The Banaue Rice Terraces are ancient sprawling man-made structures said to date back 2000 to 6000 years, that were carved into the Ifugao in Cordillera Mountains in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people.
These terraces built largely by hand are considered by the Philippines to be the “Eighth Wonder of the World” . It is simply fascinating that the locals still plant rice and vegetables on the terraces.
The rice fields are located at 1500 meters altitude and cover 10,360 square kilometers of mountainside. The ancestors of Ifugao people used an unique and efficient irrigation system which brings water from the rain forests above the terraces to feed the “suspended lands”.
In an attempt to conserve this unique mankind wonder, UNESCO subscribed the Banaue Rice Terraces in 2001 to the List of World Heritage in Danger, due to the “blending of the socio-cultural, economic, religious, and political environment” threatened by extinction in time if people don’t start acting responsible.
In the last few years, tourism has developed in the are, offering activities for visitors which include the traditional sightseeing of the Banaue Rice Terraces and visits to the tribes at the foot of the terraces.
A special attraction is considered the Mumbaki , a traditional Ifugao witch doctor that performs spiritual healing rituals.
Getting there
The trip from Manila takes about 9 hours and air-conditioned buses have daily trips straight to Banaue. There are many terminals from where you can get the bus, but it is more indicated to visit the airport’s info desk and get the right information. During the trip to Ifugao, the bus will pass through the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, and the sights won’t be few.
Accommodation around Banaue shouldn’t be a problem, as you are likely to find several inns in town and other lodging houses at reasonable rates. You can also search for private houses where you can stay for a lesser charge.
You will find more information about the rice fields here.
12 Comments
ioan
July 5, 2010 at 5:09 pmThe pictures are just amazing – just like the places there… I guess it would be one of the most wonderful moments in someone’s life, to stand up there and watch the sunrise or the sunset… Now that is something to tell your friends about!
Lavinia
July 5, 2010 at 5:17 pmIoan: ooor have them read your site 😀
cla
July 5, 2010 at 5:13 pmrice is nice 🙂
Lavinia
July 5, 2010 at 5:16 pmmore lyrics, cla!
linki sponsorowane
July 21, 2010 at 12:08 amNice site and great text.
Hoang Thang
March 14, 2011 at 10:39 amDear my friend,
I am doing in tourism and very interested in the terraced field in Banaue. In Vietnam, we also have some wonderful terraced fields such Sapa (Lao Cai province), Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai province), Hoang Su Phi (Ha Giang province). Many local and international tourist have come to see them.
Please could you tell me about the number of tourist (both local and international) coming to Banaue terraced fields over the last time?
We would like to organize the study tours and incentive tours for our value corporate partners in Vietnam to visit this breathtaking area in your country.
Your response would be highly appreciated if sending to my email: hoangmanhthang6886@gmail.com.
Lavinia
March 14, 2011 at 3:49 pm@Hoang Thang
We are not from the Philippines, nore do we organize tours (particularly not for Banaue Rice Terraces). We suggest trying to find a tourism agency in the Philippines.
jim
November 21, 2011 at 6:13 pmhi! would like to ask your permission to use some of these photos in my school project? thanks!
Lavinia
November 27, 2011 at 6:47 amJim, we don’t own copyrights for these photos, we took them from other websites. You will find links for every photo at the end of the article. Good luck:)
peter Beugelsdijk
June 25, 2014 at 3:42 pmThe pictures are just amazing
jovylyn sapi-ing
February 23, 2015 at 10:05 ami wonder how are we, Filipinos from the Cordillera provinces, those whose ancestors built the rice terraces related to those other people in Asia who also have ancestors who built rice terraces like China, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. I search in FB people who have the same surname as my family and i found some from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, i forgot if there’s from Vietnam…just curious.
jovylyn sapi-ing
February 23, 2015 at 10:19 amMy mother and I have traveled in summer of 2013 from Baguio to Banaue. My mom was also so amazed, though she’s from Mountain Province. It was great hiking in a breathtaking views. We only saw the Bangaan rice terraces, and walked through Batad rice terraces. While on our way to Batad, we passed though many smaller terraces that are not known but are also beautiful. We went farther to Mayoyao or Mayaoyao municipality and stayed for a day there in a nice house for only two hundred fifty per head. Rice terraces are around the place, though i do not know their names, they are also as beautiful as those we have seen earlier. I want to see more of the famous rice terraces i have seen in photos here…