reach this beautiful scenery.We had our private vehicle on our way up and we
saw several people trekked up the mountain. We never saw a Jeepney but we were told that you can
rent a taxi for about 250 php. We were surprised because we never encountered a bumpy road and on
our way up is literally flawless.
We didn't know where to stop so we went up 'till we saw a long line of private vehicles on the road.
From there, we knew we reached our destination. We had to leave our car on the side of the road and
trekked for about 15 minutes to reach the famous "La Presa". The view made me want to trek for
more. I swear, it's worth it. Theis is the Actual View, the famous giant radar and the slopes we had to
trek on our way back to the car.
When the sky is clear (not obstructed by the fog) you will clearly see the garden terraces and a clear
view of the mountain which is breath taking!The place is not really for Strawberry picking not like
what you see in the television series. I think the series helped a lot in advertising this
little gem of Benguet but I don't think the celebrities are the only reason why people wants to go
here; because the place is really fascinating.
Every angle is just so beautiful which you can hashtag as View from the Sky.
Honestly, I enjoyed the few minutes I had in La Presa more than I enjoyed my stay in Baguio City.
That's because you will really appreciate the nature and savor the fresh air while looking at
the crowd taking pictures everywhere.
If the tourists respected this place, it could have been a popular Tourist Destination up to today.
But I think the government made a good decision in preserving the environment. 4,284.8 hectares of
the 27,864 ha of classified forest land in Tuba have been used for agricultural purposes, 30 percent of
which are rice fields and vegetable gardens which plays a vital role in the livelihood of the people in
Benguet.
You can feel Baguio because of the Steep and uphill road, the fogs, the cold and fresh air and you
can see the full view of Baguio city.The view is so breathtaking and picture worthy from the
mountain ranges and sea of clouds. I consider myself lucky for experiencing this, I hope people
will learn how to value and appreciate the wonders of nature. I am hoping that one day,
The doors of Sitio La Presa will be open to public again.
