Banaue & Sagada

The 2,000-year-old Ifugao rice terraces, called the 'Stairway to Heaven', hikes to Batad's amphitheater terraces, and Sagada's hanging coffins and caving adventures.

Banaue and Sagada lie in the Cordillera mountains of northern Luzon, Philippines, in Ifugao and Mountain Province respectively. The two towns are about 60 km apart by mountain road and form the country's classic highland culture route. The Ifugao rice terraces around Banaue are about 2,000 years old, and five terrace clusters—Batad, Bangaan, Hapao (Hungduan), Nagacadan and Mayoyao—are inscribed as the World Heritage Site 'Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras'. The main Banaue viewpoint is good for a quick photo stop, while Batad's amphitheater terraces and Tappiya Falls can only be reached on foot and are best with an overnight stay. Sagada, at about 1,500 m, is surrounded by pine forest with a cool climate, and is known for the hanging coffins of Echo Valley, Lumiang Burial Cave, caving in Sumaguing Cave, sunrise over the sea of clouds at Kiltepan and Bomod-ok Falls; on the way, Bontoc has a museum and the Maligcong rice terraces. The best time is the dry season from Mar–May; in Jun–Jul the terraces are lush green, turning golden before harvest; Nov–Feb is cold in the mornings and evenings but offers a good chance of a sea of clouds; in the rainy season (Jun–Oct) landslides frequently block mountain roads, and typhoon periods should be avoided. Getting there: overnight buses run from Manila directly to Banaue or Sagada in about 9–12 hours, or you can change in Baguio. Vans and jeepneys link Banaue and Sagada via Bontoc in about 3 hours. Allow 4–5 days. Sagada requires visitors to register and pay a fee at the tourism center first, and registered guides are mandatory for caves, the hanging coffins, waterfalls and similar sites; ATMs are scarce in the mountains, so bring enough cash.

Top sights

• Banaue Rice Terraces Viewpoint – The main viewpoint along the road north of town, overlooking the Ifugao rice terraces stacked up the valley, the backdrop of the old-series…
• Batad Rice Terraces – A World Heritage core zone where amphitheatre-like terraces encircle a mountain village, reachable only on foot and the finest of the Cordi…
• Sagada Hanging Coffins (Echo Valley) – Igorot wooden coffins hang from the limestone cliffs of Echo Valley, a distinctive funerary tradition and Sagada's signature sight.
• Sumaguing Cave – Sagada's largest cave, where you scramble barefoot over slippery travertine terraces and down to an underground pool, the town's most popul…
• Kiltepan Viewpoint – The top spot in Sagada for sunrise and sea of clouds, where the valley fills with churning cloud and terraces appear below, and visitors ga…
• Tappiya Falls – A roughly 70-metre waterfall in the valley behind Batad village, reachable on foot through the rice terraces. The cool pool is good for a s…
• Bangaan Rice Terraces – One of the five core zones of the World Heritage rice terraces, where a traditional Ifugao village of thatched-roof houses is ringed by ter…
• Cambulo Village – A terraced mountain village between Batad and Banaue, and a stopover on the classic multi-day Batad–Cambulo–Pulag trek.
• Hapao Rice Terraces – World Heritage terraces in Hungduan town, where stone-walled terraces spread along the river valley. Hot springs by the river are nearby, a…
• Nagacadan Rice Terraces – World Heritage terraces in Kiangan town, where two groups of terraces climb the river valley in neat formation. They can be seen from a roa…
• Mayoyao Rice Terraces – The most remote of the World Heritage terraces, with terraces and scattered thatched huts across the valley, suited to travelers seeking an…
• Banaue Museum – A private museum in the town center displaying Ifugao clothing, bulul rice god figures, ritual objects and early ethnographic photographs.
• Guihob Natural Pool – A natural river pool just east of Banaue town, with clear water among rocks, where locals go to cool off and swim in summer.
• Ifugao Museum, Kiangan – The Cordillera branch of the National Museum, showing Ifugao terrace farming, rituals and bulul rice god figures. Next to it is the Yamashi…
• Lumiang Burial Cave & Cave Connection – A burial cave with more than a hundred ancient wooden coffins stacked at its entrance. It is also the starting point of the 'Cave Connectio…
• Marlboro Hills & Blue Soil – A hiking route through pine-covered hills southeast of Sagada, with open slopes and cloud seas at dawn, and rare blue-grey soil hills on th…
• Bomod-ok Falls – The 'Big Falls' north of Sagada, reached by about an hour's walk through terraces and villages. A curtain of water about 60 metres high dro…
• Bokong Falls – A small waterfall among rice fields at the edge of town, about 20 minutes' walk away. Its pool is good for jumping in and swimming, making…
• Lake Danum – A quiet small lake on a hilltop west of Sagada, surrounded by pine forest. It is a good spot to watch the sunset, and camping is available.
• Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Sagada – A stone church built in 1904 by American Episcopal missionaries. It is the spiritual heart of Sagada and the starting point for Echo Valley.
• Sagada Pottery – A wood-fired pottery studio on the west side of town, where you can watch pottery being thrown and fired, sign up to make your own, and buy…
• Sagada Weaving – A handloom weaving workshop where you can watch weavers making Cordillera stripe fabrics and buy bags and scarves.
• Mount Ampacao – One of Sagada's highest peaks, reached in 1–2 hours by a pine forest trail, with panoramic views over the town and the distant terraces.
• Bontoc Museum – An ethnographic museum in Bontoc, capital of Mountain Province, displaying headhunting-era artifacts, historical photographs and reconstruc…
• Maligcong Rice Terraces – Stone-walled terraces on the outskirts of Bontoc, spreading across the hillside in vast steps. At dawn, climb a nearby hilltop to photograp…
• Buscalan Village – A traditional village in the Kalinga highlands, famous for the hand-tapped tattoos of Whang-od, a centenarian tattoo artist, and the batok…

Where to eat

• Yogurt House – One of Sagada's best-known restaurants, famous for homemade yogurt with granola and fruit, and also serving Filipino an…
• Sagada Lemon Pie House – A famous Sagada spot for its signature lemon pie, also selling egg pie and seasonal fruit pies, with affordable meals t…
• Gaia Cafe and Crafts – A treehouse-style vegetarian café on the way to Sumaguing Cave, overlooking the Ambasing Valley rice terraces and a fil…
• Salt and Pepper Diner – One of Sagada's oldest and best-known restaurants, serving smoked-pork sisig and a range of mountain dishes at reasonab…
• Sagada Brew – A wooden café at the south end of town known for freshly brewed coffee and cakes, also serving hearty Filipino dinners…
• Sagada Log Cabin Restaurant – A log-cabin restaurant open since 1991, known for smoked dishes and wild mushroom fare, with a buffet on weekend evenin…

Itineraries

• Northern Luzon: Terraces, Mountain Towns and Colonial Old Towns – An overnight bus to Banaue, then the Batad terraces, Sagada and Baguio, ending in Vigan on a Luzon loop.