Landingan Viewpoint Travel Guide

Background

Landingan Viewpoint is a popular flower garden located at Barangay Ponggo, Nagtipunan municipality, in the landlocked province of Quirino. It showcases a 360-degree view of the Cagayan River, Nagtipunan rolling hills, plains, and the landscape of Quirino province. Nagtipunan is a first-class municipality that is widely known for its natural environment and it is considered by many the tourism capital of the Quirino province. It is exactly situated in the northeastern part of Luzon Island and it is bordered by Isabela on the north, Aurora on the southeast, and Nueva Vizcaya on the west side. Quirino province is in Region two and it was named after the former Philippine President Elpidio Quirino who reigned from the year 1948 up to 1953. Quirino province capital city is Cabarroguis.

Landingan Viewpoint has a height of 456 meters above sea level or 1496 feet. It is a seven-hour drive from Metro Manila and a two-hour drive from Isabela. It was called Landingan because there was a Tora-Tora airplane runway back then for the missionaries who went on missions to the Bugkalot in the ancient days. The Landingan Circuit has a total trail length of 13 kilometers.

According to its past history, Landingan Viewpoint was opened to the public in the year 2019. Because of its gaining popularity in the year 2019 by means of all social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, it got featured on TV Patrol news, and in the following months, thousands of tourists visited this amazing place. Succeedingly in the year 2020, Miss Earth together with Miss Supranational and Miss Asia Pacific representatives visited the flower garden and planted a great mixture of plants as part of their activity. However, since the pandemic and lockdown begins it has closed its operation to all tourists to ensure the safety of everyone.

In November 2021, the local government unit of Nagtipunan opened the much-improved version view of the flower garden to all tourists who has a full vaccination card. As of today, Landingan Viewpoint is the most popular and most beautiful tourist destination in Quirino province. Therefore if you are a nature lover and flower lover then you should include Landingan Viewpoint as your next travel bucket list.

Name: Landingan Viewpoint
Location: Nagtipunan, Quirino, Philippines
Elevation: 456 MASL
Features: attractive flowers and a marvelous view of the Cagayan River and Quirino landscape

My trip to Landingan Viewpoint

In the past months, I am anxious about a travel trip to Northern Luzon. So one day I look for an organized trip and immediately I finally found what I’m looking for. The day tour event cost 2000 pesos but I never mind. Definitely, It’s been a colorful year for me as I finally have a chance to travel to Northern Luzon. It was a cold Sunday morning when our group arrived at the Quirino province after nearly eight hours of a long road trip.

We have our breakfast at the small restaurant and I sip a hot coffee to warm my body. After our breakfast, our private van takes us to the registration area of Landingan Viewpoint. We pay all the necessary fees and we start exploring the place. I noticed that this place is still not overcrowded maybe because of its remote location. Then a few moments later, I have an overlooking view of vast green rolling hills, the crystal clear Cagayan River, and the community below.

Afterward, we met a lot of tourist there who was on a three-day trip to Quirino. They told us that the flower garden is a family-friendly destination and is much like those found in Scotland and Australia because the flower is so fresh and colorful. The stairway is very akin to the Great Wall of China. In addition, it’s a perfect place for a new profile picture on social media account.

As we continue to go up the hills and breath in some fresh air, we can see local tourist fly their camera drone to have a wonderful video shot of the flowers in the sky. The captivating vast garden contains a variety of flowers such as sunflowers and wildflowers.

We take our time to enjoy the serene and peaceful place. I take Instagrammable pictures as my souvenir of this majestic place. The long road trip is so worth it. At the top of the hill, I can see the signage “I survived Landingan Viewpoint”. From my perspective, we definitely survived hiking the thirteen-kilometer trail length which is gradually ascending.

Also at the wide summit, we have a spectacular full view of Nagtipunan municipality and the verdant landscape that surround it. I was so overwhelmed by what I saw. Then I told one of the group members named Rose Anne that Landingan Viewpoint is very similar to the Northern Blossom flower farm in Atok, Benguet. After savoring the view and taking unstoppable glorious pictures, we start our descent. On our way down we have another picture taking at the small slope which I think is the best spot to snap photos of the amazing scenery.

Finally after done exploring the flower garden, we go inside the van and along the way, I noticed that the road in Quirino province is great for a joyride because it is wide and so refreshing. Then I said to myself that my motherland Philippines has a lot of places from upland to coastal waiting to be discovered and promoted to the whole world.

For someone like me who loves the natural scenery, Landingan Viewpoint is the closest thing to what we call a paradise on planet Earth. All in all, in my opinion, Landingan Viewpoint is truly worth a visit and it is a feast for the eyes to behold for hours. I have a lovely enjoyable weekend and I want to thank the local government unit (LGU) of Nagtipunan for promoting this ecotourism destination.

Sample itinerary to Landingan Viewpoint

11PM – Departure from Quezon City
6:15AM – Arrive at Quirino Province, quick breakfast
7:15AM – Start trekking and exploring Landingan Viewpoint
10AM – Going on another side trip in Quirino Province (Diamond Cave)
12PM – Lunch
1:30PM – Arrive at Governor’s Rapids or Siitan Nature Park
4PM – Going back to Quezon City
11:50PM – Arrive at Quezon City

Disclaimer: the sample itinerary is not 100% accurate due to many aspects such as delays and traffic situations.

Things to bring on your visit to Landingan Viewpoint:

Tumbler
Snacks
Jacket
Extra money
Valid ID and vaccination card
Mobile phone and camera

How to Go to Landingan Viewpoint

By commute

From Manila, ride an LRT-2 (Light Rail Transit) train going to Legarda Station.
From Legarda station, walk for twenty minutes going to Florida Bus Terminal in Earnshaw Street, Sampaloc, Manila.
Then ride a bus going to the municipality of Maddela in Quirino province.
From the Maddela bus terminal, ride a jeep going to Barangay Ponggo in the municipality of Nagtipunan. After that take a jeep or habal-habal bound to Landingan Viewpoint.

Note: The bus fare from Manila going to Quirino province is 615+ pesos (it will depend on the bus type) and the bus road trip will last for eight hours. If you’re coming from Santiago City in Isabela province ride a passenger van going to Maddela terminal. The road trip will last for two hours. From there you can ride a jeep going to Nagtipunan and later take another jeep going to Landingan Viewpoint.

By private car

Pin the Landingan Viewpoint in your Waze app or Google Maps. Most tourists visit this place via a private vehicle such as a car, van, or motorcycle because commuting to Landingan Viewpoint is very hard because of its zigzag and steep road.

Reminders and Tips:

The Landingan Viewpoint entrance fee is 50 pesos per head and it will be paid at the tourism information desk upon visiting the attraction. Moreover, the opening hours are from 6 am in the morning.

The parking area is limited so some tourists park their cars on the side of the road.

The best time to visit Landingan Viewpoint is in the early morning from 6:30 am up to 8:30 am. Meanwhile, the best month to visit Landingan Viewpoint is from the month of October up to the month of February when the flowers are flourishing.

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints and kill nothing but time to make sure that the place is clean and well maintained. In addition, put your garbage inside your bag or put it in the designated trash can.

There is no nearby cafeteria in the Landindan Viewpoint so better bring your own food and drinks before starting to hike.

This is very important, don’t litter and abstain from vandalizing.

The stairs going to the viewing point at the top are well established however if it’s the rainy season the stairs become so slippery that extra caution is required.

You can use the cabana or cottage for free.

Don’t pick any flowers along the way, let the flowers be because it is the main attraction.

Wear proper and comfortable footwear as you will do hiking.

Last but not least, stay on the established trail to avoid any accidents.

There you have it, nomad. The best thing in life is the people you love, the places you’ve seen, and the memories you’ve made along the way. For the most part, I aim that this Landingan Viewpoint travel guide has been worthy to you and to your friends. I appreciate the time you read my blog and thank you for always choosing Nagtipunan as your travel destination.