Banaue Rice Terraces ToursBanaue Rice Terraces Tours
Ifugao, Philippines · UNESCO World Heritage

Banaue Rice Terraces Tours

Batad · Bangaan · Hapao · Tappiya Falls · Ifugao, Philippines

Banaue Rice Terraces tours carry you nine hours north of Manila into the Ifugao highlands, where hand-cut terraces climb the mountainsides and two of them carry a World Heritage listing. Compare every trip on price, walking distance and what the fare actually covers, then book the one that fits your week.

Fees, transfers and access verified by the Banaue Rice Terraces Tours team — last checked August 27, 2026

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Refund windows differ by trip — every card shows its own.

1995World Heritage
9–10 hrsNorth of Manila
From $214Per person
Banaue Rice Terraces Tours›Tours & Tickets 2026
Updated: August 27, 2026
Most booked

Top Banaue Rice Terraces Tours for 2026

One all-in trek, one four-day trip that adds a second province and one private van — three genuinely different ways into the same valleys.

From Manila: Banaue Rice Terraces 3-Day Hiking Adventure

From Manila: Banaue Rice Terraces 3-Day Hiking Adventure

★ 4.9 (18)3 days3-day trek, from Manila

Round-trip busMeals includedEntrance fees

Board the night bus out of Manila at nine in the evening and wake in Banaue at seven, ready to walk. Three trekking days follow — four to five hours over to Cambulo, the same again to Batad and Tappiya Falls, then a shorter loop through Anaba and Bangaan before the bus home. Your fare covers the round-trip bus ticket, in-valley transport, a local guide, homestay nights, entrance fees and meals, which is rare on this route. Refunds run to the full 24-hour window, and the bonfire evening in Cambulo is the part people remember.

  1. Night bus from Manila at 9:00pm
  2. Breakfast in Banaue on arrival
  3. Trek from Awan Igid to Pula and Cambulo
  4. Bonfire evening in Cambulo village
  5. Hike to Batad's amphitheatre terraces
  6. Swim at Tappiya Waterfalls
  7. Anaba village and Bangaan before the night bus
From $295 per person
View detailsCheck Availability

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Best sellerFrom Manila: 4-Day Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces Tour

From Manila: 4-Day Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces Tour

★ 4.9 (39)4 days4-day, Sagada + Banaue

Sagada & BanaueAll entrance feesTwo hostel nights

Two mountain provinces in four days: Sagada first for the Hanging Coffins at Echo Valley and a descent into Sumaguing Cave, then east into Ifugao for the weavers, the House Museum and the trek down into Batad. Transportation, entrance fees to every site, daily breakfast, lunch on day three, local guides in both regions and two hostel nights are covered. Dinners and the first two lunches are not, so carry pesos. This banaue sagada tour is the most-reviewed trip here, and you get three days’ notice for a refund rather than 24 hours.

  1. Overnight bus from Manila to Sagada
  2. Hanging Coffins at Echo Valley
  3. Sumaguing Cave descent
  4. Ifugao weavers and House Museum
  5. Trek into Batad Rice Terraces
  6. Tappiya Falls swim
  7. Bangaan village terraces before Banaue
From $285 per person
View detailsCheck Availability

Full refund with 3 days’ notice.

Top ratedBanaue & Batad UNESCO 3days 2 nights Tour ( Private Group Tour Max 6 Travelers)

Banaue & Batad UNESCO 3days 2 nights Tour ( Private Group Tour Max 6 Travelers)

★ 5.0 (33)3 days3-day private van

Max 6 travellersPrivate vanAccredited guide

Six travellers maximum, one air-conditioned van and a Department of Tourism accredited guide for the whole three days. A driver collects you across Makati, Ortigas, Taguig, Quezon City or Pasay between half five and six, then drives the 420 kilometres north. Day two is a private jeepney to the Batad saddle, the walk down into the amphitheatre and the hike out to Tappiya Waterfall, with a night in the village itself and both breakfasts included. Book your dates carefully, because this fare is non-refundable once paid.

  1. Hotel pickup in Metro Manila at 5:30am
  2. Drive to Banaue (420km, 9-10 hours)
  3. Night in a Banaue homestay
  4. Breakfast over the Banaue terraces
  5. Private jeepney to the Batad saddle
  6. Hike to Tappiya Waterfall
  7. Night in Batad village before the return drive
From $650 per person
View detailsCheck Availability

Non-refundable once booked.

Why book with us

Trusted by Thousands of Visitors

Every one of these Banaue Rice Terraces guided tours is run by a local operator who lives in these valleys, and each card prints that trip’s own refund terms before you click.

🌿

Guides from these valleys

The people leading these treks grew up on the terrace walls you will be walking, and travellers name them one by one — Fred, Herson, Zohan, Barcy — long after the trip is over.

📋

Know your refund before you pay

Cancellation on this route is not one rule but six. Every trip here shows its own window on its own card, so you can see what you are agreeing to before your card is charged.

🌅

A landscape still being farmed

Nothing here sits behind a rope. Families plant, flood and harvest these terraces every year, and walking them with somebody who does that work is a different day out entirely.

Love the PhilippinesTripadvisor Travellers’ Choice
Check the refund window before you pay. On this route it is not one rule, and not all of these trips work the same way: six of them refund in full 24 hours ahead, some need three to six days’ notice, and one refunds nothing at all. Every card and every table row says which.
Every trip

All Banaue Rice Terraces Tours & Tickets

Most-booked first. These banaue rice terraces philippines tours split two ways: a banaue rice terraces hiking tours listing walks the terrace walls between villages, while a banaue rice terraces tour from manila folds the overnight bus into the fare. Last on the grid sit a car and driver with no guide, and the most expensive private hire on the route.

Best sellerFrom Manila: 4-Day Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces Tour

From Manila: 4-Day Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces Tour

★ 4.9 (39)4 days4-day, Sagada + Banaue

Sagada & BanaueAll entrance feesTwo hostel nights

Two mountain provinces in four days: Sagada first for the Hanging Coffins at Echo Valley and a descent into Sumaguing Cave, then east into Ifugao for the weavers, the House Museum and the trek down into Batad. Transportation, entrance fees to every site, daily breakfast, lunch on day three, local guides in both regions and two hostel nights are covered. Dinners and the first two lunches are not, so carry pesos. This banaue sagada tour is the most-reviewed trip here, and you get three days’ notice for a refund rather than 24 hours.

From $285 per person
Check Availability

Full refund with 3 days’ notice.

Small-Group Weekend Hiking Tour to Banaue-Ifugao from Manila

Small-Group Weekend Hiking Tour to Banaue-Ifugao from Manila

★ 4.9 (34)4 days4-day trek, from Manila

Max 7 travellersOvernight busHotel pickup

Seven travellers is the cap, which keeps the village inn nights genuinely small. Departure is nine in the evening from Ohayami Trans in Sampaloc, and the overnight bus sits inside the fare along with every land transfer, one night’s accommodation, all activity fees, a professional guide, one breakfast and hotel pickup. A tricycle runs you up to the Banaue Rice Terraces view deck before the trek into Cambulo begins, and food beyond that first breakfast is yours to buy. The refund window is six days rather than 24 hours, which is worth knowing before you pay.

From $270 per person
Check Availability

Full refund with 6 days’ notice.

Top ratedBanaue & Batad UNESCO 3days 2 nights Tour ( Private Group Tour Max 6 Travelers)

Banaue & Batad UNESCO 3days 2 nights Tour ( Private Group Tour Max 6 Travelers)

★ 5.0 (33)3 days3-day private van

Max 6 travellersPrivate vanAccredited guide

Six travellers maximum, one air-conditioned van and a Department of Tourism accredited guide for the whole three days. A driver collects you across Makati, Ortigas, Taguig, Quezon City or Pasay between half five and six, then drives the 420 kilometres north. Day two is a private jeepney to the Batad saddle, the walk down into the amphitheatre and the hike out to Tappiya Waterfall, with a night in the village itself and both breakfasts included. Book your dates carefully, because this fare is non-refundable once paid.

From $650 per person
Check Availability

Non-refundable once booked.

From Manila: Banaue Rice Terraces 3-Day Hiking Adventure

From Manila: Banaue Rice Terraces 3-Day Hiking Adventure

★ 4.9 (18)3 days3-day trek, from Manila

Round-trip busMeals includedEntrance fees

Board the night bus out of Manila at nine in the evening and wake in Banaue at seven, ready to walk. Three trekking days follow — four to five hours over to Cambulo, the same again to Batad and Tappiya Falls, then a shorter loop through Anaba and Bangaan before the bus home. Your fare covers the round-trip bus ticket, in-valley transport, a local guide, homestay nights, entrance fees and meals, which is rare on this route. Refunds run to the full 24-hour window, and the bonfire evening in Cambulo is the part people remember.

From $295 per person
Check Availability

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Best valueBanaue-Batad: 3-Days Guided Trek with Meals & Accommodation

Banaue-Batad: 3-Days Guided Trek with Meals & Accommodation

★ 4.9 (9)3 days3-day trek, from Banaue

Guide for 3 daysTwo nights’ stayVillage evenings

The lowest fare here buys the most walking: three guided days from Banaue Viewpoint over to Pula, down to Cambulo for the night, across to Batad and Tappiya Falls, then out through Lanah, Snake River and Bangaan. Tricycle, jeepney or van transport, a guide for all three days, two nights’ accommodation and taxes sit inside what you pay. Evenings are the draw — a children’s singing programme in Cambulo, a bonfire and guitars in Batad. You start in Banaue, so book your own bus north.

From $214 per person
Check Availability

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces 4-Day Tour

Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces 4-Day Tour

★ 5.0 (6)4 days4-day, Sagada + Banaue

Max 10 travellersSumaguing CaveThree breakfasts

Ten travellers maximum on a four-day loop that starts with a seven o’clock night bus from Coda Lines in Cubao. Sagada comes first — Sumaguing Cave, the Hanging Coffins above Echo Valley and the traditional weavers — then Banaue for the Ifugao House Museum, the terraces themselves, Batad, Tappiya Falls and Bangaan. A tour guide, two nights’ accommodation, three breakfasts and lunch on the last two days are included; dinners, drinks and the first two lunches are not. You get the full 24-hour window on this banaue tour package.

From $360 per person
Check Availability

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Banaue Rice Terraces Escape: 3 Days, 2 Nights with Transfers

Banaue Rice Terraces Escape: 3 Days, 2 Nights with Transfers

★ 5.0 (5)3 days3-day, hotel transfers

Hotel transfersTwo homestay nightsHot spring

Fifteen travellers at most, and a three in the morning departure from your Manila hotel so the driving happens while it is still cool. Day one takes in the Banaue viewpoints, day two the walk down into Batad and up to Tappiya Falls, day three the Hapao Rice Terraces and a soak in a natural hot spring. An air-conditioned vehicle with hotel transfers, all fees and taxes, and two nights in a well-rated Banaue homestay are covered, though meals are not. The refund window here is six days, which is longer than most travellers expect.

From $500 per person
Check Availability

Full refund with 6 days’ notice.

Banaue and Batad Rice Terraces Cultural Immersion and Trekking

Banaue and Batad Rice Terraces Cultural Immersion and Trekking

★ 5.0 (1)2 days2-day village stay

Overnight bus both waysVillage homestayAll meals

Two days built around living in the villages rather than looking at them: storytelling with Batad residents, a hands-on session in the fields or repairing terrace walls depending on the season, and Ifugao food at a communal table. Overnight bus transfers from Manila both ways, all in-valley transport, two guides, Tappiya Falls entry, dinner and both breakfasts and lunches are included. Departures run Saturday to Sunday only and you must travel the Friday night. This one asks for strong fitness rather than moderate, and refunds need three days’ notice.

From $282 per person
Check Availability

Full refund with 3 days’ notice.

Banaue Rice Terraces Hiking Tours

Banaue Rice Terraces Hiking Tours

New listing3 days3-day trek, from Banaue

Free Banaue pickupAll mealsHot springs

Free pickup anywhere around Banaue and a meeting point at the town’s Tourism Office make this the easiest start if you have already travelled north. Three days run Banaue to Pula to Cambulo, then Batad and Tappiya, then the Hapao Rice Terraces and their hot springs. Private transportation, the guided tour, accommodation and fees, plus lunch and breakfast on all three days, sit inside the fare, and only your group travels. Service animals are welcome, the walking asks moderate fitness, and cancellation is the full 24-hour window.

From $236 per person
Check Availability

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Banaue Rice Terraces and Sagada 4-Day Tour

Banaue Rice Terraces and Sagada 4-Day Tour

New listing4 days4-day private, both provinces

Private groupSagada cavesEN / TL / FR guiding

Four days across two provinces with your own group only, running Banaue, Batad and Bangaan for the first half, then north to the Bayyo terraces and Sagada for the Hanging Coffins, the caves, abseiling, a weaving workshop and pottery. Transport within the tour, a guide, accommodation, taxes and breakfast are included; lunches, dinners, drinks and any extra tours are not. Guiding runs in English, Tagalog or French. Note the starting point — you are asked to book your own bus up from Manila, and refunds hold at 24 hours.

From $612 per person
Check Availability

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Banaue-Hapao Rice Terraces (Car Rental W/ Manila Tourist Driver)

Banaue-Hapao Rice Terraces (Car Rental W/ Manila Tourist Driver)

★ 5.0 (18)3 daysCar & driver only

Private car & driverFuel & tollsHotel pickup

This one is a car and a driver for three days, and it is sold as exactly that: no guide, no accommodation, no entrance fees. Pickup is at your Manila hotel at eight sharp, the route runs through Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao, and you arrive in Banaue late afternoon with the evening free. Day two gives about five hours at Hapao Rice Terraces, where admission is marked not included, while fuel, tolls and the driver’s own food and lodging are covered. Choose this rice terraces private tour if you want to build the days yourself.

From $300 per person
Check Availability

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

3 Days Private Tour in Banaue Ifugao visiting Batad Rice Terraces

3 Days Private Tour in Banaue Ifugao visiting Batad Rice Terraces

★ 4.0 (4)3 days3-day private hire

Private vehicleLocal guideAll fees & taxes

Door-to-door private hire from a Manila hotel at six in the morning, with the driving, two nights’ accommodation, all fees and taxes and a local guide inside one fare. Days one and three are ten-hour road transfers each way, while day two is the Batad Rice Terraces and the walk to Tappiya Waterfalls. Meals, air fare and tips sit outside the price, and this is the most expensive way to spend three days here because nothing at all is shared. You get the vehicle, the guide and the pace to yourself, and refunds need three days’ notice.

From $814 per person
Check Availability

Full refund with 3 days’ notice.

The destination

About the Banaue Rice Terraces

Farmland on a scale that stops people talking, and still worked by hand.

The Banaue Rice Terraces are farmland, not a monument: stone and mud walls cut into the Cordillera mountainsides of Ifugao province, planted and harvested by the families who maintain them. Two clusters inside Banaue municipality, Batad and Bangaan, form part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, which UNESCO inscribed in 1995 as the first cultural landscape ever added to the World Heritage list. Reaching them means a night on a bus and a morning on foot, and that is the whole appeal.

Which terraces are which

Banaue is a municipality, not a single view. The roadside viewpoint above town is the photograph everybody knows; Batad is the walled amphitheatre an hour below a mountain saddle; Bangaan sits in a bowl around its village; Hapao lies west in Hungduan with hot springs in the river below it. Only some of them are on the World Heritage list, and the difference is worth knowing before you choose a trip.

Who built them, and when

The Ifugao built and have maintained these terraces with hand tools, gravity-fed irrigation and a rice-cycle calendar carried in the hudhud chants. How old they are is genuinely contested: UNESCO's listing describes a tradition reaching back two millennia, while radiocarbon work at Old Kiyyangan Village points to construction around Spanish contact. Both figures have serious people behind them.

Getting up there

There is no airport and no fast road. Night buses leave Manila from Sampaloc and Cubao in the evening and reach Banaue around seven the next morning, roughly nine hours and 420 kilometres. From town a jeepney or tricycle covers the twelve kilometres to the Batad saddle in about 45 minutes, and the last stretch into the village is on foot.

The Batad amphitheatre with its terraces floodedThatched Ifugao houses above a green terraceThe Banaue valley in morning mist
Before you book

Do you need a guided tour to see the Banaue Rice Terraces?

No Banaue Rice Terraces tickets are sold at a gate, because there is no gate. Small local fees are collected in cash at three barriers, and the village trails are a different question entirely.

For the viewpoints, no

The Banaue Viewpoint above town is a fifteen-minute tricycle ride and a small local fee. The night bus from Manila sells seats to anybody. If all you want is the classic photograph and a night in town, you can do this independently and many people do.

For the village trails, it is a different question

Batad, Cambulo, Pula and Bangaan are connected by terrace walls and footpaths, not signposts, and the walking runs four to five hours between villages. Every trekking trip here includes a local guide, and the ones that cross between villages would be genuinely hard to route alone.

What a guided trip actually buys

A bus seat booked for you, transport inside a valley with almost no public transport, a homestay bed in a village of a few hundred people, entrance fees handled at each barrier, and somebody who knows which terrace wall is a path and which is somebody's field. Several trips add every meal on top.

How a visit works

What you will see

The Named Places You Will Stand In

Not a description of the region — the specific valleys, villages and viewpoints these trips put you in, from the Batad Rice Terraces to the Hapao Rice Terraces.

The Batad amphitheatre

Terrace walls curve round a natural bowl in tiers so steep the village sits on the rim above them — the shape that made Batad a World Heritage cluster.

Tappiya Falls

A broad fall at the bottom of the Batad valley with a pool you can swim in, reached by a rough hour's walk down from the village and a harder one back.

The Banaue Viewpoint

The roadside terrace view above town, fifteen minutes up by tricycle, where Ifugao elders in traditional dress sit for photographs.

Bangaan village

A cluster of Ifugao houses sitting in the middle of its own terraces, seen whole from the road above — the second World Heritage cluster inside Banaue.

The Hapao Rice Terraces

Wider and flatter than Batad, out west in Hungduan, with natural hot springs in the river below and a stone-walled system that runs for kilometres.

Cambulo and Pula

Walking villages between Banaue and Batad, reachable on foot only, where the trekking trips stop for the night and the evening is guitars and rice wine.

Every cluster, and which are inscribed

Plan your trip

The Questions That Decide Your Week

Answer these in order and the choice of trip makes itself.

Two is tight, three works, four adds Sagada

A two-day trip means an overnight bus each way and one full walking day — it exists, and it asks for strong fitness rather than moderate. Three days is the common shape: bus up, two days walking between Banaue, Batad and Bangaan, bus home.

Four-day trips use the extra time to add Sagada in Mountain Province, with its hanging coffins and caves, rather than more terraces.

Manila for most, Banaue if you are already north

Eight of these trips start in Metro Manila, either with a hotel pickup or at a bus terminal in Sampaloc or Cubao, and build the nine-hour ride into the fare. That is the answer for anyone flying into the country.

Four start in Banaue itself and expect you to arrive under your own steam. They cost less because the bus is not included, so compare the fares with that in mind.

Moderate fitness, and steps rather than slopes

Most listings ask for moderate fitness. The ground is the thing: terrace walls are narrow, uneven and often wet, and the descent into Batad plus the return climb is what tires people rather than the distance. Walkers in their sixties and seventies finish it, at their own pace.

Shoes with grip matter more than anything else you pack. One two-day trip asks for strong fitness outright, and its card says so.

Read the meals line, it varies most

Guides, accommodation and in-valley transport are in nearly every fare. Meals are where trips diverge completely: two include everything, several cover breakfast only, and a few cover nothing at all.

Entrance fees follow the same pattern. Where a trip covers them the card says so, and where it does not — the car-and-driver option is explicit about this — you pay small amounts in cash at each barrier.

Six windows, not one

Half of these trips refund in full 24 hours before departure. Two need three days' notice, two need six days, and one refunds nothing at all for any reason once booked.

Every card, every table row and every booking button prints the window for that trip specifically. Check it before you pay, because on this route the difference is real money.

Banaue Rice Terraces tours

Compare

Which Banaue Rice Terraces Tour Is Right for You?

Every banaue tour package on one screen. The Best-for column and the refund column are the two worth reading.

TripShapeLengthRatingRefund windowPriceBest for
From Manila: 4-Day Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces Tour4-day, Sagada + Banaue4 days★ 4.9 (39)Full refund with 3 days’ noticeFrom $285Travellers with four days who want Sagada's caves as well as the terracesBook
Small-Group Weekend Hiking Tour to Banaue-Ifugao from Manila4-day trek, from Manila4 days★ 4.9 (34)Full refund with 6 days’ noticeFrom $270Solo travellers who want a group of seven rather than a bus loadBook
Banaue & Batad UNESCO 3days 2 nights Tour ( Private Group Tour Max 6 Travelers)3-day private van3 days★ 5.0 (33)Non-refundable once bookedFrom $650Small parties who want a private van and are certain of their datesBook
From Manila: Banaue Rice Terraces 3-Day Hiking Adventure3-day trek, from Manila3 days★ 4.9 (18)Free cancellation up to 24 hours beforeFrom $295First-timers who want everything in one fare and a real refund windowBook
Banaue-Batad: 3-Days Guided Trek with Meals & Accommodation3-day trek, from Banaue3 days★ 4.9 (9)Free cancellation up to 24 hours beforeFrom $214Walkers on a budget who are already in Banaue and want the longest trekBook
Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces 4-Day Tour4-day, Sagada + Banaue4 days★ 5.0 (6)Free cancellation up to 24 hours beforeFrom $360Groups of friends who want two provinces without a private-hire fareBook
Banaue Rice Terraces Escape: 3 Days, 2 Nights with Transfers3-day, hotel transfers3 days★ 5.0 (5)Full refund with 6 days’ noticeFrom $500Anyone who wants door-to-door transfers and a hot spring on the last dayBook
Banaue and Batad Rice Terraces Cultural Immersion and Trekking2-day village stay2 days★ 5.0 (1)Full refund with 3 days’ noticeFrom $282Fit weekend travellers who want village life rather than viewpointsBook
Banaue Rice Terraces Hiking Tours3-day trek, from Banaue3 daysNew listingFree cancellation up to 24 hours beforeFrom $236Travellers already in Ifugao who want pickup from their own guesthouseBook
Banaue Rice Terraces and Sagada 4-Day Tour4-day private, both provinces4 daysNew listingFree cancellation up to 24 hours beforeFrom $612Private groups wanting French or Tagalog guiding across both provincesBook
Banaue-Hapao Rice Terraces (Car Rental W/ Manila Tourist Driver)Car & driver only3 days★ 5.0 (18)Free cancellation up to 24 hours beforeFrom $300Independent travellers who want wheels and will arrange the rest themselvesBook
3 Days Private Tour in Banaue Ifugao visiting Batad Rice Terraces3-day private hire3 days★ 4.0 (4)Full refund with 3 days’ noticeFrom $814Travellers who want nothing shared and will pay for thatBook

“I was the only booking on my date and ended up the winner: Zohan tailored everything to my interests and took me to his village. The treks were short but quite challenging for a senior, and he watched every step. Brace yourself for the bus journeys — air conditioning and comfort breaks, but still a bus.”

Rosie · Solo traveller, United Kingdom · February 2026

“Hiking from village to village through the fields is what makes this trip. The organisation was thorough, and Josephine helped us extend the trip with guides and places to stay. Our guide Mullins was excellent, and made it fun for the children with games along the way.”

Tatsiana · Family, United States · June 2026

“This is a part of the Philippines that should not be missed. The eight-hour drive from Manila is a trek in itself, but once you see the Banaue Rice Terraces you realise it is worth it. Our guide Jonathon was extremely knowledgeable and personally invested in the place.”

Allan · Family, Philippines · February 2026

What to expect

How the Days Run, Manila to Manila

A banaue rice terraces tour package is built around two overnight journeys, and a banaue tour of any length follows the same five stages between them.

1

Evening, Manila

Board a night bus at Sampaloc or Cubao between seven and ten, or get collected from your hotel before dawn.

2

Around 07:00, Banaue

Arrive, eat breakfast over the valley, and meet the guide who will walk with you.

3

Day one, into the villages

Four to five hours on terrace walls to Pula and Cambulo, or a jeepney up to the Batad saddle.

4

Day two, Batad and Tappiya

Down into the amphitheatre, out to the waterfall, and back up to the village for the night.

5

Last day, home

Bangaan or Hapao on the way out, then the road or the night bus south to Manila.

Banaue Rice Terraces booking

Traveller reviews

Banaue Rice Terraces Tours Reviews

Across every shape of trip, including the one that went wrong.

Travellers who have walked these terraces, in their own words — including the bus rides that were exactly as long as advertised.

★★★★★

The trek through the Banaue Rice Terraces was tough in places — the elevation, and the state of some of the paths — but the views made every step worth it. Fred was knowledgeable and chatty and made us feel genuinely welcome. The evening entertainment in the village was a lovely window into local life.

Emily · Couple, United Kingdom · August 2026 · 3-day trek, from Banaue

★★★★★

Extraordinary, very well organised, and a complete change of scenery. We learned a great deal about the lives of the people in these regions and about traditional rice cultivation. Everywhere we went we were welcomed generously, ate well and were looked after.

Gueudet · Group of friends, Philippines · April 2026 · 4-day, Sagada + Banaue

★★★★★

I was the only booking on my date and ended up the winner: Zohan tailored everything to my interests and took me to his village. The treks were short but quite challenging for a senior, and he watched every step. Brace yourself for the bus journeys — air conditioning and comfort breaks, but still a bus.

Rosie · Solo traveller, United Kingdom · February 2026 · 4-day, Sagada + Banaue

★★★★★

The hospitality of the people and the trekking through the Banaue Rice Terraces were the two things I will remember. Our guide Herson went out of his way to make us feel at home. It made our visit to the terraces unforgettable.

Maia · Couple, Australia · July 2026 · 3-day trek, from Manila

★★★★★

Hiking from village to village through the fields is what makes this trip. The organisation was thorough, and Josephine helped us extend the trip with guides and places to stay. Our guide Mullins was excellent, and made it fun for the children with games along the way.

Tatsiana · Family, United States · June 2026 · 3-day trek, from Manila

★★★★★

This is a part of the Philippines that should not be missed. The eight-hour drive from Manila is a trek in itself, but once you see the Banaue Rice Terraces you realise it is worth it. Our guide Jonathon was extremely knowledgeable and personally invested in the place.

Allan · Family, Philippines · February 2026 · 3-day private van

★★★★☆

We enjoyed this a lot — riding on top of a jeepney like a local, Tappiya Waterfalls, and the Banaue Rice Terraces at both Batad and Banaue. My feedback would be that it needs to give more detail up front and be a little better organised.

Fiona · Couple, reviewed on the listing · April 2024 · 3-day private van

★★★★★

The most memorable moment was the Banaue Rice Terraces opening up in front of you as you come over the rise. Hiking there made an impression that photographs do not.

UllaMaija · Solo traveller, Finland · February 2024 · 4-day trek, from Manila

★★★★★

A very physical tour with every hour packed with things to see, hear, learn and hike to. Zohan, also known as Marc, was the best guide I have had — knowledgeable, eager to share and genuinely passionate about the region.

Maritess · Solo traveller, Philippines · March 2025 · 4-day, Sagada + Banaue

★★★★★

An experience I would recommend to anyone visiting the Philippines. The Banaue Rice Terraces were extraordinary and everyone we met was friendly enough to make the trip unforgettable. A special mention for our driver Miel.

Libby · Couple, Australia · April 2026 · 3-day, hotel transfers

★☆☆☆☆

The worst and most expensive excursion of our whole trip around the Philippines. The transport was poor: a car meant to carry us 250 kilometres had a serious engine fault and had to stop every ten kilometres. The operator replied that the breakdown was unforeseen and that a replacement was arranged quickly.

Ioana · Couple, Spain · April 2025 · 3-day private hire

Read all reviews

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Booking, Banaue Rice Terraces ticket prices, fitness, refunds and the World Heritage listing itself.

Do I need to book a Banaue Rice Terraces tour in advance?

Yes. Night buses north from Manila sell out in peak months and the village homestays in Batad and Cambulo hold very few beds. Book a week ahead between December and May, and at least three or four days at any other time.

Can I cancel a Banaue Rice Terraces tour for free?

That depends entirely on which trip you book, and the spread here is wide. Six of the these trips refund in full 24 hours before departure, two need three days' notice, two need six days, and one is non-refundable for any reason. Every card and every table row prints the window for that specific trip.

How much does a Banaue tour cost?

Fares on these trips run from $214 to $815 per person. The cheapest are guided treks that begin in town and expect you to arrange your own bus north; the most expensive are private hires from Manila where nothing is shared. Most travellers land between $270 and $360 for a three or four-day trip with transport included.

Are Banaue Rice Terraces ticket prices included in the tour fare?

Usually, and the listing always says. Trips that name entrance fees in their inclusions cover the small local charges collected at Banaue and at the Batad saddle. The car-and-driver option is the clear exception — it states that admission is not included, so budget cash for it.

Is there an entrance fee for the terraces?

Small local tourism and environmental fees are collected in cash at the viewpoint and at the Batad saddle, and a separate fee applies at Tappiya Falls. No official body publishes a current schedule, so bring pesos in small notes. Most guided trips here pay these for you as part of the fare.

What happens if the weather is bad?

Trips run in rain, and the Cordillera gets a lot of it between July and October. Trails become slippery rather than closed, and guides adjust the route. If you want the freedom to move your dates when a typhoon is forecast, book one of the trips with a 24-hour refund window rather than a six-day one.

How do I get from Manila to the Banaue Rice Terraces?

By night bus, in about nine hours over roughly 420 kilometres. Ohayami Trans runs from Sampaloc in Manila and Coda Lines from Cubao in Quezon City, both leaving in the evening and arriving around seven the next morning. Most these trips include that seat, or drive you up privately instead.

Is there a banaue tour package from Manila that includes the bus?

Yes, and most of them do. Eight trips here start in Metro Manila; some build the overnight bus into the fare, and others send a private vehicle to your hotel before dawn. The four that start in Banaue itself cost less precisely because you arrange the journey north yourself.

How do I get from Banaue to Batad?

By jeepney or tricycle to the Batad saddle, about twelve kilometres and roughly 45 minutes on a rough mountain road, then on foot down into the village. The walk from the saddle to the viewpoint takes about 45 minutes down and closer to an hour back up. Guided trips arrange the vehicle for you.

How fit do I need to be for the village treks?

Moderate fitness covers almost all of these trips. The difficulty is the terrain rather than the distance: terrace walls are narrow, uneven and often wet, and the descent into Batad with the climb back out is what tires people. One two-day trip asks for strong fitness, and its card says so plainly.

What should I bring?

Shoes with real grip matter more than anything else, because the walls are wet and uneven. Add a rain layer, insect repellent, a warm top for the evenings, cash in small notes and a swimsuit for Tappiya Falls. Several operators also list a torch and a power bank, since village electricity is limited.

Where do I sleep on a multi-day trek?

In village homestays and small inns, mostly in Batad, Cambulo or Banaue town. Rooms are simple — a bed, a shared bathroom, cold water in some places — and that is part of what people come for. Every multi-day trip here includes the nights in its fare.

Are the tours wheelchair accessible?

No. Every listing states that it is not wheelchair accessible, and the terrain makes that unavoidable — the villages are reached by footpath along terrace walls. Two operators do state that service animals are welcome.

Are the Banaue Rice Terraces a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Partly, and the distinction is worth having. The inscribed property is the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, listed in 1995, and it covers five clusters — two of which, Batad and Bangaan, sit inside Banaue municipality. The famous roadside terraces at the Banaue Viewpoint are not part of the inscription, though they are a declared National Cultural Treasure.

How old are the terraces?

That is genuinely disputed by serious people. UNESCO's listing describes a terracing tradition traceable back around two millennia, which is where the familiar 2,000-year figure comes from. Radiocarbon dating by the Ifugao Archaeological Project at Old Kiyyangan Village instead points to construction around the time of Spanish contact, roughly four centuries ago.

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Photographs

Banaue Rice Terraces Gallery

The Batad amphitheatre in green and under water, the path down from the saddle, and the valley in morning mist.

The terraces at Batad in full green, curved tiers cut into the hillside below standing forestThe Batad amphitheatre with its terraces flooded and mirroring the sky, the village sitting in the middle of the bowlBatad village and its tin roofs ringed by terrace walls under heavy Cordillera cloudDense green terraces stepping down to the houses of Batad village, seen from the path aboveFlooded terraces reading as sheets of silver under low cloud, with forested ridges closing the valleyTwo walkers on the narrow cemented path down towards Batad, the terraces and village spread out below them

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Banaue Rice Terraces Tours Guides and Articles

Longer answers to the questions that arrive once you have decided to go.

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Find it

Where the Banaue Rice Terraces Are

In the Cordillera highlands of Ifugao province, northern Luzon, about 420 kilometres north of Metro Manila.

The map loads from Google only when you ask it to, so nothing is requested before you press.

Batad Rice Terraces

Banaue, Ifugao, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines · Open in Google Maps

Getting there

Night buses from Sampaloc and Cubao reach Banaue in about nine hours — getting there has the operators, the terminals and the jeepney to the Batad saddle.

Hours

Farmland with no gate and no opening time. Small local fees are collected in cash at the viewpoint, the Batad saddle and Tappiya Falls.

When to come

December to April for flooded terraces and clear skies — the timing guide works through the months.

Walk the terraces, not just the viewpoint

Banaue Rice Terraces tours and tickets, compared on price, walking distance and what the fare actually covers — and every Banaue Rice Terraces reservation shows its own refund window before you pay.

Banaue Rice Terraces tours and tickets

Each trip prints its own cancellation terms on its card.