Banaue and Mayoyao

Some tour Ifugao by foot, others prefer to ride a vehicle to go around. Us, we opted to bring our bikes up to this highland province and explore it on our own.

Situated in the landlocked region of Cordillera, Ifugao is known for its beautiful rice terraces. With its origin dating back some thousand of years ago, these rice terraces are hand carved mountainsides that seem to be giant stairways to the sky carefully crafted by the indigenous people of Ifugao. It is regarded as one of the best architectural and engineering masterpieces of all times, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Three days aboard our two-wheeled machines, we explored the towns of Banaue and Mayoyao where most of these picturesque rice terraces can be found. From Central Banaue we biked toward Bangaan and Mayoyao and into Batad before coming back to Central Banaue. For three days, we biked, we trekked and we witnessed the unparalleled beauty of the place. It was a good synergy of nature and adventure in the backdrop of the blue skies and green wonders of Ifugao!

Armed only with my camera phone, here are some of the photos of our memorable journey to the heart of Cordillera. These are proofs that we do not need to have high end DSLR to capture stunning images of Ifugao because its sheer beauty naturally exudes.