Stairway To Heaven: Banaue Rice Terraces

Banaue Rice Terraces is one of the places tourists must visit when traveling to the Philippines. It is a place where people can know more about the past lives of the Ifugao people, who made and are taking care of Banaue Rice Terraces. So, come and join me on my adventure at the Banaue.

The view looks good even though I am not that of a good photographer. No filter required.

Banaue Rice Terraces is located in the Ifugao Province. Frankly, I only know that it is in Nueva Vizcaya. Anyways, let's start our journey at Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. We took a jeepney to go to Lagawe, Ifugao and then, from there, we changed jeepneys to go to Banaue.

Once we reached the place, there were some tricycle drivers who were trying to make some business with us about taking us to Banaue Rice Terraces' Viewpoint. It was 200 php ($5.11 CAD) per Tricycle, so we told him that we need to eat first as we were hungry. It was already noon when we reached urban Banaue, so we had lunch at a restaurant. The food there was quite affordable, but the drinks were expensive. Their service was good, so we did not mind. After eating, we were told to climb up the stairs to get a tricycle to go to the View point.

Most of the people we interacted with here were the Ifugaos, who can understand English, Ilocano (a Philippine dialect) and Filipino (Tagalog, the most commonly spoken language in the Philippines next to English and other dialects). Note to future tourists, there is an office for tourists close to the stairs. I suggest you go there first, so that you can get more information about Banaue.

We took a Tricycle, a transport alternative apart from foot, which was able to fit 5 people. I highly recommend that you sit at the back of the driver. Why? Because of the mesmerizing and breathtaking view that you will be able to see more clearly (We know, we know, we could have taken pictures or shot some videos as we went up the viewpoint, but we did not. Do not worry. The next time we return for a visit, we will do both). On the ride, we had the chance to see an Ifugao native harvesting vegetables on the mountain, younger children using a wooden scooter and Ifugao houses. If you plan to walk or climb the mountain by foot, you can do it too. Once we reached the "highest" and "lowest" viewpoint, this what we saw...

Beautiful, isn't it? Nature and human-made feats never cease to amaze.

(We mixed the pictures I took when we were at the "highest" and "lower" viewpoint because we forgot which pictures were which, our bad).

On the "highest" viewpoint, they were selling souvenirs and there was an old Ifugao lady who you can take pictures with. She did not force anyone to pay for taking a picture with her. However, we offered to give her some money in return for her kindness and patience.

After taking a lot of pictures, we checked the souvenirs available at the shop. The crafts sold at store are made by the Ifugaos. They have t-shirts, bag, lengua de gato, earrings, tiny wooden jeepneys, tiny, medium and large sized wooden scooter and other things.

Then, the Tricycle drivers took us to the 2nd or "lower" viewpoint. There we met Ifugaos who were kind enough to take pictures with us. Also, we gave them some money for their food. It was raining lightly, but they did not mind taking pictures with us. They also explained to us that they live at the foot of the Rice Terraces and they have to climb up to work on a regular basis. As a fun little side note, you can also wear traditional Ifugao clothing for less than 100 php ($2.56 CAD). If you ask them, they can teach you the traditional Ifugao dance. What better way to experience the Ifugao culture, right? And for 25 php ($0.64 CAD) you can also try riding the wooden scooter. After taking more pictures, we went home using a Jeepney.

Ifugaos at Banaue Rice Terraces. They are firendly and can communicate well in English

The whole experience was memorable and I recommend that tourists visit the place because it is a good place to relax and unwind after a week of studies and hard work. I mean, after seeing the views up close, you would not experience any regret at all. The journey may be long and tiring, but it is completely worth it. Since it may be an arduous journey, I highly recommend to accompany someone who knows the place well and who has their own vehicle, so that you can stop by interesting attractions along the way or even if you want to take a picture of the sights, which will be often, guaranteed. (We were not able to take a picture at the Welcome to Banaue sign). Most importantly, and a must-do, check the weather. In our case, the weather was gloomy, so we went about the area by tricycle and additionally, we were unfortunately unable to visit the foot of the Banaue Rice Terraces. However, on a day that has more pleasant and conducive weather conditions, we will surely return to visit the foot of the Banaue Rice Terraces and the whole place.

Ifugao people in Banaue Rice Terraces. They have to climb up to the view point, so that they earn money for food.

Oh, by the way, if you have watched Avengers: Infinity War, the last scene was shot here in Banaue (I am trying really hard not to have any spoilers, but you can check the video about it here). As can be seen, it is worth seeing Banaue Rice Terraces because you will not only learn about FIlipino culture and visit a candidate for the 8th wonder of the world in the process. You will also visit a place where they shot one of the highest-grossing and memorable Blockbuster movies of all time.