(To Quoc) - According to SCMP, close-knit hiking trips with local rice farmers reveal another side of the island nation famous for its beaches.
Banaue Rice Terraces Heritage in the Philippines
Joy Poligon is a rice farmer and Ifugao - an indigenous people living in the mountains of northern Luxor Island, Philippines.
Rice terraces around Banaue, a World Heritage Site in Luzon, Philippines. Photo: Shutterstock
For Joy Poligon, village life is simple but hard.
"If I don't go to the rice fields every day, we won't have anything to eat," said Joy Poligon.
Tourism has recently exploited the stunning landscape of the Banaue rice terraces, improving the lives of farmers like Joy Poligon.
Nearly 400 square kilometers of rice terraces, cultivated by the Ifugao people for 2,000 years, stretch across the landscape and have become a tourist attraction. UNESCO designated the Banaue Rice Terraces a World Heritage Site in 1995, calling them “a symbol of harmony between people and the environment.” Generations of Ifugao tribesmen like Joy Poligon have farmed and lived on the land for centuries.
The Banaue Rice Terraces appeared in the Philippines 2,000 years ago. Located on mountainous terrain, the people here have transformed the land to grow rice for a living. They have transformed the mountainside with primitive tools or by hand to create the Banaue Rice Terraces as they are today. The Banaue Rice Terraces were cut from the mountains and are about 10,360km2 wide.
The small town of Banaue is the starting point for multi-day hiking trips for visitors to the area. The income from the trips goes directly to the guides, tuk-tuk drivers and hosts. A small tax is also used to maintain the landscape.
Ifugao guide Michael Codimo often picks up tourists for a three-day trip in Banaue.
The tour begins when the bus stops a few kilometres from the village of Cambulo. Along the way, they pass a waterfall, ferns cover the steep slopes, and wooden and corrugated iron huts are clamped to the edges. Life here is simple.
The terraced fields that stretch across the slopes offer a stunning view. The only access to the village is via a steep staircase.
The homestay offers a room for guests, with a bed, a toilet, electricity and hot water in the bathroom. The real luxury here is the quiet, without any traffic noise.
Real-life visitor experience
According to the author and experiencer, tour guide Codimo led visitors around the village, showing us the school, church and meeting place.
"This is where people gather, chaired by the village chief, to discuss and solve problems in life and work," Codimo said.
The natural landscape is majestic. Visitors can hear the sound of the river flowing in the distance. In the late afternoon, people return from the fields, passing a suspension bridge. Nestled among the vast green of the terraced fields are the villages of the Batad people.
"For many people, self-sufficiency is not enough to provide enough food for the whole year, so they still have to buy rice. Rice is an essential part of every meal," Codimo said.
The guesthouse is run by Jordan Tundagui and his wife, Jenelyn Tundagui. Tundagui said he appreciates living “without noise and without air pollution.”
“There is no crime here and the space is surrounded by nature,” Mr. Tundagui added.
Mr. Tundagui is also worried about the situation of "less and less rice farmers". However, according to him, the world heritage of terraced fields is still maintained there.
“Farming may have less manpower, but there will be more machinery to assist. Besides, no one wants to sell terraces to non-Ifugao people – that would be against our culture,” he said.
In the morning, clouds drift across the mountains. The hike lasts for several hours and is a feat of endurance for the hiker. Every step across rice terraces and along wet paths requires extreme caution.
The reward is the surrounding landscape, which takes the breath away and delights visitors. The terraced fields cascade down the slopes like waterfalls, and the landscape blends into dense forests.
Poligon Farmer's House offers a simple perspective of farming, helping visitors better understand the lives of local people and reflecting them as authentically as possible.
"The next day, the winding road took tourists to the next trips. Sweat ran down my face under the weight of my backpack. The transport was waiting for the tourists on time, and soon we returned to the bustling life," the author wrote./.
Source: https://toquocweb.dev.cnnd.vn/philippines-khai-thac-du-lich-di-bo-duong-dai-kham-pha-ruong-bac-thang-2025031116233783.htm
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