BenCab’s Museum, while really not part of Baguio City, can be considered as one of the city’s nicer tourist attractions. The museum appeals not only to art aficionados but for nature and food lovers as well.

It’s my third time to visit this famous museum located on the back roads of Tuba, Benguet. After shooting the Panagbenga Festival, I bumped into the guys from Pinoy Travel Bloggers group. They were touring Baguio City with the people from Azalea Residences and invited me to join them. With really no fixed itinerary, I said okay without hesitation.

We had a quick lunch at Gablets, or rather the guys had their lunch there. Unfortunately, I had already downed a couple of Baguio longganisa at one of the cheap carinderias near Burnham Park and was too full to partake in the feast. Oh well, at least I was able to practice my food photography.

The gang boarded the van to Asin Road right after the meal; the original plan was to check out Asin Hot Springs, which really excited me since I haven’t ever been to that place. But due to its distance, we were rerouted instead to BenCab’s Museum, which wasn’t really a problem for me at all too.

I always love visiting BenCab’s masterpiece of a museum. Situated on a snaking lonely road, surrounded by mountains and mist, the building is a work of art in itself.

Visitors normally pay a Php100.00 entrance fee, but since a few of us had already checked out the artworks featured inside the BenCab Museum from previous visits, we skipped the fee and went directly down to Café Sabel for a cup of hot coffee and a few bites of sandwiches.

The back part of the museum is my most favorite place in the area. The hut in the middle of the pond, the rice terraces-like retaining walls, the almost constant mist creeping from the mountains and the lush tree-filled hills surrounding the complex.

I like the fact that there weren’t that much visitors during our visit even though it was the peak of the Panagbenga Festival. It was nice to just simply sit down at the al fresco area near the restaurant and stare into the moving mists swirling around mountainside.

On our way back out, we were able to check out BenCab’s famous Bulol collection that forms the central part of the museum. These are no reproductions, mind you, these are the real deal; original handcrafted rice gods from the region.

Looking for some souvenirs to bring back, we also passed through the museum’s gift shop. I didn’t find my ref magnet but found a collection of wooden sculptures carved from bamboo. This apparently is the new medium the art society in Baguio is pushing since it is more sustainable than the traditional medium of pines and hardwoods.

It was a good quick visit back to the BenCab Museum. Not only did I get to personally meet BenCab (did I mention I just shook hands with the Great BenCab? Yeah I did!) but it also afforded me to take a breather from the stifling crowd of Baguio City. Now I think I’m ready for another round of the Panagbenga horde!

BenCab Musuem
Address: Km. 6 Asin Road, Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet
Telephone: (074) 442-7165
Website: http://bencabmuseum.org/
Open Hours: 9:00AM - 6:00PM Daily except Mondays
Entrance Fee: Php100.00 | Students & Senior Php80.00

GPS Coordinates: 16.41079,120.550511
View Location on Google Maps: Click Here

MY SINCEREST GRATITUDE TO AZALEA RESIDENCES FOR SPONSORING THIS PART OF MY BAGUIO TRIP!