Asian Highway 26

Understand

The highway was proposed during Ferdinand Marcos' presidency, but some sections were constructed earlier. Asian Highway 26 forms 3,517 km (2,185 mi) of highways in Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao, excluding spurs and ferry connections. While it is a major north-south road, it bypasses other major points in the Visayas, which are rather served by road and ferry connections. It is the only completely isolated route of the Asian Highway system. Maps by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), which assigns the Asian Highway numbers, show connections to China (to Asian Highway 1) and Malaysia (to Asian Highway 150 or the Pan-Borneo Highway from Sandakan), but there are no ferries to China, and the Zamboanga-Sandakan ferry route is passenger-only.

Prepare

The itinerary most covers travel by car, but car rental is seldom found outside the large cities. The route can also be traveled by provincial bus; there are many bus routes that have routes plying the highways forming AH26, and it's possible to travel the whole route without a car.

Laoag-Tuguegarao: GMW Transport (whole leg), G.V. Florida Transport (Laoag-Pagudpud leg) Tuguegarao-Manila: Victory Liner. The buses no longer enter Manila, and to continue across town, you must transfer to a local bus headed for Manila at Bocaue. Manila-Sorsogon (Matnog port): Multiple competing operators departing from Parañaque, but for a complete trip on this leg, there are Philtranco, DLTBCo, Silver Star, Elavil. If you want to head north of Manila, you need to take the local buses to the provincial bus terminals at either Cubao (in Quezon City) or Bocaue. Samar (Allen port)-Leyte (San Ricardo port): Philtranco, DLTBCo, Silver Star or Davao Metro Shuttle (continuing from Luzon) Tacloban-Ormoc: Philtranco or DLTB. UV Express van shuttles are also available between the cities, but with the disadvantage you can't make side trips to towns along the way. Surigao-Davao: Philtranco, Bachelor Express, Davao Metro Shuttle Davao-General Santos: Yellow Bus Line, Mindanao Star Davao-Cagayan de Oro: Rural Transit General Santos-Cotabato: Husky Transport or Mindanao Star (via Tacurong and Isulan). For a trip that stays on AH26 through this leg, take a Yellow Bus Line (YBL) or Mindanao Star bus to Koronadal, transfer to a YBL bus that travels to Isulan via Surallah, and take the Husky bus to Cotabato. Cotabato-Pagadian: Rural Transit Pagadian-Zamboanga: Rural Transit The highway is a more easterly route through Luzon, Samar and Leyte, and Mindanao. It takes over 45 hours to complete driving the route, if you do not stop for food or rest, or longer if traveling by bus. Conditions on the highway vary, from wide tolled expressways and avenues in Metro Manila and suburbs, to narrow meandering two-lane highways through small villages and towns. Distances are easy to underestimate in the Philippines, and travel time should account for breaks, sightseeing, and ferries. Rainy weather and typhoons can

Get in

The trip can be started anywhere in the Philippines, either from Luzon or the Mindanao side. The northern terminus, Laoag, has flights from Manila on Cebu Pacific and PAL Express, and daily bus trips from Manila or Baguio. By road, Manila North Rd (Rte 2, also the MacArthur Hwy from Manila to Pangasinan) leads into Laoag. Manila has the main airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and the central hub for buses from most of the Philippines. Zamboanga City has flights from Manila or Cebu on Cebu Pacific, Cebgo and PAL Express, buses from Cagayan de Oro, and ferries from the rest of the country and Sandakan in Malaysia. It is also possible to start the trip at:

Metro Cebu - This region has the country's second busiest airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, with both international and domestic flights. It also has the busiest seaport in the Philippines with ferries to Ormoc. By car, you can drive to Ormoc via the Daanbantayan (Maya) RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) terminal. Davao City - There are international and domestic flights to Francisco Bangoy International Airport. If bringing a vehicle from overseas, the only way is to ship it to the Philippines in a freighter. There are ferries from Indonesia and Malaysia, but they do not take cars. If you want to bring in a right-hand drive vehicle, note that you cannot register it locally.

Go

Distance along AH26 are measured from a symbolic milestone at Manila's Rizal Park (where AH26's western alternate route passes through). The eastern route of the Nautical Highway System also completely follows AH26 from Sorsogon to Surigao. Speed limits can vary widely along the route, from 20 km/h (12 mph) through some narrow segments through old towns to 100 km/h (62 mph) on expressways. On most segments outside city and town centers, typical driving speed is 60–80 km/h (37–50 mph), but even local drivers may flaunt the limit by doing even higher speeds on straight, flat rural segments.

Ilocos Norte

Head north to Bacarra (km post 495), a town of about 32,000, and has a "headless" church belfry and Pasuquin (km post 505), a municipality of about 29,000 with a salt-making village, some beaches, and other outdoor activities. AH26 turns east at Burgos (km 536), which has a Spanish-era lighthouse, rocky cliffs and a wind farm. Head east to Bangui (km post 552) and Pagudpud (km 559), whose coastlines are windy and have wind farms producing electricity, also attractions on their own. East of Pagudpud town proper, AH26 runs at the edge of the Luzon Cordillera and follows a scenic route through the coast; the most scenic section being on the 1.3 km (0.81 mi) Patapat Viaduct which rises 31 m (102 ft) above the coast. AH26 traverses a winding route, becoming mostly straight and flat for a short section, then reverting into a zigzag road into the boundary with Cagayan Province at Santa Praxedes municipality, at the edge of the Caraballo Mountains.

Cagayan Region

Cagayan Province 1 Santa Praxedes, a small town of over 4,000. 2 Claveria (km post 611) - A rural municipality of 3,000 people, has a town with beachfront and a boat terminal to Calayan Islands. AH26's northernmost point is around this municipality, and there is a viewing deck at barangay Camalaggoan (between km posts 613 and 614) 3 Sanchez Mira 4 Pamplona (km 649). AH26 crosses the Pamplona River on the 0.49 km (0.30 mi) Pamplona Bridge, 5 Allacapan (km 694), a municipality of 34,000 with a small town. 1 Magapit Suspension Bridge AH26 crosses the mighty Cagayan river at this 0.43 km (0.27 mi) lo

Stay safe

See driving in the Philippines. Parts of the route in Mindanao remain unsafe as of May 2025 due to insurgencies.