Banaue

Tailor-made Banaue Holidays

Discover stairways to the clouds in Banaue, a mountain village set among UNESCO-listed rice terraces. This dreamy landscape lies in the Cordillera Range of northern Luzon, where your days will be spent hiking along calf-busting trails to panoramic viewpoints. Banaue is home to the Ifugao people, once formidable head-hunters, who painstakingly carved their iconic terraces into steep mud walls over 2,000 years ago. Today, while vein-like irrigation systems funnel water from mountain tops, farmers bent double from their work continue the yearly cycle of rice harvesting, using techniques passed down from their ancestors.

Take a walk up to Banaue’s highest viewpoint and you’ll meet village elders in scarlet malongs and feather headdresses waiting to pose for spear-throwing photos in exchange for donations. They spread wide, near-toothless smiles next to stone bulol statues that overlook their verdant rice empire. Deeply spiritual, the Ifugao people rely on these rice guardians to ward off evil spirits and bad harvests. A day trek to nearby Batad will reveal an even more remote set of terraces, sculpted like a grassy amphitheatre, with a hidden staircase that leads down to crashing Tappiya Falls.

Banaue’s rice-terrace wonders are best explored with a local guide, so let our Philippines team arrange authentic treks and tours of this world-famous heritage site.

Plan your holiday withAlfred&

Your journey will start with one of our UK team – someone like Suzanne, who's travelled extensively in The Philippines. They’ll shape your ideas into the trip of a lifetime. But they won't do it alone. They'll draw on the expertise of our contacts on the ground, connecting you to the people who'll make your holiday one you'll always remember – the free diver who can take you swimming with turtles, the guides who can take you to secret lagoons and hidden beaches, and the locals who can school you in the art of nipa weaving.

Suzanne McLaughlin

Travel Expert for Alfred&

Living in Beijing for four years gave Suzanne the opportunity to travel extensively throughout China, always fuelled by her favourite Jian Bing pancakes! Rock climbing and abseiling in Yangshou was (quite literally) a high point. Her expertise also extends into Southeast Asia, where a fascination with the colourful history has inspired adventures around Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
Hiroko "Nikki" Takano

Tour guide for Intas, Alfred&'s partners in the Philippines

Nikki Takano hails from Manila and has been working as a tour guide in the Philippines for almost 10 years. She loves showing guests how beautiful and diverse the country is, particularly the Cordillera area. Nikki specialises in guiding tours of this region, which she believes has everything: ancient culture, mountainous scenery and welcoming people.
Lourdes Sultan

Manager of Travel Village Tours, Alfred&’s partner in the Philippines

Lourdes Sultan is from Bohol and has spent most of her life working in the island’s tourism industry. She started her career arranging excursions and guest activities at the Pioneer Resorts in Panglao and in 1992, launched Travel Village Tours with her husband. The company is now one of the top tour operators in Bohol.
Bryan Ocampo

Chief of Operations for Intas, Alfred&'s partner in the Philippines

Bryan Ocampo is a Filipino tourism professional and an advocate of adventure travel in the Philippines. His knowledge and experience in leading trips and exploring the country's cuisine, history, and heritage have strengthened his desire to showcase its best qualities and quirks to people all over the world. Bryan believes that he has the best job in the world and also loves karaoke, a good laugh, wine and his wife, in no particular order.
April Labanon

Bohol tour guide for Travel Village Tours, Alfred&’s partner in the Philippines

April Labanon has been working as a tour consultant and guide on Bohol for over six years but originally hails from Davao City, Mindanao. She specialises in tours of the Balicasag and Pamilacan islands and as freediver, she’s an expert on the area’s marine life. April loves to travel in the holidays to learn more about different cultures.
Rupert Andres

Philippines tour guide

Rupert Andres is from Manila and has been adventure guiding for six years. He leads tours all over the Philippines, from its tropical islands to the rice terraces in the north. Rupert is a natural storyteller and entertainer with a real passion for guiding; he's keen to share his love for Filipino culture with visitors.