Travel Tips when Going to Cagayan Valley
Travel by bus is still the most economical means of going to the Cagayan Valley Region. If you want to visit Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya or even Batanes, you need to plan your travel well so your travel will be comfortable and without incident. Here are some tips to help you out.
1. Be aware of travel-heavy season. Expect a long line of people waiting to buy tickets on long holidays, such as the Holy Week, Christmas and other long weekends. You should also take note of the start and end of school semesters. Students usually flock to and from Metro Manila during these times.
2. Book your bus early. It’s good practice to get travel reservation at least two days before your travel to Cagayan Valley. This way, you are sure of your seat in the bus. If you are always a “chance” passenger, you might sit at the rear-most seats of the bus. The worst case scenario is that you will not be able to secure a seat! It happened to me a lot of times already.
3. Bring a jacket and/or a blanket when you travel. The bus can get really cold! Better be safe than sorry. Bring your jacket and a comfy malong or blanket with you. When your bus gets to Bulacan an hour after leaving Manila, you might feel the chill to your bones! So bring out those blankets and stay warm.
4. Florida Bus is probably the best bus company if you ask me! They have a lot of buses. They have penetrated major towns and destinations in the Cagayan Valley region. And they have different kinds of buses—the regular airconditioned bus; the De Luxe bus (with on-board restroom); the Super De Luxe bus, with only three seats in one row (really spacious!) and the Sleeper Bus. You can literally lie down as if you’re on your own bed.
5. Know other bus lines. If you ever run out of seats from Florida Bus, there are several alternatives you can try.
Victory Liner. They have a station in Kamias, Quezon City, which is very near the intersection of EDSA and East Avenue. They also have one near P. Noval Street in Sampaloc, in front of UST.
Dalin Liner. Sorry, I don’t know where their terminal is. But it is also near the terminal of Florida Bus. They also have a terminal in Quezon City near the Dagupan Bus Terminal.
Autobus. Same terminal area in Sampaloc.
Nelbusco. Yup, it is still alive with two buses traveling each night. Terminal is along Lacson Avenue closer to Espana Blvd. than the Florida Bus terminal.
Northstar. This one used to be the EMC bus line, or so I was told. They have one terminal in Sampaloc along Espana Blvd. very near the train station in Espana. They have another terminal in Lagro, Quezon City along Quirino Hi-way.
Dagupan Bus Line. If you have a really tight budget and you can let go of some comforts, you can go to Dagupan Bus Line. Their buses are ordinary—meaning, they don’t have airconditioning. They do not have reclining seats. And five people are seated in each row. The fare to Isabela is roughly fifty percent cheaper than that of AirCon buses. Terminal is also in Cubao.
Baliwag Transit. Baliwag buses also travel to Tuguegarao and other places in Region 2. Terminal is in Cubao, a few blocks away from Aurora Blvd.
Do let me know if I missed anything. I’m pretty sure that other smaller bus players are operating in the Cagayan Valley region.