Visiting Sagada: Registration, Fees & House Rules
How registration and the environmental fee work, plus the things the community asks of every visitor.
A few practical things Sagada asks of every visitor. Most of them come from the community itself — this is a living Kankanaey town that governs its own tourism, not a resort that maximises it.
Do I need to register and pay a fee?
Yes. Every visitor registers and pays a one-time 100-peso environmental/registration fee. You can register at the Tourist Information Office when you arrive, or online beforehand at umali-kayo.sagada.gov.ph to skip the queue.
Keep the receipt — it is your pass for the sites, and guides and site wardens may ask to see it.
Can I explore the caves, falls and coffins on my own?
No. The main sites — Sumaguing and Lumiang caves, the hanging coffins and Echo Valley, Bomod-ok and Pongas falls — are entered only with an accredited local guide, arranged through the Tourism Office or one of the accredited guide associations. The caves are genuinely dangerous, and several of these places are active burial sites belonging to local families.