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With traffic that is probably worse than Beirut’s and noise from its peculiar modes of transportation (jeepneys and trikes), the rush of Manila can get to be too much. After about two weeks of dealing with the hazards found in the capital, it was decided by my friends and me to head out of metro Manila for the weekend and into the wilderness of the Philippines. Batad was our destination, a village surrounded by nature in Northern Luzon, and a 10 hour bus trip from metro Manila.

Batad is famous for its spectacular rice terraces – manmade steps that have been carved into the hillside by the native Ifugaos as far back as 2000 years ago. So spectacular, in fact, that they can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It is still unknown what tools were used or what method natives employed to carve the terraces; what is certain is that they are in danger of being swept away by heavy rainfall. Volunteers can register at the tourist office to help restore the terraces, and live in traditional Ifugao huts down in the valley. Even more attractive is the fact that there is no phone service and hardly any electricity making it a true getaway from the harshness of city life.
We were glad to be going in May, because the terraces are said to be at their most beautiful during the months of April and May. After that, the rice will be harvested and all that would be left would be yellow fields – pretty, but not as amazing as the green ones that we were fortunate enough to see.

Getting There
The bus ride from Manila was long and bumpy, with plenty of rest stops along the way. Thankfully, I was able to sleep for most of the trip and when I awoke, I found that we had just entered the town of Banaue. It’s here where Batad travellers must find a jeepney; in order to get to the remote village, one has to bargain with a jeepney driver to hitch a ride to a drop off point from where you can hike to the village. After some haggling, we managed to hire a jeepney which was willing to take the dangerous road to Batad. I say dangerous because the road is tight, unpaved in most parts, and an unskilled driver could easily fall off a cliff - some even claim it is one of the most hazardous roads in the world. Nevertheless, the sights going along this road are beautiful (but keep in mind, someone does have to keep their eyes on the road).
Along the way, locals would grab on to the back of the jeepney and would simply step off as they reached their destination along the winding hills. One passenger sat in with us, and we found out he was actually a legislator who had previously been a tour guide for 16 years before his government career. In order to soak in the nature, a few of my friends decided to ride atop the jeepney. He advised us to get a guide once we get to Batad - treks in Batad can be confusing, and it is advisable to have a local with you to guide you along the ins and outs of the paths that wind along the rice terraces.
After about an hour or so of enjoying the bumpy ride – we’d decided to be uncomfortably adventurous and soak in the nature from the top of the jeepney – we got to the drop off point. It was the first hike of the weekend, and we had to descend steep steps (200 of them, according to a local woman we met on the way) to reach a path that would lead us to Batad. It was here where I saw my first rice terraces; steps cut from the middle of a green hill extending downwards. I paused to take photos, but I was told that these were nothing compared to the view from the village.
And that view was incredible. Batad overlooks the “amphitheater”: the valley with rice terraces falling to the left, a small cluster of houses dead center, and high green hills that surround the entire valley. I was lucky enough to be staying in the Hillside Inn (actually a large hut) with the best view of the whole valley. We didn’t waste a lot of time staring in wonder at what was before us. We quickly dumped our stuff in our rooms, found a guide named Beno who said he’d take us to Tappiyah Falls, a local waterfall hidden in the valley, and we were off.

Long Treks with Fantastic Views
The trek across the rice terraces is not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, I suffer a fear of heights which caused me to gasp at the splendour surrounding me and then shudder at the height I was at. Beno led us along ledges of rice terraces where on your left you could either fall into a rice paddy roll into the valley, depending on what side you fell, and steep stairs that would tire any inexperienced hiker (like yours truly). Fortunately, “rest stops” were along the way – open-air shelters where locals sell cold beverages to weary travellers.
But the suffering was worth it. After descending the last set of steep stairs, I was finally able to stare in awe at what nature had so generously provided: from the top of a cliff, a waterfall was splashing into a crystal clear lake. I had never been so close to an actually waterfall, and it was invigorating to splash around in a natural swimming pool.
The evening was a drastic change from my typical Saturday nights. Because there is hardly any electricity in the village, lights are only found in kitchens and bedrooms of the local inns, and a flashlight is advised to guide your feet along the paths in the village. We had a home cooked meal in an inn simply called “Rita’s” (ironically run by a woman named Germaine) where we met other foreigners who were there for a few days of roughing it. We whiled away the time drinking our and watching huge moths attack the few lights.
The next day, it was decided that we would trek to a nearby village called Bangaan; it was from there that we had arranged we would meet our jeepney to take us back to Banaue. This hike would eventually lead us across more rice terraces and up a mountain in order to reach the neighbouring village. It was a beautiful hike, with us crossing little streams that fed into the rice paddies, and breathtaking views of the surrounding emerald hillsides. After a stumble into a rice paddy which led to covering most of my legs with mud, and upward treks with nothing but stones and roots to guide our feet along, we made it to Bangaan.
This rundown looking village is home to local rice workers and what seemed like a million chickens. From here, you can get a bird’s eye view of another set of rice terraces. After enjoying the view from a lookout point, my weary body could do no more. We waited for our ride at a restaurant where we enjoyed some chicken adobo.
Coming back to Manila, I realized that though I’d spent most of the weekend sweating under the hot sun, I’d encountered incomparable views. Getting up close and personal with nature was something to be marvelled at.

Meryl Haddad, from Lebanon, is a Master’s student of public policy at the National University of Singapore.