Banaue Rice Terraces

The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2,000-year-old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

The most popular place to look at the rice terraces is called the Sunrise Viewpoint, where local Igorot tribes people pose for photographs and sell wood carvings. But it is also possible to set out on foot along the pathways across the rice paddies, their banks scattered with scarlet wild flowers that contrast spectacularly with the vivid green of the rice plantings. 

It is best to hire a guide if you want to adventure yourself in the rice terraces as you might get lost otherwise. These mountain hikes can take hours but the views of the terraced valleys are breathtaking and in one or two places there are waterfalls and natural swimming holes where one can ease away the aches and strains of the hike.

The Banaue Rice Terraces are just the most notorious terraces in northern Luzon but there are other notable ones that are worth visiting: the Batad Rice Terraces, Mayoyao Rice Terraces in Mayoyao, Hapao Rice Terraces and Kiangan Rice Terraces.

The terraces can be visited anytime of the year but the best time for a visit is between February and March when the cleaning and planting time occurs and between June and July when the harvest occurs. 


At the nearby Batad Rice Terraces, the best time to visit is between April and May and October to November.

Find more interesting place to visit in the Philippines at Discover Philippines