Best Places to Watch a Sunset in Abra

Abra has many beautiful spots to watch a sunset. Here are just four of them, and they are all very accessible. Two ( Casamata Hill and Calaba Bridge ) are close to the capital of Abra, Bangued, while the other two ( Olo Viewpoint, San Isidro and Along the road to Kaparkan ) do require a car or motorbike journey from Bangued of around an hour or less.

Don’t forget that the best lighting occurs AFTER the sun has actually set. Make sure you have some foreground interest too, if possible, just to add a bit of depth. The most important thing is simply being at the right place at the right time, the more times you shoot the sunset the more chance there is of having the camera setup with a spectacular light show in front of you.

Tips for Shooting Sunsets

• Make sure your lens is clean
• Use a tripod
• First shoot wide, then try switching lenses and zooming in.
• Try different focal lengths and isolate different parts of the scene with the sun in part of the image.
• Shoot RAW if your camera allows
• Use Aperture mode and set to a large number like f/11, f/13, f/16
• Try to keep the ISO at the lowest setting, if possible.
• You may need to increase the shutter speed to prevent motion blur of foreground subjects or camera shake if you happen to be hand-holding the camera.
• Increasing the ISO will make the shutter speed faster in Aperture mode
• Check your shots often and use Exposure Compensation for slight adjustments.
• Use the LCD screen to compose your shots instead of the viewfinder to avoid eye damage if focusing into the sun.
• Have Patience and stick around until all color is gone and the sky is turning dark.

Sunset photography can be a lot of fun especially if you don’t have to travel far. There is a sunset every day and it can be captured from nearly anywhere you are. Not every day will have a great sunset, but many will.
Get the camera out and give some of these tips a try. As with any photography, the more you do it, the better you will be.

Let us know if you find or know of any other easily accesssible spots to photograph a Sunset in Abra.

Some Sunset Trivia

Why is the sky is red during sunset?

Within the visible range of light, red light waves are scattered the least by atmospheric gas molecules. So at sunrise and sunset, when the sunlight travels a long path through the atmosphere to reach our eyes, the blue light has been mostly removed, leaving mostly red and yellow light remaining.

Sunset in Abra – Casamata Hill

The easiest place to reach from central Bangued is Casamata Hill at the end of Taft St. in what is known as Victoria Park. You can either walk up the steep hill or ride a tricycle or go up with your own transport. 
Take time to stop on the way up by the Rizal Monument. There is also a run down ampitheatre that has a look of abandonment near the top, as well as the I Love Abra sign, and a Statue of the Virgin Mary standing above the cover to the water tank that supplies Bangued houses with their pipe water.

Once you have managed to find your way to the top you will have a good view over Bangued. You can make out many of Bangueds landmarks, such as the San Lorenzo Shrine, the Sports Arena, the Cathedral and Government Buildings around the Plaza.

Best of all though is you have an unobstructed view of Mt. Bullagao ( Sleeping Beauty) whose range of mountains the sun will set behind.

Sunset in Abra – Calaba Bridge

Just two kilometres from the centre of Bangued on the Abra – Ilocos Norte road is the second longest bridge in the Philippines with a length of 900 metres connects the three municipalities of La Paz, Danglas, and Lagayan across the Abra River to Bangued and other parts of the province.

Completed in 2010, Calaba Bridge is an ideal spot to capture a Sunset in Abra. There are many vantage points for different scenarios. On the bridge, Under the bridge, on the Calaba side of the bridge, on the La Paz side of the bridge, kayaking down the river at sunset with a view of the bridge and the Sleeping Beauty, are just some of the exciting angles you can find here.

With nearly one kilometre of Modular Bridge to play with and around, the magnificent view of Mt Bullagao and the reflections that the Abra River waters can produce you should be able to capture a stunning Sunset in Abra here.

Sunset in Abra – Kaparkan Road

Now that there is a paved road for the first 2km on the road to Kaparkan, you can venture part of the way along it without any problems. Do NOT try and go any further along the mud trail. You will probably get stuck and need a rescue which can be very expensive for your bank account. Stay on the concrete road and you will be alright.

Along the Kaparkan Road is a viewpoint from where you can capture a really good image of Sunset in Abra. Look for the highest point as you drive a long and park up. From here you have a view of the mountains, rivers and towns below. Enjoy the fresh, pollution free air up here and keep an eye on the weather, as during rainy season storms can roll in very quickly and there is no shelter.

To get here drive from Bangued, through Tayum, Dolores and San Juan. follow the road from San Juan, past the Ba-i junction, until you come to the Kaparkan crossing. Turn left and follow the road to the highest point. There is NO public transport out here.

Sunset in Abra – Olo Viewpoint, San Isidro

On the border of Abra and Ilocos Sur, Olo Viewpoint has a sweeping panorama view of the Narvacan coastline. Bantay Abot, a prominent feature, can be seen easily from this high vantage point. The best months to watch a sunset here are from November to February when the days are shorter and the sun sets in the sea.

You will need your own transport to reach here. From Pidigan take the road to Villaviciosa, San Isidro and Pilar. Just before you reach Poblacion San Isidro look for the Brgy Olo arch on the right side of the road. The road rises sharply from the main road. Follow this narrow road up to Olo, keep on following the road up until you suddenly come to the open space at the top along a dirt track. Look for the Abra / Ilocos Sur boundary marker.

From here you have a wonderful view of Narvacan, Bantay Abot and the sea below.

The golden sea its mirror spreads 
Beneath the golden skies, 
And but a narrow strip between 
Of earth and shadow lies. 
Samual Longfellow

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