A living cultural landscape is nestled into the remote slopes of the Cordillera mountain range in the Philippines. It serves as an example of sustainable agriculture with traditional techniques. For 2,000 years the mountains of Ifugao province have been cultivated with terraced fields that climb thousands of feet.

These fields, and the knowledge to farm them, have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. They have long been central to the survival of the Ifugao peoples but they also occupy a central importance within their culture. Entire communities cooperate on seasonal systems of planting, pest control, and harvest. The coordinated efforts are tied to lunar cycles and sometimes accompanied with religious rituals.

The UNESCO site encompasses five different clusters of rice terraces in the area. The Banaue Rice Terraces are the most famous of the lot. Banaue is approximately 230 miles north of Manila, and buses depart daily from the capital. It can take up to ten hours to make it up the mountainous terrain to the rice fields.

Take a guided hiking tour and make sure to pack a picnic for an outstanding view of this remarkable landscape.

A living cultural landscape is nestled into the remote slopes of the Cordillera mountain range in the Philippines. It serves as an example of sustainable agriculture with traditional techniques. For 2,000 years the mountains of Ifugao province have been cultivated with terraced fields that climb thousands of feet.

These fields, and the knowledge to farm them, have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. They have long been central to the survival of the Ifugao peoples but they also occupy a central importance within their culture. Entire communities cooperate on seasonal systems of planting, pest control, and harvest. The coordinated efforts are tied to lunar cycles and sometimes accompanied with religious rituals.

The UNESCO site encompasses five different clusters of rice terraces in the area. The Banaue Rice Terraces are the most famous of the lot. Banaue is approximately 230 miles north of Manila, and buses depart daily from the capital. It can take up to ten hours to make it up the mountainous terrain to the rice fields.

Take a guided hiking tour and make sure to pack a picnic for an outstanding view of this remarkable landscape.