Philippines

Ifugao is a province in the far north of the country and features the famous rice terraces of Banaue though, in reality, the rice terraces at Batad (a remote village about a day’s hike from Banaue) are more impressive.

The whole province is inhabited by subsistence farmers who raise the rice right up the sides of the mountains. It’s easy to follow trails throughout the region and outside of the major tourist areas you’ll see no other travelers. People will look at you like an alien and little kids will chase after you. Trekkers are quite a novelty.

The jungle in the area is pristine. There’s a very beautiful and quite mystical (especially with lungs full of hash smoke) waterfall not far from Batad. Ask the locals for directions and though a handful of tourists do turn up each day most leave after half an hour.

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