BANAUE RICE TERRACES

Banaue is a fourth class municipality in the province of Ifugao. What makes Banaue so famous is that it is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Banaue Rice Terraces. The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao by ancestors of the indigenous people, using the most primitive tools known to man.

The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and range in height from 3,300 to 4,500 feet above sea level.  They are an engineering marvel with the irrigation being supplied by mountain springs and streams, which has then been channeled into downhill canals, which in turn, supply water to the rice terraces and then retain it.

There are several groups of these rice terraces, but it’s the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces that carry the UNESCO listing. Unfortunately, due to earthquakes and drought, the condition of the rice terraces in some areas has deteriorated. So much so that some Ifugao families have actually abandoned their land and moved to lower ground in search of soil that produces higher yielding rice.

When standing in awe of these unbelievable structures, you will find yourself lost for words. No matter how high or low you are, how remote you are, now matter how rugged or inhospitable the mountains are, you will still see rice terraces as far as the eye can see. They truly stand as a marvel of human ingenuity.

The Batad rice terraces are absolutely awe inspiring. To think they were hand carved into these mountains, at 1,000+ metres above sea level, 2,000 years ago still leaves me speechless.

A view looking down from the top of the Batad rice terrace gives you an idea of how the water flows down and is contained in the mountain side.

The hair-raising road to the Bangaan Rice Terraces. You wouldn’t wanna go off the edge of that 1,000 metre high cliff!

Bangaan Village and Rice Terraces, 3,300ft above sea level. It still amazes me that at this altitude, and in such a remote place, people actually created this marvel of human ingenuity.

Chilling with some of the local indigenous ladies in Banaue City. It really is like taking a massive step back in time.