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- Not to be confused with La Unión, a department in El Salvador.
La Union, also known as L.U. in short, is a province in the Ilocos region of the Philippines.
Cities
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- 1 San Fernando - provincial capital and the only designated city
- 2 Agoo- coastal town known for its Catholic basilica, beaches and the Agoo-Damortis Nature Reserve.
- 3 Aringay
- 4 Bacnotan - coastal town known for being a less crowded alternative to the beaches of San Juan.
- 5 Bagulin
- 6 Balaoan- coastal town known for its beaches, Immuki Island and Spanish-era watchtower
- 7 Bangar
- 8 Bauang - suburb of San Fernando, the original beach getaway of La Union, and now known for its grape orchards.
- 9 Burgos
- 10 Caba
- 11 Luna - coastal town known for its Catholic basilica, Darigayos Beach and Spanish-era watchtower
- 12 Naguilian
- 13 Pugo
- 14 Rosario - gateway to Baguio via Kennon Road.
- 15 San Gabriel - inland town known for the 50 feet (15 m) Tangadan Falls.
- 16 San Juan - coastal town known for its surfing spots.
- 17 Santo Tomas
- 18 Santol
- 19 Sudipen
- 20 Tubao
Understand
[edit | edit source]La Union is a relatively new province, having been formed in 1850 from the southernmost towns of Ilocos Sur, the westernmost towns of Benguet, and the northernmost towns of Pangasinan. True to its name, meaning “the Union” in Spanish, the region is a melting pot of Pangasinan, Ilocano and Cordilleran (Igorot) cultures. Since the early 2000s, L.U. (as the province is called informally) has a growing tourism industry centered on the coastal towns facing the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).
Despite the majority of the province being formed out of parts of Pangasinan, Ilocanos now form the majority of the population. The province is also the first in the Philippines to declare a regional language as co-official with English and Filipino (Tagalog), having declared Ilocano as an official language in the province since 2012.
Talk
[edit | edit source]Native languages spoken in La Union are Ilocano, Pangasinan and the indigenous languages of the Igorot. Ilocano is the most spoken, and is also co-official with English and Tagalog as the official languages in the province.
Get in
[edit | edit source]With the end of rail service in the 1980s, the only main way of reaching La Union is by bus or car. There is one airport at San Fernando, but has no commercial passenger service.
By bus
[edit | edit source]Buses are available from Manila, Baguio, Dagupan, Vigan and Laoag, running up to San Fernando. Premium express buses are also available from the new bus station at Bocaue, Bulacan.
By car
[edit | edit source]With the completion of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) in 2020, travel times to La Union has been reduced to about 4-5 hours. The expressway ends in Rosario town, on the boundary with Benguet and Pangasinan, but there are plans to extend the highway up to San Fernando.
From the Cordilleras and interior towns, the primary routes are Naguilian Road (Route 54) and the Jose S. Aspiras Highway (Route 208, formerly but still often called Marcos Highway), both radiating from Baguio. Both routes are winding mountain roads and are quite dangerous.
For the coastal towns, the primary road links are Manila North Road (Route 2) and Pangasinan-La Union Road (Route 55).
Get around
[edit | edit source]There is frequent bus service along the Manila North Road corridor, but other parts of L.U. are only served by occasional jeepneys. Getting around by car is recommended.
See
[edit | edit source]Most travelers think that L.U. is simply the beaches of San Juan. But beyond this small stretch of sand swarmed by daytrippers from Metro Manila and Baguio, the province has more destinations to offer such as quieter beaches in other towns, pilgrimage sites such as in Agoo and Luna, grape farms in Bauang, and extensions of the Cordillera mountains in the inland towns.
Do
[edit | edit source]- Learn to surf on the black volcanic sand beaches of La Union. While the waves aren't Hawaii by any stretch of the imagination, the gently sloping beaches provide a steady supply of trainer waves. Seasoned surfers will yawn and stay in the bar. You can also enjoy beaches in San Fernando like in the 5-star Thunderbird resort, Sea Park and you can also go shopping at Manna Mall and CSI.
- [formerly dead link] Go Diving!.
Eat
[edit | edit source]Drink
[edit | edit source]- You can enjoy drinking in bars while singing in a local videoke.
Sleep
[edit | edit source]Most tourist accommodation can be found along the coastal towns, particularly in San Fernando, San Juan and Bauang.
Stay safe
[edit | edit source]La Union can get pretty pummeled by heavy rains and floods during the monsoon season from June to October. Landslides are common in the interior towns during this time while the Kennon Road running from Baguio to Rosario also gets closed as a precaution.
Go next
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