Cagayan is a melting pot of races from the "Cagayanes" composed of native Ybanag, Itawes and Malaueg people, to the "Cagayanos" of the present, a fusion of the Cagayanes and the migrants from neigboring towns, the Ilokanos, Tagalogs, Pangasinenses, Pampanguetos and as far away as the Visayans and Muslims. Predominantly a Christian region, the Cagayanos has a special devotion to the Miraculous Lady of Piat, the four centuries old image of the Blessed Mother brought by the Dominican Friars in 1604. Cagayans native dialect is Ilokano.

The longest River in the Philippines is the Rio Grande de Cagayan, which bisects the Cagayan Valley from north to south. The Ilocano word carayan or big river may have been the source of this province's name. Cagayan is also considered one of the richest archeological sites in the Philippines. Archeological sites can be found in Solana, Petablanca and Lallo. The Cagayan Muesum and Historical Research center in Tuguegaro houses an extensive collection of fossils, artifacts, iron age potteries, chinawares, artworks, ethnographic and liturgical works.

Cagayan's climate is largely affected by the province topography. Thoughout the year, the eastern part of the Sierra Madre experiences an almost even distribution of rainfall. The rest of the province experiences a relatively dry season from November to April and a wet season for the rest of the year.

Besides the numerous interesting spots to visit, Cagayan offers visitors a chance to mountain trek, fish and surf.

To visit Cagayan, one has to either take a regular Philippine Airline flight from Manila to Tuguegarao, which will take about an hours travel, or a ten hours ride by land from Manila through Maharlika Highway.