Banaue Rice Terraces

Considered by many to be the eighth wonder of the world, the Banaue rice terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a feat of incredible engineering, created over the past 2,000 years by the people Of Batad. This area is in the scenic Luzon Province of the Northern Philippines and contains jagged, forested mountains rising to more than 1,500 m (4,292 ft.) above sea level. The jaw-dropping terraces, carved from the mountainside, stretch as far as the eye can see.

Located in the North of Philippines it will take 9 hours bus ride to arrive in to this area. They will be few more attraction such as the way of life for the local people and the market village of Ifugoa.

The terraces, a seemingly endless stairway of cultivated rice and vegetable paddies were largely built by hand, one stone at a time, and cover an area of more than 10,500 sq km (4,000 sq mi) of mountainside. Fed by a natural irrigation system from the rainforests

high in the mountains above, the local population continues to survive on the traditional farming methods employed throughout their existence.

There are no roads or electricity because the Batad prefer to live as they have for centuries, retaining a spiritual connection with the Earth and their surroundings.

Home to a number of popular hiking trails, the region has a healthy tourist population that come to gaze at these majestic creations. Four similar, albeit smaller, terraces nearby include the amphitheatre-shaped Batad terraces, the Mayoyao terraces, where organic red and white Ifugao rice is grown, the stone-enclosed Hapao terraces, which date back to 650 AD, and the well-known Kiangan terraces made up of the Nagacadan and Julungan terraces.