Ilocos Sur, Philippines
Photo: Derivative work by john2690. Other authors listed on source image page., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Tagudin, a town at the boundary with La Union province, is the gateway to Ilocos Sur province.
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Tagudin Church
Tagudin's main Roman Catholic church, built during the Spanish era in the Baroque style in the 19th century. Its belltower, built separately from the church building, also functioned as a watchtower guarding against pirates and foreign invaders from the South China Sea. The church's grounds also hold one of two sundials that were built in Tagudin during the Spanish era in 1841 and are the oldest in the country. The other is in the town plaza
A recreational and civic space surrounded by the town church and the old municipal hall. It contains memorials to the Battle of Bessang Pass, when the plaza was turned into an Allied field hospital, and one of two sundials that were built in Tagudin during the Spanish era. The other is in the yard of Tagudin Church.
A lighthouse overlooking the South China Sea built to commemorate the arrival by boat in the area of Belgian missionaries who replaced the Spanish friars in their task of evangelizing Tagudin and the animist highland areas in 1910. The surrounding beach is a mixture of black sand and pebbles.
A small ecotourism venue featuring a creek surrounded by mangroves and other estuarine vegetation.
A massive archway marking the boundary between Ilocos Sur and La Union provinces. At the left side of the arch, if coming from the south, is a small visitor center with rest area.
A two-lane bridge overlooking the extensive riverbed of the Amburayan River that marks the actual boundary between Ilocos Sur and La Union provinces. On one side is a panoramic view of the river descending from the Cordillera mountains into the coastal plain while on the other side is an equally panoramic view of the river as it reaches the South China Sea. Underneath the bridge are some shacks ideal for those who want to take a swim.
Tagudin is along Route 2 (Manila North Road). Buses heading to Candon, Vigan and Laoag also ply this highway, with some bus companies operating limited direct services from Metro Manila.
Read in the guideTricycles are the main form of transportation in town, particularly as downtown Tagudin is further inland from the coast.
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