Batad and Nagacadan Rice Terraces

Batad Rice Terraces


     Riding a bus on our way to Ifugao once again is not to see the famous Banaue Rice Terraces, but this time to see the Batad and Nagacadan Rice Terraces, both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Batad Rice Terraces

     Not knowing the difficulty of the hike can be of advantage somehow, because it gives you the courage to go on.  Well, the guide told us that it was 2.5 hours going down and another 2 hours to the falls.  And he said in a humorous way that after this trip we will curse Batad for the experience it gave us.  Oh yes, at first it was easy to go down which I can manage to walk for hours until we reached the restaurant with the magnificent view of Batad Rice Terraces. 

     After feeding ourselves with nutrition, we started our hike again, this time to the Tappiya Falls.  We traversed through the rice paddies of Batad and once we got to the middle, we were amazed with the stunning amphitheater rice terraces.  I was caught up with view.  Every corner was vibrant green and picturesque. 

     Then we continue ascending to the top and descending to the waterfalls location.  And viola!  The falls is strong and big.  The current of the falls is so strong that we were warned not to swim near the middle.  Some tourists already died here, because of the current. 

     We washed our face, hands, and legs to freshen up.  Then, I stared at the falls and relax my mind and body.  After resting and gaining our energy back, we decided to go back to the restaurant.  This time, it was much easier.

     From the restaurant, I did not expect that going up to where we have started can be very tiring.  Many times I’m catching for my breath and losing some oxygen.  I have to ask our guide to stop and let me rest for a few minutes and continue going up again.  This has been my ordeal for more than 2 hours.  Yes, he was right, how tiring it was to hike Batad.  But I will never curse the place for the hardship I experienced, instead will be glad and thankful that I saw its beauty with my very own eyes.

Tappiya Falls

Tappiya Falls


Nagacadan Rice Terraces

     It was late in the morning when we took a jeepney from Lagawe to Kiangan town and rented a trike to take us to Nagacadan.  In twenty minutes, we reached the view point of rice terraces. 

     We stopped at the end of the road and parked.  From there, you can see already the vast expanse of rice terraces from afar.  The elevation is not that high and impressive compared to Batad and Banaue Rice Terraces, but it has a unique landscape and beauty created by the Ifugao farmers from generation to generation.  A river that runs in the middle of rice terraces is the source of water for rice paddies. 


Nagacadan Rice Terraces
Nagacadan Rice Terraces


Nagacadan Rice Terraces
Nagacadan Rice Terraces



Travel Date: April 9-11, 2014

Location: Batad, Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines

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