When you visit Banaue, Batad is a must-see. While I visited many villages and rice terraces in the area... Batad is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the main reason I made the trip to the area. No roads in or out. A village and rice terrace built and nestled right in between the mountains. Once arriving, it's immediate that the place is magic. Like others on this page, I hesitate to write about it but just getting there is an adventure in itself. I don't think tourists will flood the place ever just because of how remote it is. Most people settle with Banaue and go on their way. The first thing you have to do is hire a ride from Banaue about 45 minutes away. Once you're dropped off, you then have to hike another 45ish minutes into the village. I stayed for a few days and the community definitely knew a foreigner was staying. I was quite surprised on my way out... the community was so welcoming and genuinely surprised that I stayed a few days. A few people stopped to ask where I was headed(kind of like they welcomed me to stay longer). Many tourists come in, eat, hike to the waterfall and around the terrace, and then leave. I got the impression that not many people stick around. Sticking around was definitely on my agenda. I'd definitely recommend finding one of the Inns and staying for a few days(there are numerous). The place is amazing but one reason to stay is if you plan on hiking around the terraces and to the waterfalls. The steepness of the steps and I don't hesitate when I say this... WILL KILL YOUR KNEES. I managed but they were shakey more than a few times so watch yourself if you have bad knees. Unlike Hapao, Batad doesn't have quite as much water. I was there in the Spring so things were green but I definitely want to visit during other times of the year. The green lushness or brown dryness varies from other videos I've watched. When thinking back, I can't get over how peaceful the place was. If you want a place to relax, this is it. Waking up for breakfast, having a freshly cut open coconut, watching the sun hit the terraces, having plenty of fruit trees all around, a waterfall close by to swim near, nighttime celebrations, and watching the community thrive without all the complications of the outside world. Amazing! One other thing to note if you have adventurous tastebuds. These mountains of the Philippines are in the Cordillera region. There is an old chicken dish that is frowned upon by the government but it's specific to the region. It can be found here... it took a while to find; Some locals will pretend like it's gross. Other locals will play dumb but it can be found... just go looking for it. I won't go into the details(just Google it). Definitely give it a try! I think walking out of there, a little piece of the spirit of that place came with me. I'll never forget the people and my trip there and I plan to return one day for sure. read more

See all

I've honestly thought about writing this review many many times over the past year. Part of me wants to keep it as much of a secret as possible to preserve the awe-inspiring artistry of it all and minimize the impacts of tourism. The other part wants to shout it out from the rooftops that Batad's amphitheater style rice terraces are the definition of wonderment, grace, & beauty and that this is the closest to heaven that I've ever been. The rice terraces are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Philippine Cordilleras. Built by HAND with mud and stones some 2,000-years ago, the rice terraces are some of the most remote in the world, located in a tiny village that is only accessible by foot. It's true, getting here is half the journey, and it's not for the faint of heart. I thought I was "from the mountains" but these people are DEEP in the mountains. So, come prepared and do your research beforehand - especially if you don't have family or contacts in the Philippines, have never been to the area, etc. Lucky for most, the people of this region actually speak pretty good English as do many other parts in the Philippines, but it might surprise you. I already knew that before coming though :) Batad is a ways away from the town center of Banaue where most buses will drop off tourists. You could catch a jeepney, tricycle, or randomly get someone to drive you there if the price is right. Luckily I had a car & a driver and we just parked overnight and paid a fee to one of the folks waiting at the parking area. The road ends here, so you'll need to go by foot for about 15 minutes to reach the top outskirts of the town where many of the "homestays" are located. You won't find 4 or 5 star hotels here, folks. That's the charm of it all. If you want to get to the center village of Batad, that's another 45 minute hike down numerous steps. I believe there were 2 or 3 homestays that you could book online, but honestly it's not necessary. We just walked up to a random one and asked if they had any rooms available. They homestay also had a restaurant and I noticed there were many tourists from many different walks of life all there for the same purpose. From the top, you don't really realize the magnitude of the rice terraces until you set foot on them. The morning daylight hitting each plot of land that was passed on from generation to generation (to the 1st and 2nd born) was incredible. I went in the month of April where the fields were green with freshly planted rice crops. When it's closer to harvest time, the fields turn gold. When they've been harvested, you get pools of mud and water which make for an awesome mirror effect. You'll also find traditional Ifugao huts still stand throughout the village. You can stay inside them as well if that tickles your fancy. When it's harvest season, the palay (rice before it's been husked) is placed in the 3rd level of the hut which serves as an attic space/storage area. The grains eventually become dry as the steam and warmth rise from the cooking that's done in the kitchen below. As our tour guide (Kuya Jonathan, a Batad local) explained all these things, I couldn't help but think "how lucky are we to live in & experience such a beautiful world?" This place is truly one for the books. Thanks to Kuya Jonathan for educating us about the people, the culture, & their traditions which remain largely unchanged to this day. Luckily, we linked up with him early on when we parked our car so we negotiated with him to be our tour guide the following morning. He met up with us at our homestay bright and early like I requested. We were the first ones hiking the rice terraces that morning and only crossed paths with 2 other groups of tourists towards the end of our hike. Highly recommend going as early as possible for the best views and photo ops as it gets super hot and honestly the whole place is huge so give yourself some time to hike and rest in between. I wasn't able to see everything due to time constraints and the waterfall (Tappiya Falls) that I wanted to see was closed anyway for construction. Even though it took me half a day to get there from my town, I definitely would like to visit again one day. I have never felt so awe-struck, so inspired, so connected to my roots until the moment I stepped foot on the rice terraces. SO much love for this place. read more

See all

What an amazing place. Unesco World Heritage Site. I think very off the radar for most Americans. We hiked with our hired guide and driver from YOLO tours which I **highly recommend. It made the trip sooo enjoyable bc it's not for the faint of heart. It's gorgeous a feat of engineering some 2000 years ago. It's a trek to get there and back from Manila. But we did a two day one night jam packed trip in and out. One more night would have been fine but this was perfect for us. I would say be aware but don't let it stop you that the trails at times are narrow and over cliffs. Sometime it feels like you are walking on a balance beam on the ledge of a cliff...well bc you are. If you hike all the way down the part to the falls it's literally 1200 extremely small and steep steps down the side of the mountain. We hiked the day before and just hiked out to what our guide called the view point. This rice terrace looks like an amphitheater and was our guides favorite. Just an incredible experience. You can also stay in hostels or home stays along the hike. There are little restaurant type shops set up along he hike for coconut water and cokes etc. you really get to see some local mountain people in traditional garb going about their day. We went in August so "rainy season" and a typhoon was hitting the northern area later that day. We actually had a clear hike but a rainy one the day before. And the drive back was all torrential rain. But all in all unscathed. Life affirming. Soooo off the beaten path it's great. Got a $7 massage after we hiked- she came up to our room. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I would say just know what you are in for and get a guide and driver. Gerard from YOLO was so wonderful we could not have had the experience we did without him. This is not a DIY one. At least not for two 39 year old professional ladies. read more

Batad - Batad was badass! - Parks Near Me

See all