Visiting the Banaue Rice Terraces back in 2004 was actually an on-the-spot accidental experience that happened in those fruitful periods of my official trips to the Philippine archipelago. It was just a recommendation brought up at one of my scheduled meetings with the local officials of the Province of Isabela who happened to be very close allies with the local officials of the Province of Ifugao where the Banaue Rice Terraces can be found. So our team just thought of conducting a random survey to see the possibility of proposing the construction of a potable water system for Banaue, Ifugao.
The Banaue Rice Terraces or also known as the Rice Terraces of Philippine Cordilleras was named as the 8th Wonder of the World, it still is and will always be (at least if not accelerated in rank). Blessed with an abundant source of potable water system, you could see for yourself how such a lively greenery meadowland carved into mountains has been well preserved for the last 2,000 years.
I saw it myself once – up too close and very personal – and I’ll never get tired of boasting about this tremendous scenery. Beauty is an understatement of it. From then on, I knew why the province does not need any form of rehabilitation in terms of water resources.
Banaue, Ifugao is part of the Cordillera Autonomous Region north of Manila, Philippines. As surroundings are mountainous, weather in the province is unpredictable but mostly cold. When unpredictable, one valley may be rainy while the other is sunny. After an hour or so, the weather reverses from one valley to the other. It’s part of adventure and it’s REAL FUN!!
In fact, there are plenty of things to do while exploring the rice terraces from downtown to north, south, west and east. These include visits to Cordillera Sculpture Museum, Banaue Museum, Banaue Viewpoint, Tam-an Village, Batad Village, Spiderweb Terraces, Hot Springs, Hiwang Native House (I recall the native village houses in my visit to Seoul, South Korea last month and these native houses in Banaue, Ifugao are the exceptional versions in the Philippines), Lagawe Caves and the popular Sagada trekking.
But with only 2 days on my hand, I chose to waste it by simply gazing at the historical terraces highlighting a perfect harmony and balance of socio-cultural, religious, physical, economic and political environment. While doing so, I likewise pampered myself with doses of native coffee purely raised and home-made in the province of Ifugao keeping my mind and eyes to the rice terraces as my background. So as a coffee addict and nature devotee, you can picture how I enjoyed the best of both!!
I highly recommend you not to miss a sip of the province’s locally brewed coffee in an ambiance so cool, fresh and greenery enough to feel proud of what the Philippines can offer at par with other world class leisure and delivering a touch of world class authentic discovery.
Another main challenge I see that the natives of Banaue face overtime is the gradual fading of interest among their younger generations, who by now should be the successors in continuing to keep up and even further enhancing the majestic beauty crowned in the Banaue Rice Terraces.
Here is our ongoing budget travel promotion until year-end which we recently posted on the Facebook page of our Jitrrie Travel & Tours. My husband and I are so high in spirit to heighten the tourism sector in Banaue, Ifugao. By booking your trips via our travel promotion, you are playing a major part in helping us boast and preserve the World’s Eight Wonder as a precious steward of God’s creation.
Native houses (made of Nipa Huts), Inns and Lodges are the popular types of accommodation in Ifugao. We stayed in the highly recommended Sanafe Lodge & Restaurant. I guess it’s because the splendid rice terraces are best viewed from the balcony of this Lodge with a feel-at-home cozy confinement. International dishes are also served at Sanafe. Rooms are superbly clean and price is competitive for a service that is notably remarkable. Imagine this was my home for 2 days and where I spent a face-to-face admiration for the rice terraces.
Like I always mention (and advocate) in my travel blogs, I strongly encourage everyone to explore tours and activities on their own in order to save more rather than hiring local guides unless you want to avoid hassles or wouldn’t mind paying ad-on costs for extra services. But like I always promote, our Jitrrie Travel & Tours has a different approach in serving customers. We do not directly provide guide services (unless strongly requested) because we want to encourage people to experience REAL ADVENTURE and ACQUIRE ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE by exploring tours on their own. On our part, we will employ all the resources and knowledge we have to share useful and relevant tour tips to our customers in their respective destinations as a complimentary ad-on service.
Therefore, I would gladly encourage you to explore the Banaue Rice Terraces on your own too. Please feel comfortable to contact me for tour tips even before and after booking your flights and accommodations with Jitrrie Travel & Tours.
Here is a short sweet blog with my own personal experiences of the rice terraces and since I have not ventured throughout the province, you may supplement this article by referring to the study conducted by the UNESCO World Heritage Center if you wish to know more about the beginnings of Banaue Rice Terraces.
I invite my fellow Filipinos to similarly experience the origin of our tradition as well as to help preserve and respect the roots of our ethnicity. In doing so, we will earn the trust, inspiration and interests of foreign tourists and attract sturdy tourism growth in the Philippines which can also open doors to employment opportunities for those who need it the most.