Lourdes Grotto, Dominican Hill, Baguio City

By on July 27, 2011

Part 6 of the Libotero Baguio-Banaue Roadtrip series

DAY 1.

After roaming around and buying the much-needed essentials at SM City Baguio, it was still raining so hard!

So, we decided to buy some raw meat and cooking essentials, and just cook our own dinner at the hotel (which was apartelle-style so it had a stove and a refrigerator).

Since there was really nothing better to do on a cold night, we immediately hit the sack after dinner. Hoping for better weather conditions on our second day. Zzzzzzz.

DAY 2.

Good morning Baguio!

Baguio City
Foggy Baguio City at 5:55am.

To minimize expenses, we still cooked our own breakfast then we took turns in the shower. Brrr, the water was ice cold! We were literally jumping inside the bathroom!

We finally got out of the hotel at around 7:45am. It was still drizzling but climbing the Lourdes Grotto was a now or never thing, so we started our morning exercise.

Lourdes Grotto Baguio City
The foot of the hill

The Lourdes Grotto is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Baguio City, especially for Catholics. It is located on a high hill and it takes 252 steps to get there. Surrounding the foot of the hill are stores selling candles and flowers, which you can offer when you reach the top.

Lourdes Grotto Baguio City
Halfway up!

For the faint of heart, there is a shortcut! An asphalt-paved but very winding, narrow and steep road would lead you halfway up the 252 steps. There’s ample parking space in the area and pasalubong shops abound as well.

Lourdes Grotto, Dominican Hill, Baguio

Lourdes Grotto, Dominican Hill, Baguio
Taxis can also bring you up halfway through the 252 steps

And we finally reached the top.

Lourdes Grotto, Baguio City
The Lourdes Grotto. Clouds commanded for a washed-out sky.

Anyway, if you climb a few more steps from the grotto, you’ll reach those closed gates (see above photo), and on a clear day, you can actually see a strip of the Naguilian Road and a breathtaking panoramic view of a certain portion of La Union. When visibility’s really very high, you can even see Lingayen Gulf and some provinces of Pangasinan!

Upon reaching the top, we offered our own prayers and intentions, enjoyed and appreciated the view and then we started going down.

Lourdes Grotto Dominican Hill Baguio
Halfway down!

(…to be continued)

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