Inside
To walk through a landscape that people have tended by hand for centuries, and still do.
Add Banaue to my journeyBanaue is the gateway town to the rice terraces of Ifugao, high in the Cordillera of northern Luzon. The terraces you see from the town viewpoint are famous, but the UNESCO-listed clusters are nearby: Batad, Bangaan, Hungduan, Mayoyao and Nagacadan. Batad, a village in a natural amphitheatre reached on foot, is the one to see. Getting here takes effort and the town itself is plain, but the walking is extraordinary, and the terraces change completely through the year: flooded and mirror-like before planting, bright green as the rice grows, gold before the harvest.
The classic walk is down into Batad, along the terrace walls through the village and on to Tappiyah Falls, a steep descent to a cold pool below. Allow most of a day and wear good shoes; the stone walls are narrow and can be slippery. A local guide is strongly recommended and supports the community.
The Banaue viewpoint, a short drive from town, gives the classic panorama in minutes. Bangaan and Hungduan are quieter alternatives for travellers who've seen Batad.
The terraces are a living system, not a monument: managed by Ifugao communities, with rituals tied to the rice cycle and traditional houses raised on posts. Many young people now work outside the region, and maintaining the walls is hard. Staying in village homestays, hiring local guides and buying local woodcarvings and textiles all help.
Insider notes
21 days · Essential / Boutique / Premium / Signature
Manila • Banaue • Sagada • El Nido • Bohol • Siargao
Three weeks from Manila's old city to the rice terraces of the Cordillera, then Palawan, Bohol and Siargao. The whole country in one trip, without pretending it is a small one.
From €3,300per person ·
View journey →13 days · Essential / Boutique / Premium
Manila • Banaue • Sagada • Coron
The mountains of the north first: the rice terraces of Batad and the caves and pine forests of Sagada. Then Coron's lakes, reefs and limestone islands.
From €2,000per person ·
View journey →
10 days · Essential / Boutique / Premium
Manila • Banaue • Sagada • Vigan
Manila's old town and food, the rice terraces of Banaue and Batad, Sagada's caves, then the Spanish colonial streets of Vigan. The Philippines' history and mountains in ten days.
From €1,700per person ·
View journey →Use this journey as inspiration. Change the islands, hotels, pace, activities or number of nights.
Add Banaue to my journeyThe UNESCO listing covers five clusters in Ifugao, including Batad and Bangaan. The view right above Banaue town is not one of them, though it's still lovely.
By overnight bus, around 9 hours, or by private car with a stop on the way.
It varies by village and altitude, but generally from around March to May after planting; harvest-gold is roughly June–July.
Inside
A cool mountain town of pine forests, limestone caves and hanging coffins in the Cordillera, where mornings start above a sea of clouds.
Inside
A huge, hectic capital with a walled Spanish city at its heart, the world's oldest Chinatown, serious museums and the country's best food scene.
Tell us when you're coming. We'll help design the rest.