Return to Ilocandia | Summer Stroll in the Sand Dunes and the Wind Farm Belt

Traveling along the windy coastlines give you an exciting thrill, as you walk along the rocky beaches and having an exhilarating ride in the vast sand dunes of the north. Furthermore, walking in the windy shore with towering, white electric windmills along with the strong, blue waves add thrill to tthe adventure as you visit Ilocos Norte. 

Revisiting the Bangui Windmills of Ilocos Norte

As the Ilocos Norte journey continues, let's take a glimpse of the two northwestern coastal towns in the province, known for its windy weather and strong waves from the West Philippine Sea and the home of the first wind farm in the country - Bangui and Burgos. Moreover, the northwesternmost town in the mainland Luzon will be revisited through taking a walk in the Boracay of the North. Lastly, the tour's excitement can be added with a thrilling 4x4 vehicle ride in Paoay Sand Dunes. 

Revisiting the Sand Dunes

A 4x4 jeep ride in the Paoay Sand Dunes during afternoon with a heart-shaped bamboo art.

A day before going to these towns, I revisited the famous Paoay Sand Dunes located in the town of Paoay. Seven years ago, this tourist attraction is part of our itineraries in the company's team building. During that time, it is raining but cool experience amidst the weather condition that makes the ride more enjoyable. 

4x4 vehicles are waiting on an adventure ahead with their drivers.

Traces of 4x4 vehicles in the vast slopes of Paoay Sand Dunes.

4x4 vehicles are waiting for tourists in the golden sunset along the sand dunes.

Children are enjoying in a ruined jeepney in the sand dunes that serve as their playground.

This summer, everything is different. We were able to take the thrilling 4x4 ride in a scorching afternoon in the Paoay Sand Dunes. The excitement remains the same with the first time I rode in this jeep, seven years ago, as the feeling is different due to summer season. Furthermore, I witnessed the sunset in the coast, followed by the sandboarding activity that I both experienced for the first time.

The golden Paoay Sand Dunes in a sunny afternoon.

The sandy coastline of Ilocos Norte from Paoay.

The sunset at the Paoay Sand Dunes overlooking the West Philippine Sea.

The whole area spans about 88 square kilometers which was used as a location in movies including Fernando Poe Jr.'s "Ang Panday" and Nora Aunor's "Himala" where you can pass by in the bamboo art installation used in the said movie. The 88 square kilometers area

The experience was totally exhilarating yet refreshing, as a thrilling ride in a 4x4 vehicle is like a rollercoaster - going up and going down, sometimes smooth, sometimes bumpy. Furthermore, the sunset along the Paoay coast gave a new encounter in this travel. 

Return to the Bangui Wind Farm

The giant windmills aligned in the curved coastlines of Bangui, Ilocos Norte.

Seven years ago, Bangui is one of the most memorable towns I've visited in Ilocos Norte, despite of the rainy weather where I enjoyed the stroll along the windmills and dipping in the shallow waters of the sea. In my second visit, I appreciated the walk in the Bangui Windmills, as blue skies along with the turquoise waters and waves hit the white beach in the Ilocos Norte coastline.

The tall white windmills of Bangui teemed with the view of mountains of Caraballo facing the West Philippine Sea.

Strong waves hitting the shore while tourists enjoying the stroll along the Bangui Wind Farm.

Another set of windmills in the elevated coastline in Bangui.

Stalls and huts are located along the shoreline as they sell souvenirs and native products.

Presence of cactus along the sandy shores of Bangui.

Mini windmills as souvenirs which can be sold along the coastlines of Bangui and Pagudpud.

Windmills are scattered and extended along the coastlines of Bangui, Burgos, and Pagudpud.

Bangui Wind Farm started on 2005 which considered as the first wind farm in Southeast Asia and part of the NorthWind Bangui Bay Project. The wind turbines facing the sea which makes its location ideal due to the presence of monsoons in the country. In the following years, wind farms are also installed in Burgos and Pagudpud which make these towns as a "Wind Farm Belt". 

The second visit in Bangui is such a reminiscing experience. Nothing changed with the ambiance and the establishments are still here, but few renovations are made for various turbines. I appreciated it more because of the sunny weather yet windy feeling, along with the strong waves from the blue waters of the sea. 

The giant windmills of the North facing the western sea, hitting the waves in the white sandy shore.

Ilocos Norte is the home of wind farms, the major source of wind energy in the province.

Traveling in the windy coastlines as I leave the wind farm will take me to another adventure, an experience that I've missed during my first visit - seeing the aquamarine waters, walking the northern viaduct, and trekking to the white rock formations. See you Pagudpud and Burgos! 

Check the 2018 post on the First Ilocandia Escapade | Sand Dunes, Giant Windmills, and Northern Waves.

Date of Travel: April 25 & 26, 2025

First Ilocandia Escapade | Sand Dunes, Giant Windmills and the Northern Waves

Seeing and visiting a vast desert in the Middle East, the windmills of the Netherlands and beach hopping in Boracay. Well, you can see it there in Ilocos.

Setting out on the second day of our Ilocos tour, we took more escapades in Ilocos Norte despite of the cloudy weather with scattered rainfall in the place. On that day, we reached the coastal sand dunes in Paoay and the northernmost towns of Bangui and Pagudpud. Even though, it was a tiring day but we enjoyed the vast sand dunes, the cool sea breeze, the stunning white windmills and the waves that hitting the shore. So, let's begin the second day of our escapade.

First Stop: Paoay Sand Dunes
Culili Point, Paoay, Ilocos Norte

Our first stop in our Ilocos tour is the Paoay Sand Dunes. We made it to Culili Point, one of the exciting destinations especially for tourists who loved adrenaline thrill and adventure, as they go into the sand dunes.

The Ilocos Sand Dunes stretches the coastal towns in the province.

The Culili Point in Paoay is part of the Ilocos Norte Sand Dunes, a long stretch of sand dunes stretching from the towns of Currimao to Pasuquin. In fact, the place is a popular location for classic Filipino movies such as "Himala" starring Nora Aunor and "Ang Panday" starring Fernando Poe Jr. The wide coastal area covered with sand is actually facing the West Philippine Sea and it is very captivating to visit this place because you have the feeling that you visit a desert, no need to go to the Sahara or Atacama Desert; just go to the town of Paoay and explore their sand dunes.

The vast expanse of sand dunes in the province of Ilocos Norte.

Despite of wide expanse of sand dunes, there are few grasses growing in this area.

A picture-perfect place. the feeling that no need to go to the Sahara Desert, you can visit here in the Ilocos Norte.

The place is an ideal location for films and television series.

A fleet of 4x4 Rough Rider vehicles are very common in this place.

Traces of rough rider jeep in the sand dunes of Paoay.

Sand boarding experience in Culili Point. 

The most exciting part of this tour is the roller coaster ride in a 4x4 jeep traversing the Culili Point. If you want to experience this thrilling ride, rent the 4x4 Rough Riding vehicle with a maximum of 6 people per car and you will pay a total of 1,500 php. Then, the driver will tour the group at the sand dunes from 30 minutes to one hour where you can experience thrilling drops on steep sand ridges that will make you scream in excitement. Don't forget to hold on to the steel bar while standing on the 4x4. The sand ridges can go as high as 10 to 20 feet and you will encounter a series of sand hills in this adrenaline ride.

You may also try the sand boarding, where a plank of wood is your equipment to slide over sand folds in the landscape. It is similar with skateboarding, you may stand or you may sit down while sand boarding. Don't also forget, sight seeing and picture taking are also part of this package. In other words, this part of the tour is such an intense, thrilling adrenaline rush as you go into the sand dunes. There are other tourist destinations such as the La Paz Sand Dunes in Laoag City where you can experience the same adventure and activities.

Second Stop: Bangui Windmills

Bangui, Ilocos Norte

After visiting the sand dunes, we went to the coastal town of Bangui where we can see a line of enormous electric fans. The town is popular for its giant white windmills which is the source of wind energy in the province. As we go along the way, we can see these windmills from the lush highlands of Burgos. Just to avoid confusion,  there is also the Burgos Wind Farm, located in the said town, which is the largest wind farm in the country and the second wind farm built in Ilocos Norte.

The wind turbines in the green mountains of Burgos.

This wind farm is facing the West Philippine Sea. In fact, there are many people on that day aside from our team.

A series of giant windmills in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.

The Bangui Wind Farm, also known as the Northwind Bangui Bay Project is located at the northwest tip of Luzon Island where the wind turbines face the sea from where the wind blows towards the land. It is also the first power generating wind mill farm in Southeast Asia which was inaugurated in 2005 by then Ilocos Norte governor Bongbong Marcos.

As a matter of fact, this wind farm is the source of energy in the province of Ilocos Norte. Aside from the Bangui Wind Farm, there is also the Caparispisan Wind Farm which can be found in the neighboring town of Pagudpud.

Giant windmills of the North

The tall windmills of Bangui Wind Farm.

The turquoise waters of the sea is another captivating view here in the area.

You can also notice on the other side is a light brown color of the water because of turbulence of wind.

Staying in this tourist spot is like feeling the strong breeze carried by the windmills while enjoying the view of the sea. You can also noticed the light muddish-brown color of the water on the other side of the sea, maybe because of the turbulence of water due to the strong winds carried by the wind turbines. Therefore, it is just natural, so we just enjoyed the view of the windmills.

Third Stop: Plaza Del Mar Resort
Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

It feels like you are in Boracay, an island in Malay, Aklan which is noted for
its white sand beaches and tropical blue waters which is an ideal summer destination.

For our final stop for today, we visited the Plaza Del Mar Resort in Pagudpud. The town is known as the "Boracay of the North" because of its fine white sand, clear aquamarine waters and an ideal summer destination in the North. 

A signage art of Pagudpud in Plaza Del Mar Resort.

The waves are hitting the rocky shores.

The waves of the ocean and the view of the green mountains where Caparispisan Wind Farm can be found.

In this destination, we made our team building activities. It is enjoying, yet physically demanding games, therefore, we managed to reach the third place. However, rainy weather strikes again with the cloudy skies. In other words, it is better to visit Pagudpud during the summer season where you can enjoy the blue sea and beach bumming.

As a result of this rainy weather, we were not able to visit the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, a limestone rock formation in the town of Burgos. We weren't able to visit also the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in the same town which is a century-old lighthouse and you can enjoy the view from the top. As a matter of fact, we are glad that we finished the second day of our tour safe and free from accident. Definitely, I will come back again in this place and visit more tourist attractions in Ilocos. 

Date: August 26, 2018