The rain fell again. More permanently this time.

The original plan of visiting Kabigan Falls and Saud Beach were scraped off our list and the only place we were able to check out at the northern end of Ilocos Norte was the Patapat Viaduct. A brief respite from the dour weather allowed us to alight from the van and shoot a few photos.

The drive took longer than our visit and we were soon on the road again, going back to Burgos for the Farola of Cape Bojeador.

Gray clouds still sail the skies as we boarded down and gazed at the lighthouse sitting on top of Vigia de Nagparitan hill. It was almost five in the afternoon and the historical site was jammed with tourists. I heard one say “It’s almost closing time, let’s go!” I hauled ass with the pack and climbed the giant steps towards the Spanish lighthouse.

Like most lighthouses of old, the Burgos Lighthouse is built of brick sourced from the clays of nearby towns. It was designed by Magin Pers y Pers in 1887 and was eventually finished three years later by Engineer Guillermo Brockman.

The octagonal lighthouse stands 20 meters high and looks over the panoramic Cape Bojeador. It transmitted its first beam of light in 1892 using a first-order Fresnel which was damaged in the 1990 quake that rocked Luzon. It’s now replaced by a solar-powered electric lamp.

Rusty ornate wrought iron gate surround the symmetrical lighthouse, the wooden window slats were faded and crooked and the white-painted brick walls were peeling; giving the century-old structure a genuine patina of time.

The base of the lighthouse has now been converted as a museum where hauntings are regularly reported by tourists. I recall the first time I visited the lighthouse, we were the lone visitors in the place and it was so eerily quiet, all we can hear besides our echoing footsteps were the whisper-howl of the wind across the corridors. It totally gave me the heebiejeebies.
It just seemed my luck that the museum is closed on both times I visited. I dared a peek through the dusty window, half expecting a face to look back at me, with almost a sigh of relief, I instead got a darkened room filled with mementos from the past.

Passing a central corridor, we then clambered up a final flight of stairs to access the lighthouse itself. The wind whipped as I gazed up the octagonal body of the tower towards its cupola dome.

Visitors were allowed to access the tower years ago, just ask the caretaker and he’ll let you in. The practice however was discontinued now due to safety reasons. Taking a clue from the state of the surrounding structure, I took their word for it.

The clock struck five, it was closing time. Dusk will soon envelope the land and like every single evenings of the past 120 years, the Farola of Cape Bojeador will shine its beacon of light and continue to guide seafarers--from wooden Spanish galleons of old to modern steel ships of the present--along the coasts of Ilocos Norte.

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
Address: Vigia de Nagparitan Hill
Burgos, Ilocos Norte
Entrance Fee: Free

GPS Coordinates: 18.512117,120.597669
View Location on Google Maps: Click Here