Batad Rice Terraces Travel Guide (Itinerary + Tips)

Introduction

Batad Rice Terraces is a magnificent rice terrace located in the landlocked province of Ifugao, Philippines. It gives local and foreign visitors a breathtaking landscape and awesome scenery of the Cordillera Administrative Region. Batad Rice Terraces is a hand-carved 2000-plus-year-old rice terrace field and became part of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage site in the year 1995. Batad Rice Terraces has a total trek distance of 4 kilometers and it has a difficulty of 2/9. In addition, Batad Rice Terraces is also known to mountaineers as the main jump-off point for Mt. Amuyao.

According to its past history, Batad Rice Terraces is a cultural landscape that is formed out of love by the locals living there and not out of slavery. The Ifugaos living in the village of Batad village have transformed the landscape into one of the most unique places in the world by the means of only human hands with undeveloped tools.

Batad Rice Terraces are also known as the Amphitheater terraces of the Philippines because of the huge rice terraces and beautiful views. Batad Rice Terraces is part of five UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Cordillera region. The other four sites are namely Bangaan Rice Terraces, Mayoyao Rice Terraces, Nagacadan Rice Terraces, and Hungduan Rice Terraces which are all located in the province of Ifugao. All five rice terraces are ancient cultural heritage sites that the Filipinos are proud of. Therefore, if you want to see and witness these marvelous rice terraces then add them to your next travel bucket list.

Name: Batad Rice Terraces
Location: Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines
Elevation: 1500 MASL
Features: a breathtaking view of rice terraces and the Cordillera mountain range

My trip to Batad Rice Terraces

I’ve been dreaming of visiting Batad Rice Terraces ever since I saw online the superb green view of the rice terraces. So in the past weeks, I decided to look for an online day tour event going to Batad Rice Terraces. One day, I finally found what I’m looking for and the organizer gave me the expense and itinerary for the day tour in Batad Rice Terraces with a side trip to Tappiya Falls. The event fee is 1900 pesos. For this reason, I prepare the things that I will be needed during the day tour event.

Saturday evening around 7 pm when I arrived at our meetup place in EDSA Shaw Boulevard. We are ten in the group and when all the ten members in the group chat arrived at our meetup place, we introduced ourselves to each other. Our van left EDSA Shaw Boulevard around 8 pm and we are heading towards the province of Ifugao. We arrived at the Batad Rice Terraces jump-off point at 6 am. Then we have a morning coffee break and after done having breakfast our group registered and secure a local guide.

We start the hike around 7:30 am passing through the rice terraces and the view is spectacular already. In my opinion, Batad Rice Terraces is one of the most underrated places in my motherland the Philippines. It is the prettiest rice terraces I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Nevertheless, millions of Filipinos have not been to this remote beautiful place in the Northern Luzon but this is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

The Batad Rice Terraces are teeming with life-green and pristine that day. The rice terraces are truly extraordinary and it proves once again that no expedition is too arduous when the payoff is so large and in our cases, such as this one, the long journey is half the fun. As a result, we take so many pictures of the rice terraces from different angles and views. Then I noticed that the locals living here are so friendly and hardworking.

As we continue to hike across the Batad Rice Terraces, we pass some water irrigation channels, local houses, and narrow walkways at the rim of the rice terraces. After one hour and twenty minutes of hiking, we rest for a little while and eat our trail food. Afterward, we continue the hike going to Tappiya Falls and we saw many chickens roaming around.

Then I said to myself I cannot imagine how they built the Batad Rice Terraces. The place is so steep and just utterly beautiful. It is one of the best experiences of my life to see this peaceful place with two eyes. I think this is the best nature tripping I have ever been to.

We reached the Tappiya Falls around 10:07 am and we rest for several minutes. Our group watches the impressive waterfalls while having a much-needed rest after making our way down roughly. Then twenty minutes later we take a dip, cool down, and swim in the falls. The water in the falls is so freaking cold but it never stops our group to refresh in the waterfalls.

After staying for nearly one hour at the waterfalls, we start our steep ascent and go to the homestay. For this reason, we see again the remarkable green landscape untouched by technological advancement. The view is priceless and soothing to the eyes. It is really an unforgettable moment. One member of the group even said that these rice terraces serve as an example of sustainable agriculture with the traditional approach.

Also, he mentioned that the Infinity War American comic supervillain named Thanos has already reached the Batad Rice Terraces and because of that movie the rice terraces became, even more, a sought tourist destination. Then as we continue the assault we met some foreigners coming from Europe. Afterward, I noticed that the road in Batad is good for road biking. We wash up at 1 pm and we proceed on our side trip to Banaue.

On the whole, the trip to Batad Rice Terraces is a whole new experience for all of us. Walking through the rice terraces and stepping on the 2000-year-old stones laid on top of each other is just an awesome feeling. We feel like we are in a paradise setting already. This is definitely a must-see place in the Philippines.

Sample 1 Day itinerary to Batad Rice Terraces

Day 0
9:30PM – Assembly and pick up at a designated place within Metro Manila
10PM – ETD going to Banaue, Ifugao

Day 1
5:30AM – ETA Banaue, Ifugao
6AM – Breakfast
7AM – Departure to Batad Rice Terraces
8AM – Arrival at Batad Rice Terraces, register, and secure guide
8:30AM – Start trek to rice fields, picture taking, proceed to Tappiya Falls, swimming and lunch
12:30PM – Start trek to the hillside
2PM – Wash up and proceed to the side-trip
7PM – Going back to Metro Manila, dinner along the way

Sample 2 Day itinerary to Batad Rice Terraces

Day 1
7AM – Breakfast in Banaue
8AM – Ride a jeep or tricycle going to the Saddle
9AM – Walk towards the village and check in to the homestay, free time
11AM – Lunch
12:30PM – Trek to Tappiya Falls, swim, and rest
6PM – Dinner time
10PM – Lights out

Day 2
6AM – Wake up call, breakfast
8AM – View deck, picture taking
12PM – Lunchtime
3PM – Check out and go back to the Saddle
4PM – Ride a jeep going back to Banaue, Ifugao
7PM – Ride a bus bound to Metro Manila

Disclaimer: The above itinerary will depend on the time management, cooperation of the group, weather conditions, and availability of the sites.

Things to bring on your visit to Batad Rice Terraces:

Vaccination card
One valid ID
One liter of mineral water for hydration
Swimming clothes
Extra shirt, shorts, and underwear
Towel
Umbrella
Personal food and medicine
A good pair of trekking sandals
Extra plastic for your trash
Alcohol
Armsleeves and cap (optional)
Travel neck pillow (optional for the long road trip)
Trekking pole (optional)
Light jacket with a hoodie
Raincoat during the wet season

How to Go to Batad Rice Terraces

By commute

Option 1:

From Sampaloc, Manila ride an Ohayami Trans bus bound for Banaue. The estimated travel time is around nine hours.
From Banaue, ride a tricycle going to the Saddle. The tricycle fare is 150 pesos.
Then from the Saddle, walk your way down for twenty minutes to get to Batad Rice Terraces in Batad Village and pay the necessary environmental fee.

Option 2:

From Coda Lines Terminal in Cubao, ride a Coda bus going to Banaue.
Then from Banaue, Ifugao, go to the tourism office and pay the environmental fee.
After that hire and ride a jeep going to Batad Village. The jeep fare is 1500 pesos.

Option 3:

From Baguio City, ride an Ohayami Trans bus bound to Banaue. The approximate travel time is three hours.
From Banaue, ride a tricycle or jeep going to the Saddle.

Option 4:

From Sagada, Mountain Province, or Bontoc municipality, ride a bus or a jeep going to Banaue. The estimated travel time is around two hours.

Note: When you arrive in Banaue, it is ideal to book your seat in advance going back to Metro Manila to make the return trip via the same route. Also, it’s highly favorable if you book your return ticket online before the trip.

Reminders and Tips:

Always follow the golden rule of Leave No Trace. Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time, and keep nothing but memories. Leave the trees, plants, and rocks as you found them, and most importantly do not vandalize them.

Dispose of your garbage properly at all times.

Be courteous and give way to other hikers and tourists.

It is better to join a coordinated tour online going to Batad Rice Terraces in order for you to not worry about the transportation and other fees like registration fee, heritage fee, and guide fee. Just take note that the reservation is on a first-come-first-served basis. Also, there is a reservation fee to secure your slot, the remaining balance will be paid upon the meet-up. In addition, last-minute backout or three days before departure is considered sold and shall be charged the full event fee. The tour organizer has the right to cancel the event if the weather seems unfavorable on the date of the event or the minimum number of participants is not reached, in this case, the downpayment shall be refunded.

Before going to Batad Rice Terraces your legs and body must be strong because you will hike for a long period of time. It will surely test your patience and stamina. You will reach Tappiya Falls after one hour and twenty-five minutes of hiking.

Getting a local guide is required before exploring Batad Rice Terraces and Tappiya Falls.

There are walking sticks for rent or purchase one for a minimal amount. The walking stick will help you throughout the narrow pathway trek. However, the walking stick will not work on wet rocks. Moreover, be attentive not to pull the stick out of the mud too hard because you might lose your balance.

The finest month to visit Batad Rice Terraces is during the month of May to July as the rice terraces are so lush green after the planting season. However, if you want to enjoy the cold temperature in Batad you may visit from the month of November up to February.

Few huts can be found along the trail that sells local food and fresh coconut juice so you don’t have to worry if you don’t bring any trail food during the hike.

Because Batad Rice Terraces is very popular among the local and foreign visitors, I suggest that you visit the rice terraces during the weekdays only to avoid too much crowd.

As of now, there are no direct plane flights available going to Batad so the only way to get there is by riding a land transportation vehicle such as a bus or jeep. Most travelers choose to ride a bus during the night time so that they can arrive early at their destination and have more time to explore the place.

There are homestays and hotels near Batad where you can stay overnight. Among the preferred homestay for tourists are Banaue Homestay, Uyami’s Green View Lodge, Ramon’s Native Homestay, and Batad Hillside Inn.

Bring enough money (Philippine Peso) before the trip because there are no businesses or establishments in Batad that accept credit cards as a mode of payment.

Start your hike in Batad Rice Terraces as early as possible to make sure you don’t stay up late and catch nightfall.

Hiking is not escapism but it’s realism. The people who choose to spend time outdoors are not running away from anything instead they are returning to where they belong. Overall, I hope this Batad Rice Terraces travel guide has been useful to you and inspired you to try visiting the place. Thank you for reading my blog and enjoy your trip.