Most people know the popular Banaue Rice Terraces but never heard of Batad Rice Terraces. In my personal opinion, you should know Batad as the Rice Terraces there is my favorite among my favorites.
This post will list down things that you need to know when you visit Batad. In short this is my Batad Travel Guide.
1. Where is Batad?
Banaue is a municipality of Ifugao. Batad is a barangay of Banaue. In short Batad is inside Banaue. In reality Batad Rice Terraces is actually a part of the Banaue Rice Terraces.
2. Going to Batad
You will first have to reach Banaue. To do that you should read about my bus ride from Manila to Banaue. At Banaue you can either ride the Public Jeepney to Batad or you can hire a Jeepney or a Tricycle.
The rate are as follows.
- Public Jeepney – 150 Pesos/person (one-way)
- Hired Jeepney – 2,800 Pesos/jeep
- Hired Tricycle – 700 Pesos/tricycle
According to the Tourism Center in Banaue the rate is actually for a daytrip going to and fro Batad but you would need to pay an additional if you are going for an overnight.
We got a tip from the local guides of Batad that it would be better if you go straight to the Jeepney Drivers located in the Public Market of Banaue and ask for their price. 😉
The Public Jeepney can be located in the Public Market of Banaue but there’s a schedule so you need to make sure to be there on the right schedule.
Here’s the schedule if you plan to take the Public Jeepney.
Estimated Travel Time (One-way)
- Public Jeepney – 1 hour 30 minutes
- Hired Jeepney – 1 hour
- Hired Tricycle – 1 hour 30 minutes
The vehicles will not take you to the village of Batad but somewhere near it, somewhere below what they call Saddle Point. From here you would need to walk about 30 minutes to get to the town where the accommodations are located.
You can check out my post on our travel from Banaue to Batad to have an idea on what the journey would be like.
3. Heritage Fee
You know that you are in the village of Batad when you have seen the Batad Tourist Information Center. Once you get here you will need to pay a Heritage Fee of 50 Pesos/person.
Then you can ask their staff on how you could enjoy Batad more or you can move on and see the Batad Rice Terraces behind the Tourist Information Center.
4. Guides and Fees
Guides are not required in Batad but I would highly recommend you get them. It may seem easy to walk around the Rice Terraces since you can see where the Highest Viewpoint is or the entry point to Tappiya Waterfalls but it’s actually challenging to navigate because the Rice Terraces are like a maze. There were times that I went the wrong route because I got left behind due to my picture taking.
Here’s the Guide Fees if you want to hire a guide.
If you want to see what we went through when we went around Batad you can visit my post on our trek going to the Highest Viewpoint and Tappiya Waterfalls.
5. Accommodation
There are a good number of accommodations in Batad but not as many as you might think. I’ve heard stories that on peak season there would be travelers who had a hard time looking for a place to stay. Therefore, it might be best to book in advance.
Do not expect a posh hotel in the area as the accommodations there are all on a backpacker level. Usually accommodations do not have electric fans inside their rooms nor do they have aircondition.
Here’s a list of accommodation that I know of in Batad
- Ramon’s Homestay
- Simon’s Viewpoint Inn
- Rita’s Mount View Inn
- Hillside Inn
- Batad Pension & Restaurant
There are actually many more but I have not seen them yet.
Visit my post about Simon’s Viewpoint Inn to know more on my experience on our stay there.
6. Food & Drinks
Accommodation in Batad have restaurants where you can order food. And there are a lot of sari-sari store where you order your chips and drinks. Even during the trek around the Rice Terraces there are a good number of stores where you can buy drinks and snacks.
What you should be prepared in terms of food and drinks in Batad are the price of the commodities. They are seriously expensive. The price is understandable as they had to transport the goods with human strength just to get there.
i.e. An 8 oz Coca Cola is priced at 30 Pesos.
7. Weather
When we went there last June 2015 it was not cold enough for us to where our jackets during the night time. But on my previous visit it was really cold even if I was wearing a jacket.
8. Physical Fitness
You must a have a certain level of physical fitness to truly enjoy Batad. On all my visits to Batad, I would always end the trip with muscle aches due to over exertion. The rice terraces itself looks like stairs so you’ll really have to go through many stairs up and down to visit places.
If you are heading to Batad be sure to be physically fit and mentally ready to do walking up and down stairs and trails for around 5 to 6 hours.
9. A Day of No Entry
There’s a day in Batad where they would not allow entry to the Rice Terraces because they are doing a ritual to have a better crop. If you accidentally entered the Rice Terraces on that day you would need to pay with a pig and chicken for sacrifice.
Unfortunately, this is not a yearly event nor they could plan this way ahead of schedule. So it would be best if you plan to head to Batad is to first visit the Tourism Center in Banaue for them to warn you if you are visiting during the time when the Rice Terraces are off limits.
Estan Cabigas’ post about his experience on how he broke a taboo would best tell the story.
10. Communication
There’s a really weak signal for TouchMobile in Batad. Too weak that you could consider it to have no signal at all. The locals would usually put their cellphone on a certain spot where there’s a signal to receive and send text messages. Voice messages is impossible.
Personally, it’s a good sign because you really get to disconnect and just enjoy the place without being distracted to post it in Instagram or Facebook.
11. Electricity
Electricity in Batad is available 24 hours. According to our guide their electricity in the village comes from Banaue.
12. Best Time to Visit Batad
Batad can be visited throughout the whole year. I have a friend who frequently visit Batad and I think they have made a visit on all the months of the year. But there are not so good times, good times and best times to visit Batad.
The best time to visit Batad would be during December to February where the rainy season has ended and the weather is still cold. Summer from March to May is still good.
From June to November is the rainy season, but let that not stop you, you could always bring a rain jacket. Sometimes I go to Batad during those months.
During the rainy season there’s a high chance of landslides that would prevent vehicles to visit Batad. Better check the weather forecast first.
13. Daytrip
The Municipal Tourism Center in Banaue offers a guided Day Trip in Batad that would only cost 600 Pesos/person. It would start at 8:30 AM in Banaue then head to Batad and trek through Batad Rice Terraces to visit the Main Village and Tappiya Falls, and would end around 5PM in Banaue according to the sign that was in the Tourism Center.
What they would do is get others to join you to visit Batad. I’m not sure if the 600 Pesos/person includes lunch but I have a feeling that the price does not include lunch. It does include transportation and guide.
If we did the visit to Batad overnight and still ended up with a sore body, how much more if you visit Batad on a daytrip. Therefore, I would highly recommend that you visit Batad overnight.
14. Other Information
I’m not sure if this would help but here’s an information we saw in Batad Tourist Information Center.
I hope this list would help you plan your visit to Batad soon.
If you want to see more pictures of Batad, visit my Flickr Album here – flic.kr/s/aHskaXxC2U
You got all the information that I need to visit Batad anytime soon! Thank you Sir! 🙂
You’re welcome Rey! Keep on traveling!
This is so helpful! My friends and I have been thinking of returning to Banaue (we passed by when we went to Sagada) for Batad so I’m bookmarking this post. 🙂
Thank you Joy! I hope you get to go back Banaue and get to explore the place. 🙂
Thank you for this! Batad is one of the places we like to visit; in fact, we want to stay there for a week or two for an “immersion” adventure. Your blog post will truly help us in planning our Batad trip.
I’m glad my blog was helpful on your planning. Good decision on staying there for a week or two. I myself wanted to try that. Enjoy your travel to Batad!
Thanks – I am planning a trip in January 2016 and read your whole series of the posts on Banaue/Batad. They are the most comprehensive ones I’ve sifted through on the Net.
Thank you for doing this and safe travels 🙂
Thanks Jenerator! I’m glad I could help you with your travel. Enjoy your travel to Banaue!
Will be visiting Banaue soon. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
You’re welcome! Enjoy your travel to Banaue.
We initially planned on staying overnight at batad however when we learned that there is no place to park we opted to book our accommodation at banaue instead.
We then joined the day tour. And yes, the fee doesn’t include lunch. It only covers transpo and guide fee.
Thanks for the additional info Koffi. I hope you enjoyed your trip to Batad.
Hi koffi do you have to book the day tour in advance? Or you can just register on the day of your trip? We are planning to go there next week and spend just a day in Batad. 🙂
You can register on the day of your trip but be there really early.
dammm you are so good, i been wondering arround 10000 of blogs and all of them only confuse me more. but yours is perfect.
thks so much. i will go there in january
You’re welcome Rodrigo. I hope you get to enjoy one of my favorite places here in the country. Keep on traveling!
Hi! Just wondering If i Go to Banaue can I see a rice terraces in there without goin to Batad? Afraid I can endure the very,long walk but I really love to see a rice terraces. Any advice? Planning to go there just a daytrip this April 13 then back to Baguio on Good Friday.
Thanks,
Roses
Hi Roses! Yes. There are a lot of rice terraces even if you just stay in the town proper of Banaue. But so far Batad is the best Rice Terraces I have seen. No pressure though if you will only be staying in Banaue, the trip would still be worth it. ^_^
Hi! Thank you for this blog post. You organized it very neatly! It’s my first time to do a northern Philippines tour and I’m planning of doing so by the LAST WEEK of JUNE to the FIRST TWO WEEKS of JULY. I hope to see the rice terraces, and your post convinces me to head for Batad. I saw from your pictures how green the environment was.
If I visit during the last week of JUNE to early JULY, can I expect see so much greenery around me too? I’ve seen photos where the rice terraces looked brown and almost barren. I wish to avoid traveling in that time frame.
If possible, I want to stay in a lodging where I can wake up to a beautiful view of the terraces and simply enjoy a cup of warm coffee or chocolate. Your advice will be very much appreciated! Thank you!
Just a follow up: I saw from another website this info:
“April to May is the best time to see the Batad rice terraces at its greenest.
June to July is the best time to see the Banaue rice terraces at its greenest.
June is harvest time at Batad so you can see it in its golden color.
August is harvest time in Banaue”
I’m not sure though if this timeframe still holds, given the impact of climate change. In this case, perhaps I should head to BANAUE rice terraces instead to see them at their greenest in June-July?
Thank you so much again, really!
Hi Grace,
The photos I used for this blog post was on our visit to Batad on June 12-14, 2015. It’s really hard to predict what times would be okay to visit Batad since they change their planting dates every year. I think it might be better if you ask directly the Tourism Office of Banaue.
thank you for providing us a complete information about that place i hope to visit that place again with my family.
You’re welcome Sandy. I hope you get to visit Batad soon. It’s one of my favorite places here in the Philippines.
Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed your candor as I read each note under your pictures which were truly spectacular. We plan on visiting Banaue and Batad in late April 2020, however, will we still be able to see the beauty of the rice terrances without doing a hike as we are in our 70s?
Thank you for sharing, a wonderful entertaining and informative blog.
Cool place, right? When these covid quarantines go away and tourism opens up again, you should check out places in the Kalinga mountain areas (not Tabuk lol). It’s very remote and peaceful and beautiful with not many people.