Things to do in Banaue
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Banaue
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Planting and field preparation in many clusters, with mud, water and first shoots, cool air and good walking.
Terraces turn vivid green in most accounts, warmest months, with the Imbayah Festival in late April.
Rainy season, lush and patchwork gold in some clusters at harvest, with fog, slippery steps and landslip risk.
Rains ease, a mixed green and gold shoulder with thinner crowds and improving paths.
Mirror time in many fields, water filled terraces reflecting the sky, cool and drier walking.
What's on
- Imbayah Festival last week of April
Banaue cultural festival with parade, gongs, indigenous games and wooden scooter races. Confirm the year dates locally.
- Gotad ad Ifugao 18 June
Province wide Ifugao founding celebration centred in Lagawe, a secondary date for travellers already in Ifugao.
Best things to do in Banaue
Banaue Viewpoint
The classic first panorama over the Banaue terraces from the highest deck on the road north of town.
Aguian View Deck
The banknote famous deck with roadside and lower views taking in the terraces from top to bottom.
Banaue Museum
A family collection of Ifugao dress, weapons, tools and early photographs that explains the terraces.
Museum of Cordillera Sculpture
Cordillera carving and material culture, with a traditional Ifugao house, south of Banaue town.
Hiwang Village
Traditional Ifugao houses and a high view over Banaue town, best as a short stop arranged that day.
Where to stay in Banaue
Banaue town
bus access, museums and first nights
Central lodges, restaurants, signal and transport for Batad, Bangaan and Hapao days.
Batad village
waking inside the amphitheatre
Village homestays by the terraces and falls path, with no road access and no signal.
Uhaj
quiet and views outside town
A small inn in traditional cottages about 9 km from town, reached by arranged transfer.
Best restaurants in Banaue
Imbayah Restaurant
The Banaue Hotel dining room, the most complete menu and terrace view setting for dinner in town.
Sanafe Lodge and Restaurant
A reliable traveller restaurant in town, strongest at breakfast and for a full balcony meal.
7th Heaven's Cafe and Lodge
A daytime cafe with balcony views, large portions and a family team who organise tours.
Las Vegas Lodge and Restaurant
Home style Filipino cooking in town, known in traveller accounts for an arranged pinikpikan dinner.
Ramon's Native Homestay and Restaurant
A Batad homestay kitchen cooking Filipino staples to order for walkers inside the village.
Batad Hillside Inn and Restaurant
Hot simple food at village prices on the upper Batad side, with terrace views for walkers.
Outdoor things to do in Banaue
Batad Rice Terraces
A UNESCO listed amphitheatre of stone walled terraces reached only on foot from the saddle.
Tappiya Falls
A cold waterfall pool below the Batad terraces, reached by steep stone steps with a local guide.
Bangaan Rice Terraces
A gentler UNESCO listed terrace village with traditional houses, ideal as a half day walk.
Hapao Rice Terraces
Broad stone walled valley terraces in Hungduan, walked as a gentler half day trek with a local guide.
Bogyah Hot Spring
A natural hot spring beside a cold river at the turnaround of the Hapao terrace walk.
Hungduan Rice Terraces
A quieter UNESCO listed cluster beyond Hapao, known for the spider web pattern of the Bacung terraces.
Pula and Cambulo Village Trek
The multi day village trek through Pula and pyramid terraced Cambulo onward to Batad with a guide.
Best hotels in Banaue
Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel
The largest hotel in Ifugao, with terrace views, a big restaurant and the easiest logistics in town.
Native Village Inn
Traditional style cottages in a quiet setting outside town, the other ceiling choice in Banaue.
Sanafe Lodge
A central mid range lodge by the market with balconies, terrace views and a well used restaurant.
Batad Pension and Restaurant
An established pension inside Batad village with home cooked meals and amphitheatre views.
Rita's Mount View Inn and Restaurant
A Batad village inn with mount views and hosts who help arrange guides, transport and falls walks.
Uyami's Green View Lodge
The best known budget lodge in town, sociable and central with rooms for almost any budget.
People's Lodge and Restaurant
A basic terminal side lodge with a useful view restaurant, ideal for an arrival night in town.
Ramon's Native Homestay
Traditional Ifugao huts in Batad village, the most distinctive budget sleep around Banaue.
Is Banaue expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₱1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₱3,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₱6,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Pula and Cambulo Village Trek: a few days ahead
- Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel: a few days ahead
- Native Village Inn: a few days ahead
- Batad Pension and Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Rita's Mount View Inn and Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Ramon's Native Homestay: a few days ahead
- Batad Transient House: a few days ahead
- Book Manila night buses ahead for weekends, Holy Week and the Imbayah Festival.
- Order pinikpikan and Batad homestay dinners ahead, as kitchens cook to order and native chicken takes time.
- Confirm Batad stays before arriving at the saddle and state your arrival time.
Is Banaue safe?
- The far south of the Philippines is a different risk environment from the Cordillera, far from Ifugao in northern Luzon.
- Take standard precautions on valuables, and check local news and current conditions while travelling.
- Main local risks are steep wet steps, landslips in heavy rain, cold falls water and limited medical facilities.
Banaue travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Generic guides misstate UNESCO status. Banaue town terraces are not UNESCO listed, Batad, Bangaan and Hungduan are.
- Do not promise terrace colour by month. Cycles differ by cluster, so ask your lodge what the fields look like now.
- Do not walk into Batad straight off the night bus on no sleep, and do not arrive at the saddle path after dark.
Getting around Banaue: public transport and more
- Overnight bus from Manila takes around 9 hours with Ohayami Trans or Coda Lines, on winding mountain roads.
- Use tricycles for the viewpoint road and jeepneys or hired vans for Batad saddle, Bangaan and Hapao.
- No road goes into Batad village itself. Walk in from the saddle for 30 to 45 minutes and carry your bag.
Who Banaue suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | OK |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Banaue your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store