I'm so fascinated with the rice terraces in Banaue, but that didn't satisfy me enough. Just when I thought I've seen it all, I've heard that there’s still more. Travel to Batad if you want to see the renowned rice terraces in all its glory, and that only means being able to endure the agonizing 1 hour jeepney ride passing the rocky road up to the saddle point. From there, it’s a 40 minute hike downhill to Batad. You’ll catch a few glimpse of what’s ahead along the way.
I know it sounds like a lot of hard work, but it’s definitely worth it. When I saw the breathtaking amphitheater-like rice terraces, I find myself lucky to be from Philippines. We only not boast the beaches and islands, we also have these great engineers from 2000 years ago who seemingly carved the mountains, and they even invented the irrigation system to bring water to the terraces. I've heard that they were also the head-hunters, and that fascinates me even more! I was telling the other travelers that we have these giant stairways that one must see when traveling to Philippines. And they were telling me, ahh yeah China also has it. But believe me this one is different, it is really huge.
There was this really nice local villager I met when I walked downhill to Batad, he became my trekking guide around the terraces. It’s better to arrange with the local villagers in Batad than in Banaue, where I've heard you’ll be ripped off big time. I remember paying only P200 for the trek, and I wouldn't even mind paying more as I prefer to help the local villagers around Batad. It’s guaranteed that you’ll surely lose yourself amid the spectacular scenery and the peaceful atmosphere. One can experience the morning and night ambiance of Batad for as low as P150 per head for a room. I'm truly amazed with the view in front of Rita’s Batad Pension. I was in love with what I’m seeing. I imagined myself living there – waking up in the morning, having your cup of coffee, sitting there and gazing at the stoned-wall rice terraces. I just took a deep breath, and smiled. This is what I call happiness.
Don’t expect much food from the guesthouse, most were just canned goods meal and other food that can be easily cooked or transported. I believe it was just me and this nice French couple staying there. I had a good conversation with them until lights out. People were kind of saving the electricity, and I was really insensitive not to notice that until the owner told me it was sleeping time. I guess I got carried away too much with the relishing of the view and my total appreciation of peaceful isolation.
People sleep early here, everything is simple. A few chit-chats with the fellow neighbors and at 9pm everyone goes to bed. The next morning I met up with my guide, it was time to conquer the rice terraces, and finally be in close contact with these huge stairs. It’s a 1 ½ hour hike around, and mind you, it wasn't easy. Don’t be fooled with what you see from the guesthouse, we are not talking about small steps here. From Rita’s guesthouse, I even imagined myself climbing or hopping the steps up to the top.
As I followed my guide, I was really amazed with the huge walls around me. The hike was really steep and exhausting. To forget this temporary suffering, I just looked around and reminded myself of the fascinating view, the nature and the mountains around me. After all the effort, one can relax or swim in this huge waterfall behind the rice terraces. I looked up at the path I took, and then recharged myself, heaven at last.
Things are changing fast here, and some people are getting modern. Cellphones and electricity came, but lights or without lights, I still wish that all the primitive stuff and local traditions would still be preserved. I heard that there are some groups and NGOs volunteering to repair the damages caused by the unforgiving typhoons that hit the country. If there would be opportunities in the future, I hope to be one of those volunteers or one of those people taking actions to preserve this UNESCO heritage site.
How to get there and back:
To get to Batad, one must go to Banaue first.
- There are buses from Manila going to Banaue, Autobus and Florida bus companies travel from Sampaloc straight to Banaue. Around P450 for a 9 hour ride.
- From Banaue, you can team up with the other travelers and hire a private jeepney (return P2500) all the way to the saddle. There are also three to four jeepneys per day that pass by Batad junction, around P50 for 1 hour. From there you’ll have to walk up to the saddle. (However as of the latest reviews around, there might not be passenger jeepneys anymore. You might end up hiring a private jeepney. Try to join the other travelers to save on cost). From the saddle point, it’s a 30-40 minute trek downhill to Batad.
- To return to Banaue, you may arrange transport in advance or catch a passenger jeepney along the main road to Banaue. Hitchhiking is also an option, or you can just join some other travelers hiring a jeepney back to Banaue.
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