Laoac East
Day Trips
Make the most of your day with our curated plans, packed with Laoac East's hidden gems and unique experiences!
Touch down in Laoac East and settle into your guesthouse. Take a leisurely stroll through the barangay plaza to get your bearings and chat with friendly locals. Grab a cup of kapeng barako at a roadside stall while watching the vibrant morning hustle.
Join a guided tour of the town’s historic church and ancestral houses. Learn about the community’s founding families and the architecture that reflects centuries of Filipino heritage. Stop by the municipal hall to see the colorful local art exhibits.
Enjoy a traditional Ilocano dinner at a family-run eatery, sampling dishes like pinakbet and bagnet. Attend a small alfresco gathering where villagers share folk songs and dance. Stroll under the star-lit sky back to your accommodation, surrounded by the sounds of the countryside.
Wake up at sunrise to join local farmers in the rice paddies. Learn the traditional planting techniques and feel the mud between your toes as you work side by side with friendly locals. Capture the breathtaking dew-kissed landscape as golden light spills over the fields.
Indulge in a farm-to-table picnic of freshly harvested vegetables and sweet mangoes under a bamboo shelter. Watch artisans weave palm fronds into hats and baskets in a nearby sitio. Hear stories of ancestral farming methods passed down through generations.
Return to town and visit a communal threshing ground to witness the rice winnowing ritual. Sip on sugarcane juice while swapping stories with the farmers about their daily routines. Relax with a gentle sunset walk along the irrigation canals, listening to frogs and crickets begin their nightly chorus.
Depart early for a guided trek to the Dawel River’s clear waters. Wade into the cool current and try bamboo rafting while observing the lush flora along the riverbanks. Spot kingfishers and monitor lizards as you drift downstream.
Settle into a traditional bamboo cottage for a handcraft workshop with local artisans. Learn how to weave mats and baskets from rattan and abaca fibers. Savor a lunch of grilled tilapia and river prawns cooked over a wood fire.
Light a tiki torch by the riverside and join a bonfire gathering with storytellers. Listen to folk tales about river spirits and ancestral guardians of the land. Drift to sleep in your cottage lulled by the gentle murmur of the flowing river.
Rise early and drive to the nearby mangrove reserve. Walk the wooden boardwalk as the morning mist lifts, revealing intertwined roots and exotic birdlife. Learn about coastal conservation efforts from park rangers.
Join a kayak tour through narrow mangrove channels, spotting mud-crab burrows and colorful butterflies. Stop for a beachside barbecue of freshly caught seafood. Take time to photograph the sunlit reflections dancing on the water’s surface.
Return to Laoac East and unwind with a soothing coconut shell spa ritual using locally pressed oil. Dine at a seaside shanty, sampling tangy kinilaw and steamed clams. Watch the moonlight reflect off the placid bay before retiring for the night.
Explore the ancestral houses in Barangay San Roque, admiring their Spanish-era woodwork and capiz windows. Hear stories from the elderly caretakers about the family legends and town history. Sip on black coffee in a manicured courtyard while soaking up the heritage ambiance.
Visit the local kami (shrine) and participate in a short ritual offering fruits and flowers for good harvests. Attend a traditional weaving demonstration at a community center. Enjoy a hearty merienda of suman and latik with new friends.
Experience a cultural dance showcase featuring tinikling and kuradang steps. Dress in a borrowed baro’t saya or kamisa for a photo session and celebration. End the night with a home-cooked soup of gabi and pork, served under strings of lantern lights.
Wander through the bustling Laoac East morning market, marveling at stalls piled high with produce and seafood. Sample local street snacks like tamales, pan de sal, and freshly squeezed calamansi juice. Chat with vendors about their family recipes and sustainable fishing practices.
Head to a community kitchen where you’ll learn to cook classic Pangasinan dishes like bibingka, lacatan, and alamang (fermented shrimp paste). Shop for ingredients with your instructor, discovering rare herbs and spices unique to the region. Prepare and savor your creations for lunch with fellow travelers.
Take a leisurely après-dinner stroll along the main boulevard, noting murals that depict famous local festivals. Stop by a sari-sari store to try homemade snacks and engage in friendly banter with shopkeepers. Return to your lodgings with a bag of homemade chichacorn for a midnight nibble.
Rent a traditional bamboo bike and pedal off on quiet backroads framed by coconut palms. Feel the fresh breeze as you traverse rolling hills dotted with carabao grazing peacefully. Pause at a lone chapel hidden among banana groves to reflect.
Gather for a riverside lunch of grilled corn, rice cakes, and spicy vinegar dips. Visit a nearby salt farm to watch local workers raking crystalline salt flats under the hot sun. Learn about age-old salt-making techniques and taste the pure mineral crystals.
Bike back to town under the warm glow of the setting sun, savoring the colors of the golden hour. Join a live acoustic session at a local café featuring troubadours singing original Filipino ballads. Sip on ginger tea as you recall the day’s highlights.
Rise before dawn and set off to the serene Laguna de Oro, just outside Laoac East. Glide across the glassy water in a traditional bangka, accompanied by an expert birdwatcher. Spot migratory plovers, herons, and kingfishers as the sky turns coral.
Return to shore for a lakeside brunch of freshly caught bangus belly and vegetable omelets. Explore the lakeshore on foot, hunting for rare water lilies and learning about the aquatic ecosystem. Join a local fisherman for a brief fishing lesson using bamboo traps.
Watch the lake’s mirror-like surface reflect the fading daylight as you dine under a canopy of fireflies. Share freshly baked ensaymada and local wine with fellow guests around an open fire. Drift to sleep in a bamboo cottage lulled by distant frog calls.
Embark on a guided hike through tropical rainforest to reach Mabayuan Falls. Cross wooden suspension bridges and listen to the symphony of cicadas and birds. Feel the cool spray of the falls on your face as you arrive at the turquoise plunge pool.
Set up a picnic at a shady clearing with fresh fruit, grilled meats, and sticky rice treats. Swim in the clear natural pool or slide down smooth rock faces. Learn about medicinal plants growing along the trail from your guide.
Return to town for a tranquil herbal foot bath at a local wellness hut. Sample a light supper of guinataan and vegetable sinigang. Relax in a hammock beneath swaying palm trees before calling it a day.
Join the early preparations for the town’s fiesta with colorful buntings and floral arrangements adorning every street. Help local youth paint and hang banners announcing the day’s festivities. Enjoy a hearty breakfast of palabok and danggit.
Take part in the grand procession carrying the patron saint’s statue through the barangays. Dance alongside villagers in choreographed street performances and live brass bands. Feast on festive dishes like lechon kawali, adobo, and halo-halo for dessert.
Gather in the town plaza for fireworks, live music, and traditional folk dancing. Bid farewell to your new friends while sharing stories under a canopy of lanterns. Savor one last plate of dessert empanadas before packing to depart.