14 Things to Know when Visiting Batad, Banaue, Ifugao

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.

The amphitheatre-like Rice Terraces of Batad. #Batad #Banaue #Ifugao #Philippines #TravelPH

A photo posted by Lakas ng Trip (@lakasngtrip) on Oct 8, 2015 at 6:25pm PDT

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