The Batad Rice Terraces are among the most beautiful places to visit in the Philippines. While the country is best known for its stunning beaches, from the white sands of Boracay to the dramatic karsts of El Nido, the mountainous Cordillera region of the Philippines remains relatively unknown to international and domestic tourists. For travelers seeking an off-the-beaten-path Philippine experience, Banaue and the Batad Rice Terraces are the perfect place to visit.

It offers a completely different look into the country, not just in its landscapes alone, but through the various indigenous cultures and traditional lifestyles that hum along in the Philipine Cordilleras the same way it has for thousands of years. It took thousands of years for the Ifugao to build these rice terraces. To this day, the rice is farmed, harvested, milled, and prepared the same traditional ways as centuries past. Beyond the natural spectacle of these rice terraces, they tell incredible stories of the indigenous Filipino people.

While this region often goes ignored by travelers, I believe it is one of the most important places in the country for people to visit, both Filipino and foreigner. Here is everything you need to know before visiting Banaue and the Batad Rice Terraces.

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Table of Contents

• How To Get To Batad Rice Terraces
• Where To Stay in Banaue and Batad
• Best Time To Visit the Batad Rice Terraces
• What To Do at the Batad Rice Terraces
• Closing Thoughts on Banaue and Batad
• More on The Philippines

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How To Get to Banaue and the Batad Rice Terraces

To reach the Batad rice terraces, the first order of business is to make your way over to Banaue. There are a few different ways to do this, depending on where you are coming from. There are a few daily departures from Metro Manila with the Coda Lines bus company. These buses arrive in Banaue early in the morning, meaning you can even head straight to Batad Rice Terraces on the same day.

Alternatively, if you are coming from Sagada, Bontoc, or Baguio, there are different bus schedules. Coming from the charming mountain town of Sagada, we also took Coda Lines, departing from Sagada in the early afternoon and arriving in Banaue at around 5 PM. The first time I visited Banaue, we were coming from Buscalan after visiting Apo Whang-Od. We had to backtrack to Bontoc, the capital of the Mountain Province, and then took a shared minivan from there.

Once you have made it to Banaue, the Batad Rice Terraces are another hour away. A tricycle costs 800 to 1000 pesos, or sometimes cheaper depending on your haggling skills and drop-off point. Our tricycle took us up to the Batad Saddle Point, which required us to walk another 30 minutes or so to the beginning of Batad Village.

There is also a Jeepney departing from Banaue town in the afternoon, although this fills up very quickly and you will likely have to sit up top. Since we had our luggage, we opted to take the tricycle. We paid a little extra for them to stop at different rice terraces along the way. Instead of 800, we paid 1000 pesos to stop at a viewpoint of the Kinakin Rice Terraces and make a short detour to Bangaan Rice Terraces before backtracking and continuing up to Batad. While these are only quick stops to take in the views, it could be worth paying a little extra if you want to see more of the Cordillera’s marvelous rice terraces.

To go back to Banaue, we took the Jeepney from Batad. The Jeepneys leave at around 9 AM and cost 150 pesos per person. This can also fill up quite quickly. Expect to ride on the top, especially if you are younger. Typically, the inside of the Jeepney will be reserved for elders and mothers with small children. Men and younger women sat on the top of the Jeepney. Honestly, I much preferred this as the cool mountain breeze was much-needed. The Jeepney drops you back off in Banaue’s town center.

Alternatively, if you don’t feel like figuring all this out, it’s possible to take a multi-day guided tour from Manila.

Where To Stay in Banaue and Batad

If you plan on spending a night in Banaue, I’d recommend choosing Uyami’s Greenview Lodge and Restaurant. It’s a short walk down the hill from the main highway where the buses drop you off. Like most of the northern Philippines, don’t expect much beyond basic facilities. However, the view is absolutely stunning and the restaurant is arguably the best in Banaue. With a lot of awkward hours between bus arrivals and departures, Uyami was where we chose to kill several hours of downtime.

While it is possible to visit Batad as a day trip, I’d recommend making the effort worthwhile and really immersing yourself in the magic of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Batad has several guesthouse and homestay-style accommodation options. For a true escape into the tranquility of the Cordilleras, spending a night or two in Batad is the way to do it.

My top recommendation would be the Batad Countryside Inn. It’s right at the start of the trail, only a few minutes of walking after the paved roads ends. Since we had all of our luggage, this was extremely convenient. We were able to drop our things off and do the steep sections of the hike, which to be honest, is all of it, without any added weight.

On top of its convenient location, it was an incredible place to stay. The views were spectacular, the rooms were cozy, and there were much more amenities than I expected to have in such a remote village. They had free breakfast, electricity, hot water, and wifi that you could pay a nominal fee for. The restaurant was also incredible. We ran through the menu and were never disappointed. The value is unbeatable, and the staff are completely lovely. I couldn’t recommend anywhere else.

However, Batad Countryside Inn only has a few rooms. During the busy season, it might fill up so it’s good to have a backup plan. I also visited Batad Transient House about halfway down the hill, stopping there for coffee and snacks. I didn’t see the rooms themselves, but it seemed like a decent place to stay and boasted an incredible view of the rice terraces from the balcony.

At the base of the rice terraces is another part of Batad town. Christina’s Inn is the only accommodation that I’ve seen there. We stopped there for lunch, but didn’t see the rooms. If you want to be in the rice terraces themselves, this is likely the only place to stay. There are a handful of guesthouses lining the trail, including some that don’t show up online. Just ask around and the friendly local people will be more than happy to help you find a place.

Best Time to Visit the Batad Rice Terraces

Like most travel destinations in the Philippines, the difference in scenery can be dramatic depending on when you choose to visit the Batad Rice Terraces. Monsoon season, planting time, and harvest time can all play a part in what the Cordillera’s rice terraces will look like.

For example, the view above is when I visited in early June. This was during the planting season and just a few weeks prior to harvesting time. The rice farming season is typically from the months of April to July. The Batad Rice Terraces are at their most green and lush during this time.

And above is my most recent visit in early October. The murky brown waters were definitely impacted by recent storms and typhoons. However, it was also incredible to see the terraces filled up with water. The way they reflected the clouds and the sunshine was surreal. Honestly, I can’t choose which view I preferred. Both were incredible, and I don’t think there is a wrong time to visit Batad.

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What To Do at Batad Rice Terraces

Aside from enjoying the view of the Batad Amphitheatre, the main activity in Batad is to take on the hike to Tappiya Falls.

From your accommodation, descend down into the rice terraces, soaking in the views the entire way. Near the beginning of the trail, there is a small shack where need to register and pay a 50 peso fee. Once you reach the village, follow the rice terraces until you reach the stairs climbing up to the house with a blue roof. Behind this house, the trail continues downwards into the jungle. The entire trail to Tappiya Falls is paved, although it has seen better days. Some sections are uneven and overgrown, but still easy to follow. Depending on your pace, it takes about an hour and a half to reach Tappiya Falls from the start of the Batad Trail.

When we visited, we had the entire waterfall to ourselves for about two hours. It’s a true hidden gem of the Philippines. While there are more marvelous waterfalls throughout the country, the magic of this waterfall lies in its secluded location and dense, jungly atmosphere. The waterfall itself is only about 30 meters high, so odds are, you’ll have seen much grander ones in your life. Regardless, it is a perfect place to swim and relax for a couple of hours. Soak it all in.

The cool waters feel fantastic after the steep hike in humid weather. All in all, I think the descent was around 500 to 600 meters. We started the hike at around 1,150 meters above sea level from our accommodation. The last time I checked the elevation was at the village base, and my phone said we were at about 780 meters in altitude. I’m estimating we dropped down another 150 or 200 meters to reach Tappiya Falls.

Which means…

You’ve got to go all the way back up. In the punishing Philippine heat, this is a Herculean task and I was absolutely drenched in sweat the entire way back up. This time, there would be no waterfalls to dive into and reward ourselves after the hike. I decided to fixate on the pork adobo that I would order when I got back to our guesthouse.

After 30-45 minutes of climbing the steep, uneven stairs, we stopped for a break at the village and had lunch at Christina’s. They didn’t even seem open, but someone opened up and made us a basic meal of rice and veggies. The menu was mostly basic rice meals, but they also offered pitas and shakshuka, which was unexpected. The meals were filling and a fair price. Best of all, we had yet another incredible view to cool off in.

After our lunch break, we climbed the final hour or so back to our accommodation. During lunch, we randomly met a Nepali tour guide, the first foreign traveler we met since arriving in the north. It was serendipitous, considering we were heading to Nepal the following week, and I don’t meet all too many Nepali travelers to begin with. We shared with him our plans and aspirations for Nepal, and he seemed a little bit concerned at our ambitions, since we had sights set on some more challenging, off-the-beaten-path treks.

This motivated me to storm my way up the mountain in the slim chance that he was watching and judging our hiking pace while he waited for his own lunch. I grabbed an ice cream about halfway up before wrapping up the final stretch back to the guesthouse. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and playing sungko before finally treating ourselves to a large dinner of adobo and mango shakes.

Although I started to regret staying at the very top of the hill, it was well worth it to have such a hearty post-hike meal. Again, Batad Countryside Inn is where it’s at. Even if you don’t stay here, stop by for a meal. It’s the best food I’ve had in Batad by a long shot.

Closing Thoughts on the Batad Rice Terraces

Are the Batad Rice Terraces worth visiting? Absolutely. This is one of my favorite places in the Philippines, and it always shocks me how it has not reached international renown in the same way that the Philippines’ other top destinations has. For example, places like El Nido and Siargao have skyrocketed in popularity and have transformed accordingly, for better or for worse. Despite being a direct bus ride from Metro Manila, Banaue and Batad have yet to experience a similar increase in tourism.

As both a traveler and a Filipino, my feelings towards Batad are a little torn. On one hand, it has become a place of peace and tranquility for me to retreat to, and part of me wants to keep it a hidden gem, a shared secret between those of us going beyond the tried-and-true tourist trails.

However, the rice terraces are also part of our heritage, and one that might disappear faster than we think. Already, much of the Cordillera’s rice terraces have disappeared as people move away from rice farming and pursue less back-breaking and more lucrative careers. In a way, increased tourism can be the boon that is needed to preserve these man-made marvels, often referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World by Filipinos.

So while I would love to keep this unforgettable place to myself, I encourage all of you to pay a visit. I promise it will be worth the journey.

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If this post helped you out, show some love and support for the blog and help keep my adventures going by buying me a beer! My adventures are entirely self-funded, so any show of support is greatly appreciated, and allows me to keep writing helpful travel guides and creating travel content to help you all travel the world on a budget.

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