BATAD BANAUE DIY TRAVEL GUIDE: 2022 BUDGET & ITINERARY

It was a school field trip when I was in Grade 5 that I first saw the beauty of Banaue Rice Terraces. Of course, it’s just bits of memories as I was too young so reminiscing is definitely not a good idea. Lol. So I made it to a point to come back and visit the famous terraces that can be seen in the 1,000.00 and 20.00 PHP bill. Last January 2020, I did a Batad Banaue DIY trip with my friend and my partner. Here is an informative travel guide for your trip to Batad!

Avengers fans in the Philippines probably already know that Banaue Rice Terraces is actually the background in the last part of Infinity War when Thanos snapped his finger. Oh you didn’t know? Well that’s a trivia for you then!

Now enough with the talking and intro, let’s get a quick to-do list and useful tips for your upcoming Batad Banaue DIY trip!

Table of Contents

Important Things You Should Know

Batad is a village in Banaue in the province of Ifugao. The village rose to fame because of its stunning staircases-like rice terraces along with the majestic Tappiya waterfalls. Traveling to Banaue and getting to know its culture and traditions is definitely a bucket-list I would recommend! Wouldn’t it be fun wandering around in a peaceful village with a serene atmosphere and a relaxing view? My experience doing the Batad Banaue DIY is truly incomparable and one of the best!

Best time to visit Banaue

According to the locals I talked to when I was in Batad, there are 2 seasons for the best time to visit in Banaue. (1) March – May when the terraces are greenery and (2) September when the terraces are golden.

From Manila to Banaue

From Manila, there are 3 bus line companies yo can choose from. Going to Banaue from Manila usually takes 9-10 hours. Check out the list below!

BOOK YOUR BUS TICKET HERE

Bus Lines:	Schedule: (Daily)	Fare:
Ohayami Transit Address: Sampaloc Manila	9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM	PHP450.00+
Dangwa Transit Address: Florida Cubao Terminal	8:00 PM	PHP450.00+
Coda Lines Address: Cubao HM Transport Terminal	8:00 PM 9:00 PM 10:30 PM	PHP450.00-PHP550.00

Click here for more information about 2020 bus schedule and rates.

From Baguio to Banaue

From Baguio, there are 2 ways for you to go to Banaue. The travel time takes roughly 6 hours and the fare is approximately PHP480.00.

Bus Lines:	Schedule: (Daily)	Fare:
Ohayami Transit Address: Gov. Pack Road beside SM and UC	8:30 PM	PHP480.00
KMS Van Address: Otek Street, Burnham Park	9:00 PM	PHP460.00+

From Banaue to Batad

Once you get off the bus, there will be a free shuttle from the toursim office waiting for tourists. There is no need to contact them in advance since they are always scheduled to wait in the terminal for arriving tourists. You will be taken directly to the tourism office and there will be a short briefing about Banaue and Batad. The best places to go will be discussed as well. After that, you have a choice if you will book tours with them or not. If you are a budget DIY traveler like me, I don’t suggest booking tours offered in the tourism office because in our experience it’s really too costly.

If you want to do it DIY way, there are jeepneys stationed in front of the Public Market which is just walking distance from the tourism office. They only have one schedule going to Batad which is 3:00PM daily. Alternatively, you may charter a tricycle to take you to Batad Junction for PHP400.00 – PHP500.00 depending on your negotiating skills (good for 2-3 pax). The travel time is about 1 hour and you can advise the driver to come back and pick you up by tomorrow for the same rate. We got our for PHP1,000.00 round-trip Banaue – Batad – Banaue. Vans and jeepneys are also available in front of the Public Market and the rate is approximately PHP1,500.00 (good for 8 – 10 pax).

Once you arrive in Batad Junction, there will be a 30 minutes hike going to the village and pay the environmental fee of PHP50.00.

How to get around in Batad and Banaue?

In the main city of Banaue, jeepneys and tricycles are available for public transportation. If you are going on a tour, it would be best to rent a tricycle to take you to the tourist spots for PHP200.00 – PHP300.00 good for 2-3 people.

Batad, on the other hand, is different from Banaue. In this village, there are no transportation available. The only way to get around is to walk, hike, more walks, hike and more hikes. Lol.

Food and Accommodation

Spending 2 days in Banaue and Batad is enough. As for us, we chose to do an overnight stay in Batad and go back to Banaue for our second day. In Batad, there are lots of homestay you can choose from and the range of rooms are PHP200.00 – PHP250.00 per person and per night. You can also rent native Ifugao house for your accommodation which costs PHP1,200.00 – PHP1,500.00 good for 2 -4 people.

I strongly encourage to try lodging in a native Ifugao House! I promise that the experience is super worth it because the houses were literally home of native Ifugao’s dated 200 hundred years ago. As for us we stayed in Ugay Lodge which accommodates people in a native Ifugao house. Here is a dedicated review about our experience.

Contact for Ugay Lodge: Ate Maritess 0936 450 7336

Furthermore, there are lots of homestays in Batad that you can choose from like Ramon’s Home Stay, Hillside Inn, Gilbert Home Stay and many more!

Food is everywhere in the village! As soon as you set foot in the village, there are lots of local restaurants. The range of paluto in the village is around PHP150.00 – PHP250.00 per person. And oh, don’t forget to try their native coffee here!

Signal and Phone Reception

Batad – no phone signal. (Good bye social media world!)
Banaue – Globe and Smart has a good signal.

Pack light (Batad Banaue DIY)

What you should always keep in mind when you’re packing is that you have to bring the only things you need. Don’t bring things you won’t be needing. That’s the problem of every girl, we pack everything including our house and tool box inside our bag. Below are few reminders on the important things we should only bring in a 2D1N getaway.

Extra Cash – There are no ATM machines in Batad. So bring enough cash since you can only withdraw money once you get bach to the main city in Banaue.

Monthly Lady Equipment (For Ladies) – don’t paint the town red!

Flashlight would be very helpful!

Bathroom necessities – keep your hygiene well

Extra Clothes – girls, please don’t bring your closet. Jackets and comfy clothes will go just fine

Best things to do in Batad Banaue

Ride a wooden scooter

There are wooden scooters available in the viewpoints during Banaue day tour. It’s very cheap and you can actually rent it for a road test for only PHP25.00 and PHP20.00 for pictire-taking only.

Visit the viewpoints for a panoramic view of the terraces

There are a number of viewpoints available in Banaue where you can see a panoramic view of the rice terraces – the image in the 1,000.00 and 20.00 PHP bill. In Batad, the rice terraces are most incredible since you get to live and walk in between those terraces like you’re a local. On the other hand, you can only see the view of the terraces in Banaue from afar. This is why the best experience lies in the village of Batad.

Spend the night in a native Ifugao house

I don’t know how to convince you but you have to try an overnight in a native Ifugao House! The experience is truly unique and one of a kind. You will get to live in a native house owned by native Ifugaos who lived there hundreds of years ago.

Ifugao Houses are multi-functional one room shelter where the family sleeps, cook and dine. Under the house is a bonfire area where you can also light up your own bonfire for an authentic Ifugao experience at night. The walls of the house is decorated with preserved animals like snakes, deers, iguana and more.

Trek to the waterfalls

The cherry on top of our Batad Banaue DIY trip is the Tappiya Falls in Batad. This is actually the reason why we came here. Tappiya Waterfalls is about 30 meters in height and it features a 1 tiered waterfall cascading in its enormous pool for swimming. The water from the falls is literally freezing like it came from the fridge but it’s still bearable for swimming.

Trekking to the waterfalls and view-deck is probably the most relaxing and tiring hike I’ve ever done. Tiring because it’s a series of ups and down trail but relaxing at the same time because of the majestic view of the rice terraces.

Me taking a selfie after bathing in the freezing water!

Other things to do/try

Try nga-nga – betel nut chewing. A word of advise, it makes your mouth red and it heats up your body. This is why the locals do this because of the cold weather.
Visit museums and learn the rich history of Ifugao. Picture taking and filming inside the museum is not allowed.
Rent Ifugao costumes in Banaue viewpoint for photo-ops
Try local food like pinikpikan
Get yourself an Ifugao tribal charm necklace – lucky charm. This charm necklace can be specifically seen anywhere in Banaue and Batad souvenir shops. However, this charm originated in the village of Batad and you can buy them in a range of PHP150.00-PHP300.00. The silver tribal necklace cost PHP1,000.00. Trivia: the charm looks like praying hands and when turned upside down, it’s the shape of a heart.

Sample 2 Days & 1 Night in Batad Banaue DIY-way

DAY 0: Manila/Baguio – Banaue
9:00PM Ride a bus in Ohayami Transit, travel time is about 9 hours

Day 1: Batad tour
6:00AM Arrive in Banaue tourism office, breakfast
7:00AM Ride a tricycle to Batad
8:00AM Trek to Batad Village
8:30AM Check in at Ugay Lodge
9:00AM Trek to Top View-deck and Tappiya Falls
4:00PM Back in homestay, rest and clean-up
5:00PM Early dinner in local restaurants/homestays
7:00PM Bonfire, socials
9:00PM Lights out

Day 2: Banaue tour
6:00AM Breakfast, sunrise, pack up
7:00AM Trek back to Batad Junction
7:30AM Tricycle back to Banaue
8:00AM Explore the Public Market, Ukay-ukay, hanging bridge
10:00AM Banaue half day tour:
– Banaue Viewpoints (3 points)
– Banaue Museum (2 museums)
– Souvenir Shops
3:00PM Snacks and chill time in MiddleGround Cafe (highly recommended)
5:00PM Bus back to Baguio/Manila

My traditional travel plank in Ifugao. Lol.

Went on a January so there are not much rice fields in the terraces! Will be back by April!

Help me improve my travel guide! By commenting suggestions in the comment section below, I am very open to new ideas. 🙂
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