Last Updated on October 6, 2021 by Tina
In the previous months, I wrote about some of the tourist attractions in Mankayan, Benguet such as Lay-odan Farm and the Prayer Mountain. Another tourist attraction that you shouldn’t miss if you visit the mining town is the Am-am Viewdeck or Madalipey View Deck. Am-am Viewdeck is a view deck where you can get a stunning 360 degrees view of Mankayan, the mountain ranges of Cervantes, Ilocos Sur where the historic Bessang Pass and Tirad Pass and the Pilipil Red Soil are located, Abra River, and the neighboring towns of Tadian and Bauko, Mountain Province. It is located in Cada, Balili, Mankayan. The view deck sits on top of a volcaniclastic rock.
You’ll pass by panoramic views of vegetable gardens on your way to the view deck. There is also an old tomb with a coffin made of a thick old pine wood that never deteriorated in centuries underneath the view deck (I was not able to check this out because I didn’t read about the place prior to going there).
When going to the view deck, you need to register and pay Php 20. I think the payment goes to the maintenance of the pathway.
How to Get to Am-am View Deck
As mentioned earlier, Am-am View Deck is located in Mankayan, in the province of Benguet. Mankayan is a mining town in the Philippines. It is located on the north-western tip of Benguet. It is bordered by Bakun on the west, Buguias on the southeast, Tadian and Bauko on the east, and Cervantes on the northwest.
If traveling by private car, you can get to Mankayan from Baguio via the Halsema Highway. If coming from the northern part of the Philippines like La Union or Ilocos, you can get to Mankayan via Bessang Pass. From Poblacion in Mankayan, you have three options to get to Am-am View Deck. The first is via Balili by taking the Dacodac-Mankayan Road. If you are taking this route, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. This route also passes by the road that goes to Lay-odan Farm.
The second option is via Cervantes-Mankayan-Abatan Road. This route will pass by Abatan in Buguias. The third option and I think the fastest would be via Bulalacao. If taking this route, from Poblacion, take the Cervantes-Mankayan-Abatan Road and when you reach Bulalacao National High School, turn left to Am-am Barangay Road. The view deck is more than an hour’s drive from Poblacion in Mankayan. But it’s worth the long drive.
Related Post: Hiking Mount Gadagad/Prayer Mountain in Mankayan, Benguet
Pictures from Am-am View Deck
Here are some pictures from the view deck so you know what to expect when you visit the place. By the way, I suggest you wear rubber shoes or footwear with a nice grip when visiting the place.
From Am-am View Deck, you might want to try Garahe Restaurant, also located in Balili, Mankayan. It is near the view deck (maybe a 5 to 10 minutes drive). You can ask the people in the registration area how to get there. We were not able to eat there because they ran out of food when we dropped by the place because there was a power interruption that day and they didn’t want to serve the meat from their freezer as it might not be good anymore. But the restaurant was recommended by some friends so the food must be good.
Hope you liked this post. I’ll come up with a comprehensive travel guide to Mankayan next time so stay tuned. Subscribe to my blog to be notified of new posts. And please follow my Facebook page @iwentanyways and like my Instagram accounts @iwentanyways and @tnadeperalta for updates. Stay safe!
