5 Surprising Things Travelers Don't Know About Banaue Rice Terraces

Being one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites comes as no surprise anymore to anyone who knows about the Banaue Rice Terraces. 

The rice terraces are an outstanding example of land-use that resulted from a harmonious interaction between people and nature which has produced an ancient cultural landscape of great aesthetic beauty. The verdant rice terraces of the Philippines are all the product of the Ifugao ethnic group, a minority community that has occupied these mountains for thousands of years.

If you're planning to travel here, you should know first these five surprising facts about the Banaue Rice Terraces so you can have a meaningful trip. 

1. The rice planted here are for family consumption

This is one of the most surprising things I learned about the Banaue Rice Terraces. Our local tour guide told us that the rice harvested here are for pure family consumption. The harvested rice are enough to feed the family for six months. Given the enormous land of rice terraces, it's hard for me to believe that they don't sell the rice in the market. They don't even export to Metro Manila. But when you go to souvenir shops, you'd see Banaue rice sold everywhere so how come? Our tour guide said, it happens only when there is an excess for family consumption.

2. Rice here is more expensive than in Manila

Most often than not, prices of goods and commodities in the province are cheaper than in the metro. But in Banaue, rice is more expensive. It amounts to P120 per kilo compared to Manila's cheapest rice that's P30 per kilo. The explanation behind it is that, rice in Banaue is organic. 

3. There are two kinds of rice terraces in Banaue

The structures of the Banaue Rice Terraces are of only two kinds: the stone wall and mud wall. They used it to carefully carve and construct terraces that could hold flooded pond fields for the cultivation of rice. These incredible rice terraces were done by hand as was (and is) the farming itself.

4. There are also two kinds of rice that are harvested in Banaue

The Banaue rice is so famous because of its organic quality. The two types of rice harvested here are sticky and non-sticky rice, all organic. 

5. There are 5 inscribed clusters of rice terraces in Ifugao

While the historic terraces cover an extensive area, the inscribed property consists of five clusters of the most impressive terraces: 1.) the Nagacadan terrace cluster in Kiangan, a rice terrace cluster manifested in two distinct ascending rows of terraces bisected by a river; 2.) the Hungduan terraces that uniquely emerges into a spider web; 3.) the central Mayoyao terraces which is characterized by terraces scattered with traditional farmers’ bale (houses) and alang (granaries); 4.) the Bangaan terrace cluster in the municipality of Banaue that backdrops a typical Ifugao traditional village; and 5.) the Batad rice terraces in Banaue that is nestled in amphitheater-like semi-circular terraces with a village at its base.