“If you want to see the best rice terraces, then skip Banaue and go straight to Batad.”
I’ve often heard that said about Banaue’s famed rice terraces. For years now, people have noted that the terraces are deteriorating, that they aren’t as well-maintained as they should be. Though still a spectacular sight for first-timers, many feel that they aren’t as beautiful as they once were, a shame considering these magnificent rice terraces have been around for over two thousand years. Carved out of the mountain by hand, it’s absolutely mind-boggling to think how the Ifuago people created these using only the most basic of tools.
Though many feel that Banaue’s rice terraces are past their prime, the same can’t be said about Batad — arguably the best of five clusters of Ifugao rice terraces collectively inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A tiny, remote village within Banaue that’s accessible only by foot, Batad is home to some of the most pristine rice terraces not just in the region, but perhaps in all of the Philippines.