Patapat Viaduct

The Patapat Viaduct carries the highway north of Pagudpud along a stretch of coast where the Cordillera comes down to the sea and there is no flat ground to build on - so the road runs on concrete piers about thirty metres above the water for a little over a kilometre, curving with the cliffs and the mouth of the Pasaleng Bay. It was built in the 1980s to link Ilocos Norte with Cagayan, and it is one of the more dramatic pieces of road in the country: sea on one side, forested mountain wall on the other, with pull-offs at both ends where drivers stop for the view. There is nothing to do here beyond look, take photographs and continue, which is exactly how it fits into the northern Ilocos run between the Pagudpud beaches and the Cagayan coast. Typhoons and landslides close the road periodically, and the drive is unpleasant in heavy rain.

What you actually see

• The elevated curve - the road on piers above the sea.
• The cliff wall - forested mountain rising inland.
• The bay mouth - Pasaleng Bay opening below.
• The viewpoints - pull-offs at either end of the span.

When to go

November to May for clear weather and safe driving. Morning light favours the seaward side; the road is exposed with nowhere to shelter.

Honest expectations

It is a road, not a destination - stops are brief and parking is limited to informal pull-offs. Landslides and storms close it at times. Walking on the viaduct means sharing it with traffic.

Nearby

The Pagudpud beaches at Saud and Blue Lagoon are south; Kabigan Falls and the Bangui windmills are on the same circuit.