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THINGS TO DO IN LAOAG, ILOCOS NORTE: Sand Boarding and 4x4 Ride in La Paz Sand Dunes


Sand boarding at the La Paz Sand Dunes has been long overdue in my "to do" list of adventures. Aside from visiting Paoay Church, this is one of the main reasons I've been dying to visit Ilocos Norte.

The La Paz Sand Dunes is an 85 sq. km. of protected sandy coastal desert located in the capital city of Laoag. It is part of the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes which stretches from the town of Currimao all the way to the town of Pasuquin, north of Laoag City. As a distinct land formation, it was declared as a National Geological Monument by the National Committee on Geological Sciences in 1993.


The sand dunes were said to be created by the interaction of wind, sea and river, causing erosion and deposition. Bordered by the South China Sea at the west and a mountain range on the other side, this natural wonder is really an awesome sight to behold.


When I first heard about sand boarding in Ilocos Norte, the adventurista in me was delighted. I kept a promise that when I get the chance to visit this far north province, I will definitely give it a try.

It is not just a popular location for great Filipino movies such as Himala, Pedro Penduko and Panday, it has also become a favorite site for sand boarding enthusiasts.


So, while planning for this trip, I searched the net and contacted Sir Glenn Guererro to provide me sand boarding lessons. I bargained for a special rate since I will just be alone. I'm glad he agreed! Di naman cya mahirap kausap eh! Thank you Sir!

As agreed, Sir Glen fetched me in Texicano Hotel at 6:00 in the morning on my 2nd day in Laoag. I asked him that we do it early in the morning to enjoy the place without being sunburned, aside from the fact that the sand gets hot when the sun is already high.


The sand dunes is located outside the city proper of Laoag, just a few minutes drive or if you don’t have a car, you can ride a tricycle to go there. Since he brought his 4x4 jeep, it only took us 15 minutes to get to the sand dunes. I was at awe when I first saw the sand dunes. It's sand and hills everywhere! Truly amazing!!!

Although it's not my first time riding a 4x4 jeep, it was still an experience riding the jeep through the sand dunes. It was fun and bumpy. Sir Glen drove his car up and down the sandy hills. Thrilling, exciting and nerve wracking. That alone is already a heart pounding adventure.


He parked the jeep when we reached the area for the sand boarding. He prepared the boards and instructed me what to do. I told him that I've tried surfboarding, so it won’t be hard for me to learn it. Hahaha!!! Yabang lang… Pampa-lakas ng loob! Haha!


And there you go! I'm now ready to ride the board. Wahhhhh!!!




Balancing on the board is hard. You certainly need good balancing skills to perfectly slide down the sandy hills. I tried it standing up and sitting down, the latter is definitely easier. Hahaha!!!


If balancing on the board is hard, going back at the starting point is even harder! Hahaha!!! It's so hard to climb on sand and to pull yourself up towards the top of the hill.


Don’t miss this "must-do activity" when visiting Ilocos Norte. It only costs 2,500 pesos per 1-hour of sand boarding lessons, good for four persons. The package also includes the 4x4 jeepney transportation to and from the sand dunes.

I highly recommend this activity and assure you, it's definitely a thrilling adventurista experience!


You may contact Sir Glen Guererro at:
Mobile Number: 0908-8853669

Thank you also to his companion for taking the pictures! It's my pleasure meeting both of you.


Happened last May 6-8, 2011, here is a series of posts on my 3D/2N Adventure in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. This is my 3rd solo trip and 26th province on my list.
Map By: Wikipedia


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46 comments :

  1. sama mo naman ako dyan! yan ang isa sa gusto kong puntahan sa Pinas. :)

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  2. masaya nga diyan. meron na rin atang buggy drive, tama ba?

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  3. galing... may sa pinas na rin pala ang ganyan... parang nasa uae lang. :D

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  4. Wow new post. good to see you back! =)

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  5. Walang tubig, walang pagkain. Eh di sumayaw na lang tayo! LOL! :D

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  6. browsing blogs... i found yours.. i like the idea... keep it up!

    i'm from Palawan but now i'm residing in Canada...

    JJRod'z

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  7. want to try that one as well..something adventure

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  8. Parang ang hirap mag sand board.Masakit ba when you fall?

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  9. hehe enjoy yan kuya mervz ah.. :D hehe nakakapagod lang ata umakyt after mong mag slide hehehe

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  10. @Supladong Office Boy - wahahaha!!! kakapunta ko lang eh, matagal pa cguro bago ako bumalik... hehehe!!! thanks po... :)

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  11. @dong ho - yup, super nag-enjoy ako... ay, wala akong nakitang buggy... sana meron nga para na-try ko din... hehehe!!! thanks dong ho! :)

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  12. @empi - wahahaha!!! oo nga eh... di na kailangan pumunta ng UAE para maka experience ng desert.... hehehe! thanks empi! :)

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  13. @Herbert - need to finish this series para ma-blog ko na yung Baler trip ko last weekend... hehehe!!! thanks Herbie... :)

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  14. @Berniemack Arellano - wahahaha! dyan nga yata sila nmag shoot eh... thanks Bernie! :)

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  15. @den marco - it's a must-do when you visit Laoag... thanks Marco! :)

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  16. @Grace - medyu mahirap, pero super enjoy naman... i fell a lot of times, pero oks lang, di naman masakit kasi sand naman... messy nga lang pag gumulong ka kasi mapuputa sa buhok mo yung sand... hehehe!!! thanks Grace! :)

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  17. @halojin - yeah, that's the hardest part, yung bumalik sa starting point... hehehe!!! thanks Halojin! :)

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  18. this really really looks exciting. but I have a question... does the board just slides down the sand without anything pulling it? Or is there like a car or what that pulls it? I am thinking how fast can the board go alone with the amount from friction from the sand.

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  19. @thepinaysolobackpacker - mura na cya if you're in a group... bale 625 pesos lang each... :)

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  20. @Leave the Cube - there's no one pulling it... ipu-push cya ng instructor mo, then mag slide na cya sa hill, with the gravity pulling you down... may something na nilagay eh, i think wax yun, para dumulas cguro... :)

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  21. nalungkot ako. alam ko hindi ako mag-eexceed sa sport na to. alam mo na, water sports lang ako magaling! ^_^

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  22. Cool! Thanks for the info and contact number. Might try this soon :)

    Definitely, Maybe

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  23. @Chyng - wahahaha! try try lang naman... di ko rin kinaya... ang hirap pala eh... hahaha!!!

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  24. waahh inggit naman ako! di man lang ako naka apak sa sanddunes na yan nung nag ilocos norte kami!

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  25. wow! gusto ko din to mtry! :D yipee! Paoay Church and Sand dunes on my list now! whats next? :D

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  26. @♥ joei - please contact sir glenn when you visit the sand dunes... thanks po... hope to hear your story about it soon! :)

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  27. @Christian | Lakad Pilipinas - most tourists skip this one, I don;t know why. It's very accessible from the city... thanks Christian! :)

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  28. @tina - it's a great adventurista experience... hehehe!!! thanks again Tina! :)

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  29. nice...hopefully i can visit this next year..hehe thanks for this heads up.

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  30. @dashaman - please contact sir Glenn, this is my simple way to say thanks to him... thanks Dashaman! :)

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  31. wow, iba ka talaga mervin...gusto ko rin itry yan pagnakapunta ko dyn ang tanong lng kayanin kya ko ng board.....wahahahahaha..

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  32. @lakwatserong tatay - wahahaha! kaya ka nun! hehehe!!! thanks Brian! congrats nga pala sa pagiging weekend warrior mo sa weekend getaway... inform moko kung kelan ipapalabas ha... hehehe!!!

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  33. Ang galing nakapag-sand boarding ka na, matagal ko na to gusto gawin! :)

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  34. @lakwatsera de primera - ni-try ko lang... medyu mahirap pero super enjoy! hehehe!!! :)

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  35. @Tripper10 - hopefully, my simple experience in sand boarding at the sand dunes encourage you more to try it... thanks Tripper!

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  36. haahha. this is the closest to snowboarding i guess. i love this sport, i wanna try it out.

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  37. na challenge nga ako mg surfing palang.. sandboarding pa kaya.. but this is nice! :)

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  38. Hi Adventurista! I find these blog entries very helpful/useful.I'm excited for our Laoag-Pagudpud-Vigan trip in June. :) May I ask for your help in getting the contact number of Texicano Hotel?

    Thanks much! :)

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    Replies
    1. check this out... http://www.pinoyadventurista.com/2011/06/how-to-get-there-accommodations.html

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  39. Hi! Im planning to do this activity as well. kelangan bang maginitial deposit kay sir glenn for the sand boarding bago yung actual event? thanks!

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    Replies
    1. based on my experience, no need po... just call him to ask for the sked then para ma-confirm din... have fun!

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  40. hello! just wanna ask coz we will be going to vigan this june... sulit ba tlga ang 2500 for one hour.. kasi good for 4 man db? so if 4 kmi we have sandboards each? thnx!

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