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Introduction
Because of its high altitude, Banaue is often
described as "where land merges with the
clouds to meet the heavens" with the rice
terraces as "the stairway to the sky."
Banaue is a place for nature adventures and cultural
immersion. Days are for indulging in such activities
as strolling, biking, and trekking. Evenings are
for campfire chats at a village or warm indoor
cosseting at the lodges and inns.
A leading tourism destination in Asia, the Banaue
rice terraces start from the base of the Cordilleras
and reach up to several thousand feet high. Its
length, if stretched from end to end, could encircle
half of the globe.
The rice paddies are fed by mountain springs and
streams that are channeled into an irrigation
canal that runs downhill through the terraces.
In the village of Batad, the terraces take the
shape of an amphitheater and can be reached by
a 12-kilometer ride from Banaue Hotel and a 2-hour
hike through mountain trails.
After trekking through the terraces, cool retreats
indeed are the spring-fed stream of Guihob and
the magnificent Tappiya Waterfalls which has an
enormous basin for swimming.
Shopping takes a different twist in Banaue. While
souvenir items are offered by curio stores, the
more exciting way to shop, however, is to go on
a village visit, watch a family demonstrate their
native craft and then haggle for a better price
on their product.
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