Travel Advisory:
How to Get to Manila from Baguio City
It's funny how I have been getting numerous requests for a travel advisory regarding getting back to Manila from Baguio City.
One would think the trip back down would be as simple as memorizing the route one took getting here and doing everything in the reverse.
But apparently there are now road signs along the way (like in Pangasinan)
that read "To Manila" or "Alternate Route to Manila" that confuse motorists. So I decided to create a new page (that you can print out of course) to guide folks on the best and easiest way to get down to Manila from Baguio city.
Getting Back to Manila from Baguio City
"ZIGZAG"
Choose between Kennon Road and Marcos Highway to get to La Union, the first province outside Benguet where MacArthur Highway (which is that major road that connects cental and northern Luzon provinces) passes.
Naguilian Road (Quirino Highway, really, but no one calls it that) is another mountain highway that one can take but please know that it heads north, and if you are going to Manila, you are really heading south. Naguilian Road is a great alternate route to get down if by some freak of nature BOTH Kennon Road and Marcos Highway are impassable.
MacARTHUR HIGHWAY
When you get to the base of Kennon Road or Marcos Highway, turn LEFT to MacArthur Highway and keep going straight, passing through the length of Pangasinan province, the towns of San Manuel, Moncada, Paniqui and Gerona, MAKING NO TURNS, until you get to Tarlac City, Tarlac.
In Tartlac City, there are several access roads to the SCTEX, the first one being right after one exits Gerona town, the second being at Hacienda Luisita, and the third being in La Paz. I usually take the first one to avoid the traffic in the center of Tarlac City. The signs leading to the SCTEX are pretty prominent.
SCTEX / NLEX
From Tarlac City, take the length of the SCTEX, and follow road signs until you see one that says "to NLEX" after the toll gate.
You will be entering Exit 85 of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). Turn right at the NLEX, and head south to Metro Manila, taking the whole remainder of the NLEX. The toll gate exiting the NLEX is in Bocaue, Bulacan but motorists will usually drive all the way to Balintawak to reach Bonifacio Avenue (to get to Manila) or turn right (and up) to access Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA).
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If you will be several vehicles traveling in a convoy, may I suggest that you decide on meet up points beforehand so you can wait for each other there instead of traveling like a caravan, which I find to be a little more hazardous for all concerned when each car is trying to keep the others in sight. Here are a few suggestions:
• Top of Kennon or Marcos (the Petron Station at the BGH rotunda is recommended)• Base of Kennon or Marcos at Rosario La Union (there's a Petron Station on your right) • Isdaan Restaurant at Gerona, Tarlac (just a few kilometers away will be the entrance to the first SCTEX access road) or the first Shell gas station upon entering Tarlac City (you will see this after the welcome arch). It's good to meet up here even if you choose to drive a few kilometers further to enter the SCTEX via Hacienda Luisita.• The first NLEX gas station to your rightSuggested Meet-up Points En Route to Manila
