Getting to Baguio
From the moment you land at Manila or Clark to the moment you get your room key on campus. What the pick-up costs, what to pack for a mountain city, and what happens once you arrive.
Nobody's first day should start with a puzzle. You have booked a course, you have a flight, and the only question left is how you actually get from an airport in the lowlands to a campus in the mountains, with your luggage and a head full of jet lag.
This page answers that. The short version is that you land at Manila or Clark, our team meets you, and a few hours later you are on campus in Baguio with your room ready. If you would rather travel independently, that works too, and the practical details are below.
Manila or Clark?
Baguio has no international airport of its own, so every student arrives through one of two gateways and travels the rest of the way by road. We meet students at both, so this really is a question of which flight suits you rather than which one we prefer.
Manila (NAIA)
The country's main international gateway, with the widest choice of airlines, routes and fares. It is the busier and larger of the two, and it is further from Baguio, so the road journey afterwards is the longer one.
Clark (CRK)
Smaller, calmer and noticeably closer to Baguio, which makes for a shorter drive at the end of a long flight. Fewer airlines fly here, so it depends on where you are travelling from and what the fare looks like.
Either way the road journey takes several hours, and the last stretch is a winding mountain climb. If you are prone to travel sickness, this is the leg to be ready for: sit forward in the vehicle, keep water with you, and take something before you set off rather than halfway up.
Sea level to 1,500 meters
It helps to picture the trip as a climb rather than a transfer. Baguio sits roughly 1,500 meters up in the Cordillera mountains, which is exactly why Filipinos call it the summer capital and why you will want a jacket in a country most people pack shorts for.
You land
Clear immigration and collect your bags. Our team is waiting for you on the other side, and the pick-up you chose on your application form is already arranged.
The road up
Flat highway first, then the mountain road, where the temperature drops and the pine trees start. Most students sleep through the first half and stare out of the window for the second.
Campus
You arrive, collect your room key, and get shown where everything is. The paperwork, the permit photos and the placement test all belong to the days that follow, not to tonight.
Three ways to make the trip
You choose your pick-up on the application form, so it is arranged long before you fly. There are two school options and one independent one.
| Pick-up | From Clark | From Manila |
|---|---|---|
| BESA group pick-up Shared with students arriving for other Baguio schools, arranged through the Baguio English Schools Association. | ₱3,000 | ₱3,000 |
| Private pick-up (per vehicle) One vehicle, not one seat, so a family or a group of friends can share the cost. | ₱8,500 | ₱13,000 |
The third option is to travel up on your own. Long distance buses run to Baguio from Manila throughout the day, and plenty of travellers do exactly that. It is cheaper, and if you have been to the Philippines before it is perfectly manageable. For a first arrival, after a long flight, in a country whose transport you do not know yet, most students find the pick-up money well spent.
Where to meet your driver. Your exact meeting point is confirmed with you before you travel, along with the name of the person meeting you. Keep that message on your phone and screenshot it, because airport wifi is not something to rely on when you have just landed.
If your flight is delayed
It happens, and it is not a crisis. Tell us as early as you can, even from a transit lounge, and send your new arrival time the moment you know it. We would far rather move a pick-up than have you land at midnight with no plan. Use the same contact you have been arranging your enrollment through, and keep the office details saved offline before you fly.
What to have with you
Not a full packing list, just the things that are genuinely awkward to sort out once you are here.
- Your passport, valid comfortably beyond your stay
- A return or onward ticket, which airline and immigration staff often ask to see
- Several passport-sized photos for your permit paperwork
- Some pesos in cash for the first couple of days
- Warm layers, a jacket and something for rain
- Any medication you take regularly, in its original packaging
- A plug adapter, and a power bank for the journey up
- Your enrollment and pick-up confirmations, saved offline
The warm layers are the one people get wrong. Baguio averages far cooler than Manila or Cebu, evenings can be genuinely cold, and students who packed for a tropical beach spend their first week buying jackets. Bring one.
On money: change a small amount before you leave the airport, or withdraw from an ATM there, so you are not hunting for one on arrival night. You do not need much. Once you are settled there are banks and ATMs in the city, and the office can point you to the nearest ones.
What happens once you are here
Arrival day itself is deliberately light. You get your room, you eat, and you sleep, because almost everyone lands tired and the mountain air catches people out.
The days that follow are the practical ones: your level test so you are placed in the right class, the photos and paperwork for your Special Study Permit, a look around campus, and the introductions that turn a building into a place you know. Our admin team handles the permit itself, which is explained in full in the visa and SSP guide.
By the time your first proper class starts, the errands are done. That is the whole point of arranging it this way rather than leaving you to work it out between lessons.
Getting back to the airport
The academy runs a scheduled sending service to Clark at ₱1,500, with the following departures:
For travel to Manila, JoyBus is the service we recommend. Because these are scheduled runs rather than private transfers, book your seat with the office as soon as your flight is confirmed, and choose a departure that leaves a sensible margin before check-in.
Arrival questions we get asked most
Should I fly into Manila or Clark?+
Does the school pick me up from the airport?+
How much does airport pick-up cost?+
What happens if my flight is delayed?+
Can I travel up to Baguio on my own?+
What should I bring for the first few days?+
How do I get back to the airport at the end of my course?+
Tell us when you land
Send us your flight and we will arrange the rest. If you are still choosing between airports or dates, ask us first: we do this every week and it costs you nothing to check.