Baguio Lion’s Head Walk: Iconic Landmark in 360 VR | July 2024

About this recording

This page preserves an original 360 Tour recording from Lion’s Head, captured on July 7, 2024. The 2:45 recording is part of the site's walking tours archive.

The website version adds searchable place, date, route and collection context around the original YouTube upload so the recording can be explored alongside related videos instead of as an isolated clip.

June–July 2024 trip context

These recordings fall within a series of short Luzon trips made while family friends from Europe were visiting in June and July 2024. Rather than one long trip, Subic was used as a base for several one- to three-day mini-vacations, making it possible to explore different destinations without turning the visit into one continuous road trip.

The most important part of the period was spending time together and sharing places in the Philippines. Some destinations were familiar and could be shown to the visitors from local experience; Pangasinan and the Hundred Islands were new to Kris as well, so that part of the trip was a first-time experience for everyone traveling together.

Traffic delays were not a major concern during these outings because the group was traveling in vacation mode rather than trying to commute on a schedule. Videos recorded on the same date often belong to one continuous outing and are linked together on 360tour.tv where the recording data makes that relationship clear.

Baguio and Benguet from repeated visits

The Baguio and Benguet archive comes from several different visits rather than a single trip. Some visits were made to show guests around, while later trips were connected to events, family time and exploring places in the region that had not been visited before, including the strawberry farms around La Trinidad.

From repeated visits going back to 2013, the drive up to Baguio has generally become easier, while traffic and parking inside the city have become more challenging. A practical approach is to leave a vehicle at the hotel or a suitable parking area and use taxis, public transport or walking for shorter trips when convenient. Drivers should also check current local traffic and number-coding restrictions before entering the city, because rules can change.

Baguio's elevation and steep roads are part of the experience. They can also matter for heavily loaded or underpowered vehicles. In crowded tourist areas, normal travel precautions apply: keep valuables secure, compare prices before buying, and allow more time than the map distance alone might suggest.

First-hand Insta360 X4 experience

The X4 replaced an aging Insta360 ONE X2 as part of a normal two- to three-year gear upgrade cycle. The reasons were practical as well as technical: batteries age quickly in a hot climate, while the X4 brought larger sensors, higher resolution, Active HDR and more AI-assisted features.

Although 8K was tested, 5.7K Active HDR became the more useful everyday mode. In practice, the extra dynamic range and low-light improvement mattered more than repeatedly producing very large 8K files that YouTube would often deliver to viewers at a lower effective quality after processing.