Banaue Rice Terraces - 8th Wonder

Banaue Rice Terraces (Filipino: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banawe) are 2,000-year-old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 metres (5000 ft) above sea level. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces.

HOW TO GET THERE:

By bus
Getting to Banaue directly might take a lot of effort if you're not taking a direct route from Manila or if you don't have a tour agency to help you. Visiting Banaue can be tied in with a tour of North Luzon, it can be reached easily from Bontoc, which is a close to Sagada, and easily reachable from Baguio, the capital of the region. Here are a few possible ways to get to Banaue:
Manila - Banaue
Ohayami Trans, Lacson Ave. cor. Fajardo St., Sampaloc, Manila (Just near University of Sto. Tomas or take the train from the Legarda Station then just take a trickshaw to the terminal). Provides trips directly to Banaue. They have three daily trips - 21:00 and 22:00 leaving their terminal in Manila and taking 9-10 hrs

GV Florida Transport Inc./Dangwa Transport Co., Lacson Ave. cor. Earnshaw St., Sampaloc, Manila (Just near University of Sto. Tomas or take the train from the Legarda Station then just take a trickshaw to the terminal, gvfloridatransportinc.com. Provides trips directly to Banaue and Deluxe bus w/ restroom equiped ,one stopover. daily trips - 22:45 p.m. leaving their terminal in Manila and taking 7-8 hrs. and from Banaue leaving @ 20:00 p.m.

Manila - Baguio - Banaue
Ohayami Trans, Otek St., Burnham Park, Baguio City (within Chowking area), [2]. 8 hrs. Provides trips from Baguio to Banaue. 
KMS, Near Rizal Park, Baguio City. 7 hr. Provides a mini-bus trip from Baguio to Banaue. They have two daily trips: 08:00 and 21:30
The first option may be a good choice if you don't like overnight buses or want to enjoy the very scenic drive during the day.

Manila - Baguio - Bontoc - Banaue
There are jeepneys going from Bontoc to Banaue (P150) and even Sagada to Banaue (P195) during peak season or holidays. Jeepneys arriving into Bontoc from Sagada (and no doubt other jeepneys and buses) are sometimes met by drivers who can offer you a minivan journey on to Banaue, which takes around 2-2.5 hours, we paid 150 Piso each for this in May 2014. There does not appear to be a fixed schedule for these but we left Sagada by jeepney at approximately 1220, reaching Bontoc at 1300, our van set off shortly before 1400 and we were in Banaue by 1610.

Manila - Solano - Nueva Vizcaya - Banaue Ifugao
Buses heading to Tuguegarao (e.g. Baliwag transit, Victory,Florida transport inc., etc.) pass by the town of Solano. Several jeepneys ply the Solano-Banaue route or the Solano-Lagawe, Ifugao route. From Lagawe, one can then take another jeepney to Banaue.

Manila - Tarlac - Solano - Banaue
Buses heading for Baguio pass by Tarlac. Vizcaya liner plies the Tarlac-Solano route at 05:00.

Tags: #travelnorth, #travelnorthph, #travelnorthphilippines

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banaue_Rice_Terraces
http://wikitravel.org/en/Banaue

Images:
http://www.riceterracesbanaue.com/
http://www.markmaranga.com/
http://www.bestourism.com/